After pressure from, among others, the National Campaign for the Arts, Education secretary David Blunkett has agreed to implement the Robinson Report, which makes around sixty recommendations about the arts in schools. This is somewhat of a U-turn as the DfEE seemed to be ignoring the report. However Blunkett, in a letter to the Qualifiations and Curriculum Authority (QCA), has said that he agrees that "work (should be) undertaken on the arts and sport."
According to Victoria Todd, chair of the National Campaign for the Arts (NCA), this is a "monumental decision" as "the report called for a new balance in the school curriculum allowing proer scope for children's creative and cultural talents."
The current review of the National Curiculum will now take the Robinson Report into account when deciding upon NC changes.
Sadler's Wells has received two grants totalling £680,000, which will enable it to have a full programme in the year beginning April 2000, something that was looking very unlikely until last week. The two grants are from the Arts Council (£530,000) and the London Arts Board (£150,000).
The London Arts Board has announced that its funding focus for the next two years will be on the cash-strapped outer boroughs.
Huge success of Beckett season
The Beckett season at the Barbican has proved a major success, with main house productions playing to 90% houses and those in the Pit selling out even before the 18-day festival started. All of Becket's plays were performed during the Festival.
Ticket sales at the Norwich Theatre Royal have plunged after the most successful six months in the theatre's recent history. Only the touring Jesus Christ Superstar came close to targets and audeinec figures are described as being "substantially below normal". As a result there have been two redundancies - Roger Richardson (programming director) and Arthur Hoare (technical co-ordinator).
The stage looks set for a confrontation between the Tron's management and the Scottish Arts Council after the Glasgow theatre decided to axe the post of Artistic Director and become a 100% receiving house. A spokesperson for SAC replied that there is "no realistic possibility" or the theatre being allowed to change its producing status, as it had been given extra money earlier this year to secure that status.
SAC gives the Tron £240,000 a year, but the theatre has been using earmarked revenue funding (£50,000 set aside for productions) on the upkeep of the building, according to artistic director Irina Brown who leaves the theatre this week.