THE LIST
nos UNKINDEST OUT
Robert Dawson Scott reports
Despite Elizabeth Macl-ennan's one-woman protest last week. the fateful SAC letter giving 7:84 ‘notice
ofwithdrawal of funding' as of April
198‘) can‘t have been a total surprise; the SAC have been asking awkward
questionsaboutthe company's
f administration and the quality of their work. to use Anna Stapleton.
SA(‘ Drama officer‘s words. for
~ some time. People who have worked
for 7:84 will tell you things. in a quiet moment. which suggest that
i delegation of authority may not be one of the company's founder and ' guiding handJohn McGrath‘smost
finely honed skills. With his
increasing committment to film and
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television. this has tended to leave a power vacuum in the company‘s leadership. It is a common enough problem in arts organisations whose roots are inextricably associated with one or two individuals; indeed many never get beyond that stage. The problem is both eased and compounded when the individual concerned is such a forceful and self-evidently able man as Mc(irath. Miss Macl-ennan's hastily photocopied leaflets which made the SA(“s decision public. (intended but. so far at least. failing to provoke a storm of public indignation) may prove to have been playing into the SA(“s hands. As 7284's chairman Robin Worral put it ‘lfthere‘s one thing that is likely to persuade the Arts (‘ouncil that this (‘ompany is a two person fiefdom it is Elizabeth Macl-ennan disclosing confidential
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letters to the press in advance of any democratic meeting of the Board' — the two people being Maclennan and husband .‘vlc(}rath. Reading between the lines I would guess that there are points made by the SAC that Mr Worral. an Edinburgh entrepreneur inclined to almost 'I‘hatcherite rhetoric. does not wholly disagree with.
A Board meeting to discuss the SA(“s letter and how to respond to it is in progress as this issue goes to press.
THE BIG EASY (ilasgow District (‘ouncil‘s
enthusiasm for culture knows no bounds. They are currently bidding to become the permanent European home of the fabulous 'l‘hyssen collection currently on show at the Royal Academy in London. The Baron is known to want to put at least part of the finest private art
: collection in the world on permanent
public display but I bet he didn‘t reckon it would end up in (ilasgow. A further indication ofthe (‘ity's limitless confidence came from Glasgow Action. the outfit which helps all the various agencies.
j private and public. to get things done
in the (‘ityx l was chatting with its
j director David MacDonald about ‘ the idea of hosting the Olympics in
EFHE’Qdic_éV"“x.é be ESPECTABLE j) g; LMODERAT'ONL)
19% which some over-ambitious hot head had come up with last year. i expected him to say it was just some
; over-ambitious hot head but what he
+ + STOP PRESS + 4‘
MERRY MAC FUN SHOW ARRESTED BY THOUGHTCOPS CONVICTED OF PUBLlC AGITATiO/V AGAINST THE STATE, AND SNIGGERYWITH PERSON 0R PERSONS UNKNOWN- SENTENCED To TERM oF DETENTION UNDER NEW GOVERNMENT INlTlATlVE FOR
J- A CRACKING DOWN ONTHEMEDTA
actually said was ‘lt‘s not necessary.‘ He sounded as if the Olympic (‘ommittee should be asking Glasgow to grant it permission to hold its sports day in Kelvingrove Park.
SLIPPING INTO SOMETHING MORE COMFORTABLE
Well done to Edinburgh District (‘ouncil for breaking the record which they already held for the largest number ofvisitors to any exhibition outside London. 220.000. The (iold of the Pharaohs (it's still on. by the way) is even more popular (and certainly better marketed) than the Emperor‘s Warriors were. In fact the (‘ouncil has got so carried away with its success that it intends to nearly double the size of the (‘ity Art Centre by buying the hosiery warehouse above it — really pulling their socks up in fact.
STAMPING OUT THE FUN
Anyone who was in any doubt about the significance of Ian Barr‘s departure from the Scottish Postal Board last month. should have been at the party sponsored by the Post Office and organised before his departure to launch the ’I'raverse’s
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new season last week. Mr Barr. you will recall. had the Scottish Post Office sponsoring all sorts of interesting things and was a generally tireless supporter of the whole idea ofsponsorship within the business community. There maybe no correlation between an organisation's commitment to sponsorship and the scale of their entertaining but let‘s just say that I wasn‘t surprised to hear from the Post Office's sponsorship administration officer that their overall sponsorship budget for 1988'") is going to go down.
NAME THAT TUNE
Nixon in ('lzina! what do you call that for a name. I don‘t know about you, but I think titles are important. Tristan and Isolde just wouldn't be the same if it was called Ron and Eth. What a Shame She's a Girl Who Lives on Immoral Earnings doesn‘t send you rushing to the box office like 'Tis Pity She's a Whore. I regret therefore that when I read about an opera with no title — Nixon in (‘hina — coming to the Festival with no future — Edinburgh — from the city with no art — Houston. Texas. — and being paid for by a newspaper who until recently had no editor— The Scotsman — I fear the worst.
CONTRIBUTORS -
Associate Editor Allan
Accounts ( ieorgettc
Typesetting .Io Kennedy
Publisher Robin Ilodge. Editors Nigel Billen. Sarah llemming.
Hunter. Design Simon listerson. Advertising Jess Barrow. Sheila Maclean.
Renw ick. Richard (iray.
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and l lew er‘l‘ext. Production Editor Paul Keir. Production Assistants Mark Fisher. .lulie .‘yiorrice. Art Alice Bain. Books Alan Taylor. Classical Music ('arol Main. Dance Alice Bain. Film Allan Hunter. Trevor Johnston. Folk/Jazz Norman ('halmcrs. Food Rosemary ( ioring and Marina ()‘I.oughlin. Kids
Sally Kinncs. Open Sarah llemming. Radio Sally Kinnes. Rock (Edinburgh) Mab. Rock (Glasgow) John Williamson. Sport Kenny Mathieson. Theatre Sarah llemming. TV Nigel Billen Camera Edinburgh Make-up Services Cover lngrid Bergman and Humphrey Bogart in (‘usuhlunm Cover Design Nigel Billen. Paul Keir.
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