Artistic Larceny

I am a regular visitor to the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough. Throughout the year, there is often something worthwhile to watch in the agreeably intimate Round.  The rail journey from York is a scenic joy at any time of year and a pre matinée lunch at Lazenby’s in Scarborough never disappoints. Increasingly, however, productions and castings seem to be more concerned with diversity and ethnicity than I suspect the original playwright might have intended and lavatory doors display beguiling hieroglyphic gender invitations. After each visit I am sent on online questionnaire with several (loaded) questions. In essence, the thrust of the survey seems more concerned with diversity than artistic merit, insisting that I declare my age, ethnicity and sexual preference alongside my opinion on ease of access to the premises. I have long since given up on providing any sort of critique on the production itself and even resorted to falsifying my entry in the the sexual preferences tick-box as “unsure” just out of devilment and ridicule.  Of course, the preoccupation with the audience balance rather than artistic merit is obvious when takes account of the theatre’s financial enslavement to the Arts Council.  I have tried to make this point on a number of occasions, particularly about some arbitrary quota castings but, clearly, my opinion is irrelevant. So it was particularly encouraging to note that I am not alone in my opinions. Writing to the Times today, Danny Moar, the Director of the Theatre Royal Bath brings a welcome note of common sense to a debate that has moved beyond the reach of mere patrons:

“It may help that the Theatre Royal does not rely on public subsidy, which means that we are untroubled by the Arts Council's bewildering preoccupation with people who are not interested in the arts rather than those who are, which is surely akin to the NHS funding hospitals for well people. By recognising that people not wanting to go to the theatre is a testament to the diversity of human taste rather than an existential crisis to the art form, we have also steered clear of the ideological blind alleys and agonised introspection that paralyse so many subsidised arts organisations.”

Well said Mr Moar and I wish I could have made this point so eloquently. But even if such words had come to me I doubt if I could have fitted them into the tick box answer to any relevant question in the survey. The woke arts culture certainly knows how to suppress dissent. Anyway, as we always remark on the train home, “it was a ride out and lunch was nice.” Next up is The Talented Mr Ripley. I have read the book, twice actually because I enjoyed it so much, but this could be of little relevance next Thursday in the Round. I do hope my pessimism is misplaced but at least there will be lunch at Lazenby’s to savour.