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To Mike Baker I am writing in response to the Draft Drama Strategy for Wales Consultation Paper with reference to Brith Gof. Obviously we are disappointed that Council has made a provisional decision to fund the company for only six months of 1999 / 2000, and hope that when Council meet on 19 March they will reconsider. We strongly believe that as an institution, as a body of work and group of artists, and as a company committed to innovation in Welsh language culture, Brith Gof deserves support and should be part of the strategy. The Draft Strategy Document proposes to support innovation through project funding. We strongly believe that dependence on project funding is unsustainable for any company, our selves included, and the withdrawal of revenue funding from Brith Gof will therefore end Brith Gof's work in live performance in Wales. In addition to which, none of the exciting and innovative applications for project funding put forward independently by any of the artists associated with Brith Gof, (Mike Pearson, Mike Brookes, Marc Rees, Sioned Hughes, Eddie Ladd), have received support. The Draft Strategy confirms Council's commitment to ensuring full diversity of provision in both the languages of Wales. By both withdrawing funding from Brith Gof and failing to fund any of the artists listed above, or indeed proposing a franchise for work of this nature, Council are failing to deliver on their stated commitment. We believe this clearly illustrates the limitations of a 'projects only' strategy. The Draft Strategy clearly concentrates resources within North and North East Wales. Brith Gof is one of the few companies regularly working in rural West Wales, and one of the very few companies in recent years to have had productions commissioned by promoters in Swansea, the valleys, and West Wales. As such, Brith Gof is one of the few cultural institutions in Wales in a position to forge strategic alliances with other education and cultural providers, and take full advantage of the imminent arrival of Objective I status for much of South and West Wales. International contact and export success cannot be achieved overnight. To loose institutions such as Brith Gof will throw away eighteen years of investment in cultural relations. The role of the arts in promoting Wales internationally and in cultural and economic regeneration will both be important considerations in the coming decade. Council needs to rethink the means by which it achieves its priorities. Brith Gof can continue play a significant strategic role in delivering Council's objectives -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To: Jo Weston Chief Executive Arts Council of Wales I am writing in response to the Draft Drama Strategy for Wales Consultation Paper. I have separately written to Mike Baker with reference specifically to Brith Gof. The following are the main points I wished to make. 1. The consultation process. Although the consultation process began last year, the consultation period available for discussion of the Draft Drama Strategy is only roughly five weeks. Given that the strategy recommends very significant change I believe that five weeks is totally inadequate. Moreover, the timing of publication and consultation comes so close to the end of the financial year that, regardless of specific funding decisions, all clients will find it impossible to properly plan for 1999 - 2000. I am also both surprised and disappointed that the Arts Council of Wales apparently feels it unnecessary to engage in public debate within this current consultation period. As far as I am aware, none of the companies mentioned within the strategy have been directly consulted as to the viability or desirability of the proposed changes in relation to themselves. Brith Gof were not consulted as to whether six months of funding is an appropriate level of within which to achieve anything. No indication has been given as to why the work of a particular company does or does not fall within the strategy, why a particular company will or will not be funded in the future. 2. Geography. I have always understood that a fundamental principle of Arts Council funding is to ensure a good geographic distribution of resources. This principle appears to have been abandoned. The strategy appears to offer nothing to Swansea, Newport, the valleys, mid or West Wales. Such a geographic imbalance surely is deeply damaging 3. Funding fewer better. The principle of funding fewer was widely discussed during the consultation period last year, and I, like many, supported the principle. However, I did not envisage that the principle would be used to concentrate resources so heavily within such a small number of clients. In particular, I had assumed, wrongly as it appears, that funding for different categories of activity would remain relatively constant. The strategy proposes a net reduction in funding to Theatre In Education, to Community Touring Theatre, to Experimental Theatre. It appears that everyone and every sector will suffer to in order to increase support to two newly expanded companies. For many, their only contact with professional live performance is through the work of TIE and Community Touring companies. To effectively deprive this audience of access to professional theatre is both culturally indefensible can only mitigate against the achievement of long term strategic aims; the development of new audiences, and the increasing importance of the arts within the wider cultural life of the nation. Experimental practise has been rightly compared to research and development within industry. A net reduction in funding to experimental companies, a reduced commitment to support for innovative and artistically and culturally challenging work will inevitably be deeply damaging within wider cultural debate and artistic practise. I am truly appalled that the proposal to withdraw funding from Brith Gof is not accompanied by a commitment to revenue fund another Welsh language experimental company. The suggestion that revenue support for experimental work will be given to an English language company only clearly contradicts the strategy's stated aim of ensuring diversity across both the languages of Wales. Given however that this has been proposed, why is the proposed grant increase for Volcano less than that currently given to Brith Gof? Surely, if Brith Gof is to be cut in order to ensure that Volcano can be better supported, Volcano should receive the full value of our grant in addition to their current award. The strategy proposes an overall reduction of roughly £70,000 for experimental theatre. 4. Project Funding. One of reasons why I have supported the principle of funding fewer better has been to ensure an increased budget for project funding. The importance of project funding in supporting the work of independent artists and ensuring the development of new talent is enormous. Project funding is not however, and can never be, a substitute for revenue funding. The belief that the work of companies such as Brith Gof or Hijinx can continue with project funding is entirely fallacious. 5. Welsh National Performing Arts Companies. For me, this is the crux of my entire response. It is from this that the entire strategy has been developed and all funding decisions made. It is clear that the strategy is proposing the creation of a National Theatre of Wales. Surely this is a matter for public debate and should rightly be a decision for the Assembly? Surely this is not a proper matter to be decided behind closed doors by a quango. Intrinsic to that debate is discussion as to the meaning and nature of a national theatre both now and in Wales, the role such an institution could / should play within the cultural life of the nation, and whether indeed the creation of such an institution is of value and benefit. Debate would therefore naturally broaden into the development of a cultural vision for Wales. Unless such a debate takes place and such a vision is clearly articulated, I fail to see how we can hope to develop an effective and coherent strategy according to which funding priorities can be set and individual funding decisions made. The strategy fails to articulate such a vision. Given everything I have listed above, I am sure you will not be surprised when I say I sincerely hope that Council will decide to reject the Draft Drama Strategy when it meets on March 19th. |
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Thursday, February 25, 1999 |
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