NEW FARNHAM REPERTORY Actors' Company 

New Farnham Repertory Company:

Our Mission (continued)

Surely times have moved on?

Isn't repertory is old hat?

• During 55 years of professional theatre in Farnham (1941 - 96) there were 6 or 8 performances every week of the year.

• In the 18 months to Sep 2004 there was an average of less than ONE professional performance per week in Farnham.   This was made up of

  • The MALTINGS: 14 single performances of 14 different plays

  • The NFRC: 49 performances of 4 different plays, plus 5 one-night extras.

But repertory is too traditional, isn't it?

Those aged 30-45 (mainly people with families) and the over 60s are  demographically the two largest groupings in Waverley (these are the Council's own figures.) Their tastes tend to be mainstream and the NFRC's choice of programme reflects this.

A theatre must offer audiences programmes of plays they want to see, including ones they do not realise they want to see until they see them! It should not be offering programmes which over-ambitious artistic directors think audiences ought to want to see. A programme can be both good and popular.

The NFRC has proved in its four seasons that it knows how to select plays audiences will support.

Aren't the days long gone when directors were expected to direct plays back-to-back or actors to act in consecutive plays?

They do not, and for this reason: the mind is a muscle — exercise it and it develops, do the reverse and it atrophies. Practice, pressure and routine create regular output and high standards at costs that are the lowest possible.

Alright, but surely you can see that the requisite funding would not be available for repertory theatre?

• The Royal Shakespeare Company and Chichester now use it
• Dundee, Colchester and Salisbury are bringing it back increasingly
• Liverpool, Northampton, Bristol and Sheffield are re-introducing elements of it to suit their circumstances.

All of these are subsidised houses.

Don't you think the costs would be prohibitively high?

The NFRC would look to raise £50,000 from fundraising, sponsorship donations and pledges (remember how the Redgrave was originally funded, with half of it coming brick by brick and seat by seat from individual donations?).

It would seek a further £100,000 in revenue funding, principally from Southern Arts (the regional Arts Council body), Waverley and Farnham Town Council.

A recent report about the arts in Basingstoke from Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council includes the following statement.

“There is a mounting evidence (from the Management Centre) that legacies and private giving provides a larger pool of funding than either commercial or business sources or grant making charities."

And here, finally, is a quote from culture minister, Tessa Jowell, on the value and contribution of cultural provision to a community:

“Markets have their place, but theatres, galleries or concert halls also need intelligent public subsidy if complex culture is to take its place at the heart of national life."