The Stage

Scottish NT will not be ‘surrogate arts council’

Published Tuesday 16 March 2004 at 14:35 by Ruth Gillespie

Scotland’s new national theatre should not be seen as an alternative source of funding to the Scottish Arts Council, despite operating as a major commissioning body, chairman Richard Findlay has warned.

Suggestions that additional money would be made available for touring work through the National Theatre of Scotland arose in February, when SAC announced its intention to cut core funding to several touring organisations, including pioneering company 7:84, in favour of children’s arts projects. At the same time the overall drama budget increased by £3.5 million to accommodate the NToS.

However, Findlay said: “We hope the National Theatre of Scotland will grow on the back of the talent available in theatres across the country and commission work from existing companies but it will not be a surrogate arts council.

“I don’t want to see any company cutting back or in danger of closure but funding is always difficult in the arts and there are always new mouths to feed. Last year drama allocations in the arts council budget increased substantially and I think that indicated to companies that the national theatre is not intended as an alternative to what they are doing.”

NToS has been allocated £7.5 million from SAC over two years. Although it will not have a permanent performance space or company of actors, the organisation’s administrative office is expected to be based in the Arts Factory in the Easterhouse area of Glasgow.

“We have no plans to find a permanent theatre building,” added Findlay, who was appointed as chairman of the national theatre by an independent panel in December.

“The great plus for this company is that it will not be burdened by bricks and mortar. Our resources will be concentrated on what happens onstage and encouraging new writing. We also want to ensure that the NToS reaches more rural parts of the country.”

The comments come following the announcement of the theatre’s inaugural board, which includes Claire Chapman, head of production at Scottish Screen, former Byre Theatre artistic director Maggie Kinloch, now head of drama at Queen Margaret University College, and director of the Scottish Storytelling Centre Donald Smith, who led the steering group advising SAC on the structure of the national theatre.

Anne Bonnar, of management consultancy company Bonnar Keenlyside, Peter Cabrelli, a former human resource director for HBOS, Allan Burns, Scottish director for drinks firm Diageo, and Iain More, founding partner of fundraising consultancy Iain More Associates, have also been selected for the board. The members will meet in April and are expected to appoint a creative director by the end of this year.

Construction work on the £10 million centre at Easterhouse was officially launched by culture minister Frank McAveety last week and the new fac-ility, which will also house a 220-seat auditorium, rehearsal rooms for dance and drama and editing facilities, is due to open in August 2005. Interim premises for NToS are currently being sought in Glasgow and the company’s first production is expected to be staged next year.