Will Waspe
I hear that the Arts Council has a barrage of aggrieved criticism coming to it in a day or two from a group called 'Artists Now,' a panel of five that includes at least two disillusioned former members of the Council's own grants committees, who have got out a hefty and detailed Report on aspects of the Council's activities and attitudes that the group regards as dubious. .
The chief beef of 'Artists Now' is that there aren't enough creative artists on the gravy train in person, and furthermore that the organisations in most lavish receipt of the state hand-outs don't do much for the contemporary artist, either. They say that all the big public money goes to theatres, orchestras and art galleries that put on only a trifling proportion of new work. As far as Waspe is able to gather, the group is coming up with a bundle of suggestions all devoted to the proposition that the state owes the artist a living — an arguable notion at best, and one unlikely to commend itself to the public that is called upon to foot the bill. 'Artists Now' takes the view that artists and would-be artists are terribly, terribly sensitive people who are damaged to their souls when their work is rejected.
Waspe cannot help clinging to the view that there are very few undiscovered geniuses, that there Isn't a theatre, orchestra or art gallery in the country that isn't interested in discovering them, and even — to be cruelly kind — that the pain and trauma of rejection in private are a great deal easier to bear than rejection in public, which is what 'Artists Now' is campaigning for.
Money to burn
Speaking of grants and things, I am not surprised to learn that Joan Littlewood's outfit, Theatre Workshop, have decided to take the 05,000 dropped in their beggingbowl for the year. That's £55,000 from the Arts Council, £17,000 from the GLC and a further £3,000 as good as in the bag from Newham Borough. As I reported (May 4), Miss Littlewood and her long-time general manager, Gerry Raffles, almost broke down and cried at the news that they were getting so little — and Raffles, who didn't see how they could keep the losses down to £1,500 a week, has since thrown in the towel and resigned.
Frankly, I think Raffles was right: I think Theatre Workshop is going to lose £1,500 a week with bells on. Where I think he is wrong is in suggesting this as a reason for letting them have more.
Bye, bye, Bernie
Bernard Levin, the well-known at deafer, has been telling peopfe, with misguided confidence, the identity of Will Waspe — which he apparently believes to be a pseudonym. I am therefore trying to arrange to have him exported. An opportunity will shortly arise for him to enjoy the mink-lined luxury of life in Los Angeles for a month or two, while contributing his comments on the experience to the Los Angeles Times, and I have every reason to believe he will accept this tempting offer.
Insurance
Art dealing is evidently a tempting activity in itself, and seems increasingly to appeal to show business people. The latest to succumb are actress Honor Blackman and her actor husband Maurice Kaufman; who have just opened their own gallery in the Halkin Arcade. Their acting assignments have been less frequent of late and I cannot help but Congratulate them on enterpriainglY laying in a stock of pictures for their old age. _
Many a ski
Laurier Lister, director and administrator of the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre at Guildford since it opened, is retirhig after the theatre's tenth anniversary next June. Meanwhile, I hope he has better luck with his future plans than he had had with the production of Our Betters, which had been scheduled for the Somerset Maugham centenary to star Constance Cummings and Joan Miller. I hear it has fallen through, for the
• curio-ifsreason that no one bothered to confirm the arrangement with the actresses concerned.
Conformist
At the time (only a few moons ago) when London's theatre programmes —mostly controlled by Theatreprint — were going up from 5p to 10p, I was able to congratulate Sir Bernard Miles at the Mermaid Theatre for holding his independent programme at the old price —which he continued to do as long as possible. I am sorry not to be able to offer the same compliments now that programmes are gener.ally up again from 10p to 15p. With the opening of Cole last week, the Mermaid slipped briskly into line and is charging the 15p.
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