NTS identity

David Greig and Roberta Doyle (Letters, 27 February) make interesting points about the National Theatre of Scotland but they miss the main issue: that is its failure, so far, to deal adequately with the major purpose for which many people campaigned for many years.

That was the need for a company to rescue from oblivion the most important Scottish plays from the past. Of course, they should do new works as well but so does every other theatre company in Scotland.

Donald Smith, in his pamphlet, "The Scottish Stage", provided a long list of plays which the national theatre should consider. Certainly The Thrie Estaitis should be a high priority; the three productions of it in the Edinburgh Festival were a sensational success. But most of the plays in the list are from the last century. Why did Vicky Featherstone announce that they will not do any of them as long as she is director?

Perhaps she is not personally responsible. The Scottish Arts Council (SAC) resisted the establishment of a national theatre for many years and then, when the Scottish Parliament had approved it, instructed the company only to do new work. When I was puzzled by this attitude, a member of its council gave me the explanation: "The atmosphere within the council was unfriendly to Scottish work for the theatre. Both the chairman of the drama committee and the head of department were anti-Scottish" (see my autobiography A Twentieth Century Life, p301).

What is the reason for this attitude? I do not think it depends on the place of birth of the people concerned, but on whether they know about and appreciate Scottish cultural traditions. The education of many Scots has left them in almost complete ignorance of them.

We must hope that Creative Scotland will avoid the defects of its predecessors.

PAUL HENDERSON SCOTT

Drumsheugh Gardens

Edinburgh

David Greig and others (Letters, 27 February) seem hell-bent on distorting Paul Henderson Scott's central issue on Scottish National Theatre programming, which was that given that it is our new "national" theatre it should combine the best of the past and the present. The fixation of director Vicky Featherstone with what is "new" and sometimes of questionable value will undermine public support and may threaten the future of this long sought and important Scottish cultural institution.

ROB MELVILLE

Juniperlee, Juniper Green

Edinburgh