Most regional producing theatres trading insolvently, report claims
An independent review by Peter Boyden Associates, commissioned by ACE, has claimed that 30 out of the 50 regional producing companies interviewed were in deficit last year.
However the situation is even worse than that, for, says the report, when National Lottery money is taken out of consideration, on the technical basis that their net liabilities exceed their net assets, most are technically insolvent, and have no realistic hope of ever clearing their debts without outside help.
Drama audiences have declined by a large amount - the report actually describes drama as being "problematic", with audiences attending plays being at the lowest ever recorded level.
This is the first stage of the report: after an eight week consultation period the company will produce stage two, recommendations.
Business sponsorship at record high, but there are dangers ahead
Arts and Business (formerly the Association for Business Speonsorship of the Arts) CEO Colin Tweedy has said that, although business sponsorship was at a record high last year (£141m), it could easily be "stretched to breaking point" very quickly.
He believes that the Lottery is "creating too many buildings" for which partnership funding is required, and the amount of money available from local authorities, ACE and business is very limited.
Tweedy believes that unless theatres and companies develop extremely professional and effective fund-raising departments, they will lose out in an increasingly competitive field. This is particularly true of organisations outside of London, for London received £64.4m of the total given last year.
At least £14,000 owed to Tess musicians
According to the Musicians Union, at least £14,000 is still owed to musicians by the producers of the failed musical Tess. Because the company has gone into receivership it is feared that they will never recover their money. Salaries for actors were covered by a bond with Equity and the theatre had a bond which covered the crew's wages, but the MU had not been able to organise a bond, as the producers kept saying they could not afford it.
Assembly Theatre wins venue and Loughlan considers suing
Edinburgh City Council has awarded the contract to run the Assembly Rooms during the Edinburgh Fringe to William Burdett-Coutts' Assembly Theatre, the previous tenants, although the rent will double to £80,000.
The tendering process begun by the Council last year was scrapped last week because of a prior agreement with Assembly Theatre made two years ago, and Hugh Loughlan, artistic director of Scottish International, the other shortlisted candidate, has accused the council of incompetence and is considering legal action.
The companies which had won the new franchises for YPT which were last week abandoned by the Welsh Arts Council in an eleventh hour U-turn, are considering suing the organisation, claiming that the change of plan - which will reduce their funding to last year's levels - has left them unable to function properly.
Stephen Davies, artistic director of Spectacle Theatre, said that at this time of the year they should be in the final stages of planning the coming year's programme. "Now," he went on, "if we are going to get out funding at last year's levels, we are going to have to start from scratch."
Irish actor Tony Doyle, best known for his performance as Brian Quigley in the BBC's Ballykissangel, has died suddenly. The cause of his death has not been made known. Doyle, who was in his fifties, was the first to receive an Irish Film and Television Academy Award for his performance in the BBC series Amongst Women.
Threat to ROH in spite of U-Turn
The Royal Opera House announced this week that it will reinstate the practice of selling "day tickets" from April, after Ben Bradshaw MP raised the matter in the House of Commons. In spite of this the government has warned the House that it must bring at least some of its best seats down in price to match the price of of West End musicals. Currently the best seats - usually bought for corporate entertaining - are £150.
A week earlier, the cancellation of the ballet Hidden Variables, the second performance cancellation in a week, was greeted with boos by the audience. The cancellation - which happened after the performance started - was due yet again to a failure in the computer system which moves the scenery.