Siân Thomas - CPR Board Member

Dear Judie and Richard and all of the staff at CPR

I have struggled for some weeks to work out how I might express my sadness at the decision by ACW to withdraw revenue funding from CPR.

With my cold, pragmatic and analytical work hat on, I can understand that the whole sector is facing ever more brutal decisions from funding bodies that are unable to sustain the necessary levels of support to current clients whilst facing ever increasing pressure from an expanding demand on resources.

But, in my heart that’s not good enough; what I’m really fighting to understand, is why it might be acceptable to brush aside decades of experience and knowledge, of establishing and nurturing a truly unique resource that is recognised nationally and internationally, this centre of excellence will be lost. Hundreds of people have worked with CPR over the last 30 years and thousands of people have benefitted, taking their experiences back to the places they came from; that could be across town, across the county, across the border or right across the world.

Are we to enter a time of collective amnesia? Roots that have been established in Wales stretch around the globe, they should offer us security and a growing sense of responsibility to continue to develop the artform with passion and dedication. But… “We’ve been here before”, constantly evolving, reinventing ourselves, reemerging, stronger and more determined. I sincerely hope that the ACW will reverse their decision and that we can continue to develop and grow, continue to be a centre of excellence and innovation that is recognised worldwide by practitioners academics and audiences.

Please take very good care of yourselves,

Siân

Siân Thomas
Founder member of Cardiff Laboratory Theatre
Member of La Tartana, Spain
Creative Producer
CPR Board Member