The Royal Shakespeare Company has been accepted onto the Arts Council's stabilisation funding scheme and will also receive a one-off grant from ACE of £600,000 over the coming year. This should bring to an end the financial problems which have threatened the company and enable it to put on a full season of plays.
In addition to the RSC, other companies are to receive extra grants from the Arts Council of England. The Royal Court will receive £200,000 to stage three new productions; the Welsh National Opera will receive £260,000, thus averting a financial crisis; Opera North, Leeds, gets £250,000, and dance venue The Place gets £150,000.
The following awards have been made by the Critics' Circle:
The London Boroughs' Grant Committee has cut many top theatre and dance companies, including Oily Cart which has been funded by the committee for more than six years.
Bush and Channel 4 in new writing deal
London's Bush Theatre and Channel 4 are to cooperate in a new writing initiative which could bring new playwright's work to TV. Six writers have each been asked to produce a one-act play which the TV station will develop in the hope of creating new series. Two of the plays will also be performed at the Bush in the autumn. The whole deal is worth £140,000.
Producing theatres in the south west have gained little in the latest funding round from South West Arts. Bristol Old Vic, the Northcott (Exeter) and Plymouth Theatre Royal will get increases just above the rate of inflation, whilst the Everyman at Cheltenham has its grant cut by 13%.TIE company Travelling Light gets a 21.6% increase whilst the Brewhouse in Taunton gets an extra 36%.
The Scottish Arts Council has transferred a number of theatres to three-year funding, thus making their financial positions much more secure. Theatres afftected are:
The Independent Theatre Council has gone online. It can be found at www.itc-arts.org.
American Equity's Alien Committee has refused permission for the NT's revival of Oklahoma! to transfer to Broadway with its London cast. If the decision is not reversed on appeal to the union's Council, it may be two or three years before it transfers - if at all.