The Stage

Scottish Opera chorus denounces Armstrong’s ‘extravagence’

Published Thursday 17 June 2004 at 11:05 by Hamish Mackay

Chorus members facing redundancies at Scottish Opera have attacked artistic director Richard Armstrong claiming his “extravagance” and “inappropriate and elitist programming” will cost them their jobs.

Armstrong has been accused of sidelining the professional chorus in favour of hired singers and of “systematically excluding” them from programmes during his 11 years with the company. One member criticised him for refusing to meet with the chorus and added: “He may be the best Wagnerian of his generation but he has no people skills at all. He ruled Scottish Opera from a viewpoint of fear - he is not a company man.”

A production of Wagner’s Ring Cycle, which was performed by the company at the 2003 Edinburgh International Festival and later at the Theatre Royal, Glasgow and the Lowry, Salford, was acclaimed by critics but left the company in debt, forcing it to draw £4 million from next year’s grant.

SO has managed to avoid bankruptcy thanks to a £7 million Scottish Executive rescue package but in return will be forced to make 88 full-time job cuts in a staff of 210, to impose a dark period of nine months next year and to continue negotiations to give the running of the Theatre Royal to another firm.

Both Equity and Bectu, which represents 120 technical staff, have called for the resignations of Armstrong, SO chairman Duncan McGhie and chief executive Chris Barron. Armstrong’s contract runs out in June 2005 but he has refused to confirm whether he plans to leave.

No details have yet emerged on the executive’s plan that Scottish Opera and Scottish Ballet, which are nominally merged and share the Theatre Royal, should be separated. There have been suggestions that the technical staff could be rehired by a privatised company to service Scottish Ballet, Scottish Opera and the new National Theatre of Scotland.

Meanwhile Armstrong has attacked culture minister Frank McAveety, describing his decision to reduce the size of the company as “brutal and shameful”.

Armstrong said the executive had assumed a confrontational approach after it hired management consultant David Pirnie to plan the future of SO and accused it of being obsessed with tripling the company’s already extensive education and outreach work.

He added: “They were just brutal and basically told us we knew nothing about what we did, which was just shameful. It’s a desperate situation for Scotland, not just for Scottish Opera. Where are they going next - who are they going to target next?”

The overall cutbacks plan is subject to an immediate 60-day consultation period with the unions and Bectu has threatened a ballot for strike action if its concerns are not allayed.