Simon Thorne - Co-founder, performer and director of Man Act Theatre Company

Dear Richard and & Judie

I can’t make any comment on the background to ACW’s decision to review CPR’s revenue status. However, there is an artistic community in Wales that has been consistently interrogating the conditions of culture in Wales, both in respect of content and also of modes of delivery. The outcomes have defined themselves inside a notion of performance as an ongoing field of experiment, and they have had demonstrable impact and resonance, both within the institutional culture of Wales and internationally. Significantly, the work has shown a commitment to performance as an interdisciplinary project. Its successes have shown an exuberant disregard for any kind of artificial ring-fencing of what might be considered as theatre.

The value of this must surely have to do with the particular demographics of Wales. A predominantly rural environment has its own cultural concerns that are not readily sustained by urban models. At this point, the CPR is a model organisation, both within Wales and internationally. In its history it consistently demonstrates itself as a unique organisation that captures and provokes the cultural debate in Wales, in ways that are consistently playful and insightful. The calibre of its production and the global scope of its partnership are unquestionable.

It therefore seems hugely short sighted to be dismantling the autonomy of the organisation for the sake of decisions that are ultimately driven by a need to cut costs. The long-term impact of the demise of this particular organisation is profound.


Simon Thorne
Co-founder, performer and director of Man Act Theatre Company
Composer and Director for The Canton Opera Company and The Cherubs, Cardiff