Scotland’s loss

Mary Bell (Letters, 26 May) is pleased that the artistic director of the National Theatre of Scotland (NTS), Vicky Featherstone, is moving on to a new post in London.

In contrast, many others have voiced their regret at this news, including The Scotsman’s own theatre critic, Joyce McMillan, who described Vicky’s departure as a “huge loss” and commented that “she has been a completely brilliant inspirational founding director of a national theatre of Scotland”.

Far from Vicky mounting only “small-scale productions to tiny venues”, as Ms Bell complains, her tenure has seen, in addition to countless vibrant small-scale works, large-scale productions that include The Bacchae, Mary Stuart, The House of Bernarda Alba, Dunsinane, Appointment with the Wicker Man, Peer Gynt, Men Should Weep, Six Characters in Search of An Author, The Wolves in the Walls and, imminently, Macbeth.

May I also correct Ms Bell’s assertion that the NTS has not produced or toured work to Orkney or Shetland? Lone Gone Lonesome, Venus as a Boy, Transform Orkney, One Giant Leap and Home Shetland are among successful work made, or toured, by the company to these parts of Scotland.

Roberta Doyle

National Theatre of Scotland

Civic Street

Glasgow