Royal Shakespeare Theatre to Go?
The RSC is considering demolishing the Royal Shakespeare Theatre and replacing it with a more modern "production-friendly" building at a cost of around £80m. The present building, they believe, has poor acoustics and sightlines and does not feel welcoming for audiences. If the project is to go ahead, it will need a great deal of funding from the Lottery. In any case, work will not start until 2000 at the earliest.
Shopping Producers in Liquidation
G&J Productions, the company behind Shopping the Fucking and Disco Pigs has gone into voluntary liquidation with debts of over £220,000 and accumulated losses of over £400,000.
Don't Submit Large Bids Yet, says ACE
Companies wishing to submit bids for Lottery grants of more than £100,000 must wait until new guidelines are in place, says ACE boss Peter Hewitt. He also warned that only £55m is available for capital grants up to March 2000 so there will be very few "substantial" grants in the future.
For the first time ever one of the Stage Edinburgh Fringe Awards has been shared. The Best Actress accolade goes to unknown Alison Baker for The Glace Bay Miners' Museum (at the Quaker Meeting House) and Siobhan Redmond for Perfect Days (at the Traverse).
The Best Actor award went to Chris Pickles for his performance in Terrence McNally's Love! Valour! Compassion! at the Bedlam Theatre. Theatre 28, the company producing the play, gained the Best Ensemble award.
First Fringe First for Non-verbal Theatre
Russian Company Derevo's production Once has been awarded a Fringe First by the Scotsman, the first time a non-verbal, physical theatre piece has been so honoured. (See our feature article for more details.)