Serious Impacts - Theatre figures have condemned the "catastrophic" reduction of arts education in schools, claiming it is having serious impacts on the diversity of the theatre industry. Curve artistic director Nikolai Foster led criticisms of the shrinking emphasis on creative education, claiming that "pathways" in place several decades ago have now disappeared.
"Twenty-five or 30 years ago . . . in schools there were teachers who were encouraged, because of a curriculum, to share these great plays, these great stories. There were drama clubs, dance classes. Drama GCSEs and A Levels, theatre studies - these were subjects that the teachers were able to teach freely and speak about passionately, and have value for the students," Foster said. He was speaking as part of a panel on training opportunities at a diversity conference held in Leicester, at Curve.
Foster continued, "It seems more and more nowadays that, apart from the syllabus being shrunk, a lot of students are channelled into a more academic route . . . Because of funding being squeezed, fewer young people can know that there is a drama club, or know that there's a youth theatre. That's the very first seed, and there's a barrier."
Reality Cheque - Harry Shearer is taking legal action against entertainment group Vivendi, claiming it has denied him and others profits from 1984's This is Spinal Tap. Shearer accuses Vivendi, which acquired the film in 1989, of conducting a "fraudulent campaign" to hide revenues. According to Vivendi, the actor claims he and his co-creators were entitled to just $81 (£66) in merchandising income between 1984 and 2006. Vivendi has yet to respond to Shearer's demand for $125m (£102m) in damages.
"I think it's important to challenge the status quo, not just for myself but for all my fellow artists, musicians and creators," the 72-year-old said in a video posted on Twitter.
Directed by Rob Reiner, This is Spinal Tap followed the misfortunes of a fictional British rock band as it promotes its latest record. Despite the film's success, Shearer said, the four had "fallen victim to the same sort of fuzzy and falsified entertainment industry accounting schemes that have bedevilled so many other creators...It is stunning that after all this time the only people who haven't shared Spinal Tap's success are those who formed the band and created the film in the first place," he added.
Out of Retirement - Phil Collins is coming out of retirement after 10 years with dates in London, Paris and Cologne. He will play a five-night residency at London's Royal Albert Hall next June, followed by two dates in Paris and two in Cologne. Collins announced his retirement in 2011, after nerve damage left him unable to play the drums, but revealed last year he planned to go on tour. Although he has recovered some dexterity, he said he was unlikely to sit behind the kit on the new tour. "I think I'll be just singing. I don't think I'll ever be able to play the way I used to."
Resurgence - Mumford and Sons' Ben Lovett says he is hopeful for the future of small music venues in the UK. It's estimated 40% of live music venues in London have shut down in the last decade, a decline that's been reflected across the rest of the UK. Ben is opening his own establishment called Omeara and says he hopes it will be part of a resurgence.
"I think it is really sad. It is so important for bands. Mumford and Sons wouldn't exist without the London club scene," Ben told the BBC. "Many of the places like Madame Jojo's, The Luminaire and the Mean Fiddler, all those places were really important for us cutting our teeth, developing our fan base and figuring out who we were as a band . . . We can't just assume that bands will arrive fully formed...It's sad that it has been happening but I am also hopeful having talked to Music Venue Trust and to the mayor's office about the future of London."
(Jim Evans)
