Nearly 200 arts organisations in England have been told that their Arts Council funding will end from next April: The National Student Drama Festival, for example, founded in 1956 and with starry alumni that include Simon Russell Beale, Pete Postlethwaite and Meera Syal, has been told to expect to lose its £52,000 annual grant, which …
The BBC reports that the blasphemy case against Jerry Springer: The Opera has been dismissed: [T]he two senior judges at the High Court said the 1968 Theatres Act prevented any prosecution for blasphemy in relation to public performances of plays – and the 1990 Broadcasting Act prevented any prosecution in relation to broadcasts. They said …
This week’s installment of the attempt to sue the producers of Jerry Springer: The Musical for blasphemy neatly illustrates the impact of British law on the stage since the closure of the Lord Chamberlain’s Office, and the introduction of the Theatres Act (1968). In dismissing permission to issue summons in the original case – now …
A few overdue thoughts, post-Fringe 2007: 1. The narrative in the media that there was “too much comedy” at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival was both strange and unexamined. In actuality, theatre and comedy represent roughly equal proportions of the Fringe – theatre has slightly more shows, in fact. It’s never been clear why comedy should …