Rudolf Brunovs, the chairperson of deckchair theatre announced today that the Federal Government, through the Theatre Board of the Australia Council for the Arts, has cut deckchair theatre’s funding. “It is a devastating loss. Whilst deckchair theatre believes in peer assessment, we believe that the Theatre Board of the Australia Council has got it wrong this time. The Board of deckchair theatre stands by the quality and innovation of the company’s work, its vision and mission statement, and believes that its stated aim of producing challenging and provocative theatre is clear.“
This decision may endanger this much loved company’s existence after 25 years of delivering quality theatre to its audiences. deckchair theatre, and specifically the Artistic Director, Angela Chaplin’s record of assisting new writers, designers, directors and performers is second to none in this state. Her vision and skill in involving artists and communities from non-dominant cultures has produced some of the most exciting and relevant theatre this country has seen.
“It is very clear from the feedback we receive from our audience that the majority of them love the company’s work, even if they don’t like a particular play. They are not afraid of taking the risk of seeing a new work. We are working with the WA Department of Culture & the Arts to secure deckchair theatre’s funding”, said Rudolf Brunovs.
Angela Chaplin, Artistic Director for the past 16 years stated that she believes the Australia Council were looking for change in the artistic direction of the company. “I am proud of the body of my work and am looking forward to pursuing other interests outside of being the Artistic Director of deckchair theatre. I have decided to stand aside so that the Board can appoint a new leadership team to create new work in the future.”
David Gerrand, General Manager, said, ”It is a fact of life that the Australia Council provides very little funding to the small to medium arts companies. Previous Federal Governments have provided little support in this area too. deckchair theatre is proud of its record of support from the Australia Council for over 20 years and looks forward to winning back that support in 2009 when hopefully more funding becomes available to this vital sector.
We have been overwhelmed by unsolicited messages of support from the arts industry, sponsors and community members who are also shocked by this news. I urge all theatre lovers to come and see the world premiere of Memmie Le Blanc, deckchair theatre’s final production, in its 2007 COURAGE Season, at Victoria Hall, Fremantle.”