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July 2004 Feature: National Theatre 4
John McGeoch |
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| WHERE CAN I read the current National Theatre
Constitution? I can’t say I’ve been part of the debate as my slightly cynical
side says that any Highland relevance will be 90 percent token, and then 90
percent of that will centre around Eden Court or the Highland Festival - or
should I say Inverness Festival! So I do need to know more before I put on a
serious head and assess what it may or may not mean. Mostly though I just don’t
have the time to enter into these countless initiatives and forums and
questionnaires that now constitute the Arts world. Its where far too much money
is going as far as I’m concerned. Too much bureaucracy generating more feedback
and response issues than I can deal with, unless someone is going to fund us to
have someone to deal with all the stuff generated from these bodies and posts
and appointments, etc, etc. |
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| Basically I will be into anything that means that
after 20 years I can stop personally subsidising a full time theatre arts
company in the Highlands. What price dedication? Have you seen the list of stuff
we are doing, have been doing, and not a single subsidised post in the whole
organisation? |
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| So you can see I have plenty of rants, but not a lot
of faith in much funding vis a vis national theatre coming our way - it will be
siphoned off by those much closer to the source and those more dedicated to
administration liasing and the like. Don`t get me wrong, these are important and
essential skills, but without funding they are paid for by work, so we
concentrate on work and have to keep going that way. |
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| I also acknowledge that we are assisted in a project
sense by the Scottish Arts Council and HI~Arts, but as regards a being part of a
‘National Theatre’ project, funding is not enough. Everywhere I look there are
‘Arts’ posts – they are just not with the people actually producing the work or
directly assisting them to produce work. |
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| The cart is leading the horse, and the horses are
getting tired. We lost one of the best set builders and stage managers the
Highlands have had a couple of weeks ago. Andy Laing has gone off after a great
many years arts work to refit mobile homes – a regular wage and close to home.
Eric Tessier-Lavigne (Tartan Chameleon) is studying acupuncture and is no longer
applying for funding. Eric might be a bit over-ambitious for the Highlands, but
then again we will be lucky to attract another of his quality up here except
from the top down, and that will cost a lot more than as if we had cultivated
what we already have.
© John McGeoch, 2004 |
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NORTHINGS
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