More than one in ten Londoners work in the creative industries, a survey from the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) reveals. 80% of the British film industry, 70% of TV and radio production companies, and 70% of recording studios are based in the capital, the report says. It also reveals that up to 200 arts events per day take place in the city.
Livingstone announces culture committee
London mayor Ken Livingstone has announced the membership of city's Cultural Strategy Group. It includes Martin McCullum (SOLT chairman) and Nicholas Kent (artistic director if Kilburn's Tricycle Theatre). TV and theatre producer Bev Randall will also be on the committee, which will be chaired by Yasmin Anwar, Channel 4's commissioning editor for multicultural progammes.
Big audience increase for Mercury
Colchester's Mercuy Theatre has increased box-office takings by 38% since it established an in-house company eighteen months ago. Amongst its most successful productions were The Duchess of Malfi, The Provok'd Wife and Coward's Blithe Spirit.
Nick Starr, executive director of the Almeida, is to leave in the autumn, it has been announced. No official reason has been given, except that he wants to do "a number of things", and there are rumours that his departure is not amicable.