‘ WE SAW YOU
Name Occupation
What did you think of the new Fopp?
Darn Professional Ned
Nice and cheap with lots of records.
Greg
It’s strong.
Jude
Powerbuilder — Mr Lancaster 92 Butcher
I’m too tired.
Mr Fox and Michelle Work in Diesel
It’s been a long time coming. They’re gonna kick ass.
Name Alexa and Roy Jennifer Occupation Students Student What you think of the Great. Vinnie was very gOOd.
film and Vinnie Jones?
favourite.
Very, very good. Vinnie is my
Louise Admin assistant
Nicolas Cage.
Fantastic, although lprefer
Rosanne School
Really cool and the cars were really good. Vinnie is stupid.
Flyposting: the backlash
I congratulate the City Of Edinburgh CounCil’s Licensmg Department in its attempt to control this problem (La Belle Angele's license restricted to 2am from 3am as a punishment).
Here in Glasgow, the Situation is far worse and not confined to a few hard- up clubs. There is systematic fly- posting by several large clubs as well as bars and preschool nurseries and the odd 'exotic’ furniture seller (ll. The area around Woodlands is particularly badly targeted and hundreds of flyers advertising one event appear over night like a rash.
Of course, it’s argued by some that it helps make this city a 'happening’ place. Unfortunately many of these people are not council tax payers and the city's attempt. to look reasonably tidy is hindered by well publicised financial difficulties.
It also appears to be OK to paste flyers on every litter bin and empty shop front and recently we had the sad spectacle of a soon to close underground club (the North Woodside Social Club) advertising its last night With spray-painted messages on shop fronts (even on Byres Road), bus shelters and, heaven forbid, a University Of Glasgow campus map’s plastic cover
50 THE lIST 10—1 7 Aug 2000
Write to:
React, The List, 14 High Street, Edinburgh EH1 1TB or React, The List, McLelIan Galleries, 270 Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow 62 381 or e-mail react@|ist.co.uk
(what did the USA t0urists think . . .7) This is all done with a confident sense of impunity.
Stephen Macpherson
Montague Street
Glasgow
Workshop not work-shy
Re .‘es’iiial amateur; issue- 392"
I was disappomted that Theatre Workshop was not, contrary to the impres5ion given in your article, contacted for a response to the allegation in The List that its closure during the Fringe was 'bizarre’.
Yes, Theatre Workshop is Currently preparing for the launch of its new permanent company with its production of Portadown Blues. I — along with other members of the team at Theatre Workshop — am proud Scotland will be the home of the first ever professional theatre to integrate disabled actors into all productions. However, as a major force in Edinburgh's cultural life, Theatre Workshop is also disappomted to have a temporarily reduced presence at this year’s Festival.
We are committed to creating high- QUality work for audiences in Edinburgh and internationally throughout the year. Running a Fringe venue necessnates taking finanCial risks and there have been a number of
high-profile cases in which indiVidual promoters have taken personal losses and ViSiting companies have left unpaid. As a publicly funded and well- run organisation, neither of these options w0uld be acceptable to us. Any losses would have to be recouped throughout the rest of the year, Jeopardising our year-round programme, including our children's shows, sooal inclusion work and community plays.
Contrary to your report, processes for programming Our festival were not late this year. However, company respOnses were slow and applications generally of a poorer quality The Fringe Office was unable to put any companies of sunable quality our way. As Paul Gudgin states in his recent Observer interview, larger profeSSional companies appear increasmgly less willing to take the finanCial risk required coming to Edinburgh.
As Paul is also aware, I have argued constantly over the last three years that the Festival would benefit enormously by ’year—round’ venues being given adequate financial support to allow them to programme and pay for profesSional work at this time of year. Paul sat on a committee, convened by his predecessor, at my urging, to attempt to raise this money. Unfortunately, we were
unsuccessful, as was Theatre Workshop’s application this year to the SAC for money to support a human rights themed festival. The British C0unCil’s deCiSion to use the Festival as a showcase fOr foreign promoters only every second year may also have led companies, senSiny in their terms, to wait until 2001, where potential finanCial risk can be offset by the possibility of an international tour.
Theatre Workshop has not taken this deCi5ion lightly. We commisSioned an independent report and research paper which indicated Our Situation was not unique and which went on to recommend we explore ways in which Our Festival programme could, in future years, posmvely reflect our year-round ViSion. Given all of the above, the Theatre Workshop board took the strategic and, in my View, responSible deCision to suspend performances during this year’s Festival.
Had you contacted the company directly before last week’s piece appeared, we could have explained the reasons for our temporary cl05ure. I hope this now clarifies everything.
Robert Rae
Artistic director
Theatre Workshop
34 Hamilton Place, Edinburgh