Theatres Trust: "The headcount has taken over from quality"
The Theatres Trust, the government-appointed watchdog, has launched a slashing attack on government policy for theatre, describing it as "a few years of well intentioned but unthinking populism."
"There is a growing tendency to believe that nothing has any value unless it reaches vast numbers of people," says its chairman, Sir John Drummond. "Somehow the head count has taken over from matters of quality as a yardstick."
There is no limit to the potential audience for dross," he went on. "But what about the audience for quality? Is it simply to be dismissed as unimportant because the numbers are relatively small?"
In its annual report published on 7th December warns that the regions are in a bad way, with rep comanies in decline, touring shows increasingly expensive, and producing companies and theatres themselves under threat.
According to Drummond, "All of us who love theatre must be prepared to speak out on behalf of both small audiences and high standards."
Theatres Trust to scrutinise Lottery awards
Worried that Lottery grants have been given hurriedly and without thinking them through, the Theatres Trust is to monitor ACE and its Lottery grants closely over the next three years. In its annual report, Trust director Peter Longman writes that he is afraid that "in ten years from now, we will find a crop of new Lottery-funded theatres with nothing to put in them because local authroities cannot afford to run them."
Islington's Almeida theatre will be dark for a year in 2001 whilst a £4.3m refurbishment is carried out. However this does not mean the theatre will stop producing. Executive Director Nick Starr hopes to move to another London theatre so that they can have "a busy year producing". He is not prepared, at the moment, to say which theatre as they are still negotiating.
In an Equity survey , more than 45% of respondents said that they had turned down work because subsistence allowances are too small. Currently the susbsistence allowance, agreed two years ago between Equity and the TMA, is £79 a week, whilst the average cost of accommodation for a week is now £75. Taking into account the cost of child-care, travel, food and accommodation, many actors find themselves out of pocket when working away from home.
It used to be assumed that actors are so desperate for work that they will do so under any circumstances, an Equity spokesman said, but there has been a "sea-change for most actors", which will be damaging for touring shows unless managements tackle the problem.