Bianca Mastrominico and John Dean - Organic Theatre

Dear Judy, Richard and CPR staff,

It is with great sadness that we witness and follow your struggle against the Arts Council, and apologies for a not-so-prompt response, due simply to overwork, necessary to keep our own little boat straight!

It would have been hoped that a certain kind of knowledge, a certain kind of working ethic and a certain kind of shared and collectively creative space could have resisted and not got crushed in the general global insensitivity of economically driven forces, but regrettably it is happening, and for us - a younger generation, committed to the same stubborn research and practice, with the same spirit of valuing culture in all its complexity - it is a dark sign.

How can bureaucrats not understand that eroding and sweeping away your invaluable work can only create misery and loss in the UK artistic field? And how long can an arts organisation have to constantly adapt to social changes or die just because, paradoxically, it needs to remain consistent with its identity in order to fulfil its function within the contemporary scene?

Our image of CPR is that of a river into which many sources converge; there is knowledge and experience at work which will be irreplaceable in future years, and connections made up of truly human encounters and other "immaterial" stances, which belong to the very nature of performance practice and which happen in the long term. Delivering immediate results is not the logic behind this kind of engagement towards theatre and performance culture, an engagement which we admire and practice ourselves, not without great sacrifices.

Now, what the Arts Council should really understand is that the attitude of wanting to drain this river, thinking that a motorway in its place would better serve the inhabitants of the land, will in fact only leave a permanent and disgraceful scar on the land itself. And if they just hope that, in time, it may be forgotten that once there was a river there, well, this is a misjudged belief. The wise inhabitants will always keep seeing the dry bed as the trace of the river's water and will lament its unnatural loss.

It is also so unfortunate to see how, in the Arts Council's choice, there is no sense of history and no ability to value the heritage of your work and the concrete possibilities that the holistic and multicultural environment you have created - and create with each project - opens to performers and practitioners of all backgrounds, offering them the chance to retrace their creative roots, and to dialogue with other cultures in the perspective (which we find indispensable for the contemporary arts in this country) of allowing local and foreign artists to meet, share and network. All this unique endeavour should NOT fade and discussions, as well as protests, MUST carry on.

Please let us know if we can do more - you have all our support!

With our best wishes, for a serene Easter as well,

Bianca Mastrominico and John Dean

Organic Theatre
www.organictheatre.co.uk