Row erupts after Vicky Featherstone’s claim of anti-English bullying in arts job

A NEW row has erupted over senior positions in the Scottish arts world going to anyone from south of the Border, after the outgoing director of the National Theatre of Scotland claimed to have been the victim of anti-English bullying during her tenure.

Vicky Featherstone, who is about to leave her post eight years after launching the company, said she had been left “really, really upset” after coming under fire for not programming enough classic Scottish plays.

She admitted to feeling “embattled and defensive” when criticisms became public three years ago, and that she began to question whether she could continue in the role.

Her revelations emerged after she was named by writer Alasdair Gray in a critique of the number of English “colonists” who take influential and powerful positions in Scotland then leave after advancing their careers.

As the row deepened yesterday, the Scottish Government intervened to say ministers “disagreed” with Gray’s sentiments.

However, Ms Featherstone, who is to become the first female artistic director of the Royal Court Theatre in London, told The Scotsman she found it odd that so many jobs in the Scottish arts scene went to people from England. She said: “Could I have moved to another job in Scotland? Well, in theory. But in practice, I don’t think Scotland has seen much of that kind of sideways movement in top arts jobs.

“In terms of the Scottish scene in general, I think boards are often not very confident about appointing people whose main experience is in Scotland.”

Mr Gray has come under fire for being “anti-English” in his attack, which emerged just two weeks after Creative Scotland’s chief executive Andrew Dixon, who had a long career in arts administration in England, was forced to step down.

Ms Featherstone said of the criticism she faced three years ago: “It really, really upset me, because, as with all kinds of bullying, you don’t have a voice.

“When people are criticising the programme because I am English, that is indefensible.”

There has been fierce debate on social media sites since Mr Gray’s views, in an essay in a new book on Scottish independence, were revealed in Scotland on Sunday at the weekend.

Actor Tam Dean Burn said there was a “perverted, twisted logic” behind Mr Gray’s views.

He said: “It is ridiculous to say that someone cannot know enough about Scottish culture because they are English.”

A spokesman for the Scottish Government said: “Recruitment policies are a matter for the individual organisations to decide on, based on the best person for the job, wherever they come from.”

SNP MP Pete Wishart added: “Alasdair Gray’s comments appalling. Let’s leave the language of “colonists” and “foreigners” behind.

“Vicky Featherstone has done an amazing job at the National Theatre of Scotland.”