KAOS has always striven to produce work that is of the highest artistic
quality, that challenges and pushes the boundaries.
KAOS has over the past 14 years grown from a small experimental theatre
company, driven by ensemble ethics and performance research, into
one of the UK's foremost mid and small scale touring companies.
Concerns have been raised about the quality of our work by ACE officers
but these concerns don't seem to reflect the reality of the venues
we tour to (many of whom have sent us extraordinary letters of support)
and the national audiences that we reach.
At our annual review in July 2007 we were shocked when it seemed
that our officers were basing their judgment on wrong information.
We have found dealing with this regime at the The Arts Council a
demorilising experience. The success we achieve on the road is not
registered in Central Office.
I'm a founding member of KAOS. Anybody who has started a company
will understand the sheer hard work that is involved to first of all
make the production and then to tour it. In the early years we did
this with absolutely no subsidy. We knew that to gain subsidy we had
to earn it by making extraordinary work. We did this then. We continue
to do this now.
We have been treated without respect.
We feel we have been lied to.
To quote one our letters of support "The Company's reputation
for high quality ensemble physical theatre is second to none and Kaos'
desire to push boundaries and challenge audience expectations in pursuit
of excellence is what I understood to be the very essence of what
the Arts Council is encouraging the whole sector to do." Lincoln
Drill Hall
Theatre is about people, it is about communication of ideas, feelings
and understanding. Qualities frankly missing in this thing we call
the Arts Council.
