Will Waspe
In presenting Wedekind's play Spring Awakening at the National Theatre, Peter Hall reversed a decision taken against that play in Lord Olivier's day (as Waspe's theatre reviewing colleague points out this week). I can reveal that Hall has also reversed one of his own decisions in scheduling a play called The Jew of Mulhaus for production later this year.
Early. in 1973 this ambitious work (a first play by A. E. Ellis) was turned down by the National on Hall's advice. At that time, as long-time readers of these notes may recall, Hall, who was then merely director-designate, prevailed upon Olivier to • terminate the theatre's option on a play which was approved by Michael Blakemore, John Dexter and Kenneth Tynan but heartily disliked by Hall. He has since bowed to further representations, notably from Blakemore who will direct it. Paul Rogers will be joining the company for it.
Report as expected
About a year ago, the South-East Arts Association — grieving about their lack of support from local• councils in the area — commissioned Dr Nigel Abercrombie, a former Secretary-General of the Arts Council, to prepare a report on the state of the arts in the south-east. The work was paid for from a £4,000 grant made by the Wates Foundation (which, of course, has a handsome interest in the amenities of the area).
The report is now available, and I doubt whether you will be altogether astonished to learn that the conclusion Dr Abercrombie reaches is that there is, generally, a deplorable reluctance on the part of local authorities adequately to subsidise the artistic aspirations of the area. Waspe is wondering what good the survey will do the South-East Arts Association — especially as Dr Abercrombie also observes that the area has the largest UK percentage of heads of households of professional and managerial status, the very group, in fact, who do not need to have their artistic pleasures subsidised.
Splitting the vote
• Fhe usual lively time is in prospect at the annual general meeting of Equity, the actors' union, at the Apollo Theatre on June 23. Also as increasingly usual, the liveliness will revolve around the animosity of the 'old guard' for the left-wing faction led by brother-and-sister militants Corin and Vanessa Redgrave. One of the irrepressible Vanessa's more playful motions is a proposal for a recruiting campaign among skinflick performers and strippers.
The real core of the left-wing agitation, however, is an endeavour to push through the abolition of referenda in the union, leaving all questions of policy to be decided by a show of hands at meetings. That this would effectively disfranchise most of the membership (who work outside London where the meetings are held) does not much bother the Redgrave siblings and their supporters.
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