Photos: ACE & Critics Under Fire at Awards Show

Joining the ranks of actors, playwrights and others who’ve staged protests, critics had their chance to have a public go over Arts Council England’s (ACE) controversial proposed funding cuts to 194 organisations, at the annual Critics’ Circle Theatre Awards ceremony, held this afternoon at the Prince of Wales theatre (See Today’s Other News for Full Results).

The Daily Telegraph’s Charles Spencer, chairman of the drama section which holds the awards, said that “it would be wrong for the Critics’ Circle to announce an official view” but, adding to the opinions expressed by individual critics in their corresponding publications, he declared the situation “a shambles” and hoped that many theatres – including the Bush, the Orange Tree, Exeter Northcott and Guildford’s Yvonne Arnaud “where I first cut my teeth as a critic” – would be reprieved at ACE’s national council meeting, which also took place today.

Following Spencer, and to shouts of agreement, the Evening Standard’s Nicholas de Jongh called for ACE “to be destroyed and put away”, Guardian critic (and What’s On Stage columnist) Michael Billington attacked “the deluded desk-wallahs at the Arts Council” and the Financial Times Ian Shuttleworth demanded that someone “bring me the beating heart of Peter Hewitt (ACE’s outgoing chief executive) on a platter”. All affected organisations will be informed this week, with an official announcement issued by the Council at 11.00am on Friday (See The Goss, 28 Jan 2008).

In addition to critics, the majority of Critics’ Circle winners - Anne-Marie Duff, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Patrick Stewart, Rupert Goold, Polly Stenham, Leanne Jones and Charles Dance - were in attendance today, as were members of their various companies.

Amongst the acceptance speeches, Charles Dance caused a stir by effectively biting the hands that fed him. After collecting his Best Actor Award for Shadowlands, Dance pulled out a sheet of paper and disdainfully re-read a clutch of “sobering”, unflattering reviews from earlier in his career. Written by Robert Gore-Langton (formerly of the Daily Express), our own Michael Coveney (then of the Daily Mail) and Charles Spencer (stood next to Dance on the stage as the actor spoke), the historic notices dismissed Dance as “bland”, “dull”, “weak” and “undeserving” of his fame. The actor said that he had, in subsequent years, stopped reading reviews – though he understood that he and Shadowlands received very good ones.

TO SCROLL THROUGH ALL OF THE CRITICS’ CIRCLE WINNERS’ PHOTOS,
JUST CLICK ON THE "NEXT >" LINKS BELOW THE FOLLOWING FRAME.
PHOTOS BY DAN WOOLLER FOR WHATSONSTAGE.COM.

OTHER CRITICS’ CIRCLE WINNERS’ REMARKS

And, finally, while echoing the subsidised sector’s concerns over Arts Council funding, Charles Dance also used his Best Actor speech to note that “it is also a very risky business putting on a straight play in the commercial West End”. He thanked Andrew Welch and Brian Eastman at Richmond Theatre Productions for taking the risk with Shadowlands, the production company’s first offering.

- by Terri Paddock

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