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A ‘national pathway’ for the development of English language theatre in Wales is published by the Arts Council today in a bid to establish a much stronger theatre culture throughout Wales. The report has been compiled by one of the UK’s leading arts consultants, Peter Boyden, working with an Arts Council steering group that included leading theatre practitioners from Wales. The report is being published for a final consultation with the sector, local authorities and government. The report will be discussed by the Arts Council of Wales at its meeting at Aberystwyth today. It calls for a substantial increase in theatre production at different scales. This would include * concentrating Clwyd Theatr Cymru’s work on mainscale productions with regular seasons in Cardiff and Swansea as well as at its Mold headquarters * developing a new vision for the Sherman Theatre in Cardiff as the hub of theatrical provision in the capital * redeveloping the Torch Theatre in Milford Haven and making the company a key provider of mid scale work for venues across Wales * appointing a Creative Producer based in south Wales to generate major collaborative projects * maximising the production capacity of companies such as Hijinx Theatre and Volcano * and in the medium term establishing a new building based company in south Wales. ACW Chairman, Geraint Talfan Davies, speaking in advance of the meeting of the Council said, “There is no quick or easy fix for theatre in Wales. We have put forward a strategic vision that will shape how we spend our existing money, but which will also require increased resources. When we agree a direction we need to pursue the strategy vigorously but consistently for a decade. “This national pathway for theatre has been fully endorsed by the steering group. It is not a scheme to create one entity but rather an attempt to build a body of theatre activity throughout Wales that is marked by variety, quality and innovation and that is unmistakably Welsh as well as open to and feeding international theatre practice", he added. The report says that English language theatre has been “under-resourced, under-valued and under-developed”, and has suffered from “a lack of consistent policy and investment”. It also says that the range and volume of English language production in Wales has been dropping, with the result that audiences are declining and much theatre talent is forced to work outside Wales. It stresses that there is no large scale producing theatre for adults in the whole of the south Wales urban belt that encompasses two-thirds of the Welsh population. “With the support of the Assembly Government we have already established a national theatre in the Welsh language, and put theatre for young people on a firm foundation. We now need to put English language theatre on its feet. I was delighted that we had the support of the Minister of Culture, Alun Pugh in undertaking this work. ,” said Mr Talfan Davies. ”There is a new audience to be won for theatre in Wales. There are old and new theatres to be filled. No society under-going the scale of change that we see in Wales should be without an active theatre as a source of exploration and challenge. No nation with our own talent resources should be content to see those resources drift elsewhere or simply atrophy for lack of opportunity,” he added. The report says that “a vibrant theatre culture has a dynamic contemporary relevance for any engaged society. It celebrates collective identity, strengthens social purpose, and provides a public forum for ideas. It also harnesses creativity and changes international perceptions”. The recommendations also takes into account the Council’s current work in its Programme for Sustainable Arts Organisations as well as the recent and future proposals for the allocation of resources under the Arts Outside Cardiff scheme. Both schemes are expected to assist the implementation of the theatre proposals. The consultation period will run for 6 weeks until Friday, 22nd October. Responses to the report available from ACW regional Offices or via the website www.artswales.org.uk should be sent to: Iestyn Davies, Head of Communications the Arts Council of Wales 9 Museum Place Cardiff CF10 3NX iestyn.davies@artswales.org.uk Notes to Editors The full report is available in the format of a downloadable PDF by following the link below or by contacting the Communications team at The Arts Council of Wales. |
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Friday, September 10, 2004 |
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