British Theatre News

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Dateline: 10th January, 1999

RSC in new talks with ACE

Talks are to be held this week between the RSC and ACE over the level of funding for the company in the coming financial year. Last week ACE announced a 5% increase in the grant to the RSC, but the company needs 15% to make up for some years of standstill funding.

Crunch time for ACE staff

On Wednesday of this week staff at ACE will be told if they have a job or not. It is expected that as many as two thirds of the organisation's staff will lose their jobs in the shake-up, which will be revealed on what is being called "Black Wednesday".

Stabilisation plans announced

£50m will be spent on stabilisation funding in the next three years, ACE announced this week. There will be three atrands to the programme: the main strand aims to secure the future of masjor arts organisations, the fast-track strand will deal with immediate problems, and the small-scale programme willbe for companies which have an audience of less than 25,000 a year. The Independent Theatre Council (ITC) has already expressed concern that the small-scale scheme will not begin until after the other two.

Robinson attacks Quest

Quest, the Quality and Effective Standards Team, the new quango which, according to arts minister Alan Howarth, will offer "independent, authortative and unbiased expertise" to publicly funded companies and funding bodies, has been attacked a a "waste of time" by ACE chairman Gerry Robinson.

New regional grants

The following details about regional grants were announced this week:

• "Significant" increases for the Palace, Watford, and the Mercury, Colchester
• Increase of £30,000 to Eastern Angles, the Eastern Arts leading touring company
• An extra £55,000 (7%) for Nottingham Playhouse
• An extra £20,000 (6%) for Derby Playhouse
• An extra £40,000 (19%) for the Royal, Northampton, which is abotu to merge with the Derngate
• Just 3% for the Haymarket, Leicerster
• "Substantial" rises for the Pheonix Arts Centre and touring company, New Perspectives (both Leicester)
• A massive increase from £114,000 to £410,000 for the Stephen Joseph, Scarborough
• An increase of 67% (to £50,000) for Northern Broadsides
• A 5.5% increase (£49,000) to the West Yorkshire Playhouse
• Inflation increases for the Harrogate Theatre, Hull Truck, Pilot Theatre, and Sheffield Theatres
• An 11% increase (£50,000) to the Belgrade, Coventry
• Inlation increases for Birmingham Rep and Newcastle-under-Lyme's New Victoria Theatre
• 15% increase to Big Brum (TIE company)
• Collar and Tie, TIE company in Worcester, has its grant doubled to £30,000
• Standstill grant for Northern Stage, Newcastle-upon-Tyne
• New venue the Ark in Stockton to receive £179,000 over two years
• Theatre by the Lake, Keswick, to receive £170,000 over two years
• The Hampstead Theatre, the Hammersmith Theatre, the Theatre Royal Stratford East, the Almeida, the Bush, the Orange Tree and the Young Vic each receive rises of 2.5%
• London Bubble receives a rise of just under 12%
• 12.7% for the Hackney Empire
• 42% increase for Circus Space

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