Scots getting theatre ‘on the cheap’

Ireland, in an exclusive interview with Scotland on Sunday, warned that the country’s under-funded theatres were in danger of being "swamped" by better funded English companies.

The Scottish Executive also comes under fire from Ireland for not having a dedicated minister for culture with a seat in cabinet.

He goes on to suggest ministers may have put plans for a Scottish National Theatre (SNT) on the "back burner".

Ireland, 56, announced on Friday that he would quit the Lyceum next year after a decade in charge of the company.

He said years of struggling to make ends meet as national and local government cut budgets had taken their toll, but denied that was his primary motivation for leaving.

He said: "People have had 10 years of my taste in theatre so now it’s somebody else’s turn."

He added: "I have a couple of freelance projects, but I am also an actor so maybe somebody will give me a job being a funny, fat heavy somewhere."

Although he refuses to cite theatre underfunding as the reason for his early departure, Ireland believes Scottish theatre as a whole faces a bleak future unless more money is forthcoming.

He said: "In the recent announcement by the Scottish Arts Council of extra funding for theatre in Scotland the Lyceum got an extra 150,000, for which we are very grateful, but it only takes us back to the level of funding we had in 1995.

"We get theatre on the cheap in Scotland. The people who have subsidised us over the past few years are the actors and the staff. The actors have been subsidising it by not having proper rehearsal time, and by having their wages kept down, while the staff have subsidised it by working harder over longer hours. With the extra funds I’m going to do something about rewarding the people who have been loyal and who have worked to keep this place afloat."

Despite the extra funds, Ireland claims that Scottish theatre will struggle to compete against wealthier English companies.

"Staff get much better wages in England, and we have lost key staff to smaller companies in England.

"There are also big receiving theatres in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Dundee which need productions, and the English companies are forming touring consortia which will swamp us unless we get our act together.

"The major repertory companies in Edinburgh, Glasgow and now Dundee are funded at the lowest level English regional theatre gets. Why can’t we say there are centres of excellence in Scotland which should be funded at the higher level?"

Ireland, who will leave the Lyceum without major debt or deficit just 10 years after it nearly closed, praised the Lottery and his local council for supporting the theatre.

But Edinburgh comes in for criticism for over-emphasising the annual festival.

Ireland said: "Edinburgh spends too much attention on the fact that it is a Festival city for three weeks of the year. They could turn the city into a cultural tourist centre to which the world would come, but they choose to focus only on the three weeks in August."

Turning to the Executive, Ireland says ministers must develop the way they deal with culture in Scotland.

"It is a matter of confidence ," said Ireland. "There should be a minister of culture with a seat in the cabinet.

"In a country where culture is so important to all kinds of areas, including the economy - what would the economy of Edinburgh be without cultural activities? - there should be a dedicated minister ."

The Scottish Executive’s performance in establishing a National Theatre by 2004 also attract criticism from Ireland.

The SNT is a key project of the Executive since devolution and was originally intended to start next year. However, it was delayed until 2004 after the Scottish Arts Council’s request for 500,000 to fund start-up costs was redirected into theatres across Scotland.

Ireland said: "The National Theatre can’t just spring up fully armed and ready to go. Money should be put aside now to make the connections and relationships which need to be established now, not just with artists but with venues all over Scotland, because seasons and festivals are planned well in advance, often three or four years ahead.

"I would hope we could get a commitment from the Executive for that to be negotiated and funded now. The fact that the long run-in period has been ignored makes me suspect there is a way of thinking in the Executive which means the project is on the back burner, and the fact there is also an election in between is also not coincidental."

The Paisley-born actor and director says he is not a candidate for the directorship of the SNT at the moment. He said: "My hat isn’t in the ring, but if other people want to put my name forward then I would consider it."

He also called for the new theatre to be ambitious and have the resources to tempt Hollywood stars such as Ewan MacGregor and Kevin Spacey to work on its stages.

He said: "The SNT should not be limited to purely Scottish work. We should invite not only the best European directors but also top international actors as well.

"Serious actors are aware that they need to recharge their batteries by going back to the theatre. There is no reason why actors like Spacey and Ewan MacGregor, and others who identify with Scotland, will not come here, but they need proper rehearsal time and decent working conditions."