Eugenio Barba - Odin Teatret

Dear Judy and Richard,

I am writing to express my utter astonishment at the Arts Council of Wales’ decision to cut the revenue funding of the Centre for Performance Research.

Knowing, as they must, that such a cut in funding will severely cripple, if not kill the work of your organisation, I have to say that I am amazed that the Arts Council does not place a higher value on what is both locally and internationally recognised to be one of the most innovative and respected performing arts institutions within Wales.

The collaboration between you at the CPR and me and my colleagues at Odin Teatret began in 1976. Since then we have worked very closely together on several projects, that have included international festivals, community projects in small local villages, and training for local artists. It has always seemed to me that your work is of the highest value, bringing together the local with the international, to create new encounters, research resources, teaching opportunities and performances.

The CPR has been a leading light in the field of intercultural and interdisciplinary artistic exchange for over thirty years now, forging a path for this work in a period when such practices were neither fashionable nor widely known. Today, when international and intercultural collaboration has become something of a buzz-word in many artistic institutions, the wealth of experience that the CPR has accumulated in this field over the years is more valuable than ever. It would be completely perverse for the Arts Council of Wales to loose one of its’ prime resources in creating a vibrant and outward looking Welsh theatrical culture.

At Odin Teatret, through our touring, and our continual encounters with theatre makers from different countries and traditions, it has been possible to develop a sense of which theatrical institutions from any given country are known and valued internationally. It is clear that the CPR is one such institution. It acts as a respected advocate for the performing arts on the international stage, putting Wales clearly on the map, and presenting its’ theatrical life as adventurous, open, and high quality.

The CPR has always been a much valued home for companies that tour internationally on an island that has not always looked much beyond its’ borders. Perhaps most importantly, it has enabled people within Wales – and indeed the whole of the United Kingdom – to see
international work for which they would otherwise have to travel abroad. This is crucial, especially for emerging local artists, for whom the CPR offers an opportunity to learn about approaches to making theatre which are not (yet) taught within mainstream institutions, and to see international performances that will stimulate and challenge their own creative processes.

The Arts Council of Wales says that the re-allocation of funds is taking place in order to support “front-line theatre”, in particular the creation of a new National Theatre. However, thinking in such categories is both short term and narrow minded, for it fails to understand that theatre is an ecological system, where small niches need as much protection as the largest trees in order for the entire system to be healthy. The CPR offers a space for experimentation, risk-taking and openness within the theatrical landscape of Wales, which is not possible within larger organisations, but without which, ultimately, the mainstream will become insular and stagnate.

I would like, therefore, to add my voice, and those of my colleagues at the Odin Teatret to your campaign to save the revenue funding for the CPR. It seems to me inconceivable that an organisation which is dedicated to the promotion of the arts within Wales should wish to destroy one of the jewels in its’ crown. I sincerely hope you are able to convince them of the necessity of your pioneering, and indispensable work.

Yours sincerely,

Eugenio Barba
Artistic Director
Odin Teatret