The Stage

WMC denies claims the rest of Wales isn’t benefiting

Published Tuesday 8 December 2009 at 15:40 by Lalayn Baluch

Wales Millennium Centre has refuted claims made by the country’s heritage minister, Alun Ffred Jones, that the Cardiff-based venue is not “servicing the needs” of people across the nation.

The minister said the national arts centre, which cost £109 million to build and establish, had an obligation to people across Wales because of the amount of public subsidy it receives. He said the venue was not benefiting the entire country as it should.

Responding to the criticisms, WMC spokeswoman Beth Davies said the venue took its “responsibilities as a national centre very seriously”. She said there was a five-hour commute to North Wales from Cardiff in the south east, so “it is obvious that our audience is going to be smaller from that region than from the south east corner, where two thirds of the population of Wales is located”.

Davies insisted the organisation had developed a number of links with arts companies across Wales and had established various learning and participation programmes.

“It has already developed a formal strategic partnership with Galeri in Caernarfon, which is bearing fruit in a number of areas,” Davies added.

“For example, Llyfr Mawr Y Plant, the first original Welsh language musical to be staged at the WMC, started its life as a joint venture between Galeri and Theatr Bara Caws in North Wales. We have been working with other venues too, such as Theatr Brycheiniog in Brecon and Aberystwyth Arts Centre, for example, on our urban arts project Criw Cymru, which is a pan Wales Cultural Olympiad project.”

Davies said WMC’s audience came from all over the country, with 10% originating from west Wales. She said it was working with coach operators across Wales to develop theatre packages and had recently appointed a community marketing officer to develop links with the Welsh speaking areas.

Jones had questioned about the venue’s impact on the Welsh population during a discussion on BBC Radio Cymru.