Bill Hamblett - Director, Small World Theatre, Wales

23rd Feb 2008

Dear Judie Christie and Richard Gough,

It is shocking to hear of the Centre for Performance Research’s (CPR) recent ACW funding cut. CPR plays an important role in Wales’ theatre ecology. To take this vital element out of the picture or to lessen it’s effect and influence would have an immediate and detrimental effect on the quality and direction of theatre in Wales and on how theatre from Wales is viewed internationally.

CPR’s inspired decision to move out of Cardiff to West Wales presaged the current thinking on viewing the culture of Wales as a national entity with a wide geographical spread. Indeed the newly emerging National Theatre of Wales would benefit a great deal by having strong links with this inspiring, knowledgeable and influential organisation.

The view from the capital may not be as informed as the theatre community is, of CPR’s work. CPR’s presence has enlivened and nurtured a huge spectrum of performers, directors, writers, scenograpers, actors, critics and singers. Both through their inclusive support and respect for all forms of performance, however experimental, and by providing access to iconic practitioners from all over the world by bringing them to Wales.

The picture of theatre in and from Wales would be diminished without CPR. You may not notice it at first but without CPR as a reference point new companies would be doomed to re invent the theatre wheel, have only limited knowledge of, or access to, great moments of international theatre history, contemporary theatre or an open focussed approach to the theatre of the future.

The Centre for Performance Research is important to the theatre community of Wales. It is as if a person walking across a vast, burning desert with a huge pack on their back is reaching for the water flask (with CPR embossed on it) saying “I must lighten my load or I’ll never get there fast enough, I’ll throw this away, water is heavy isn’t it ?”

There are some organisations that ACW should be proud to support, The Centre for Performance Research is one of them.

Bill Hamblett
Small World Theatre
Cardigan, Wales
http://www.smallworld.org.uk/