National Performing Companies
The next item of business is a debate on motion S4M-02738, in the name of Fiona Hyslop, on the national performing companies. I call Fiona Hyslop to speak to and move the motion.
15:06
I welcome the opportunity to debate and celebrate the significant achievements of the five national performing companies during the first five years of direct funding from the Scottish Government. I agree with the Scottish actor Billy Boyd, who said,
“I think Scotland has some great stories.”
The success of our national companies is a great story, and they are helping to tell the world the story of this confident, innovative and cultural Scotland in which we live. They help to shape our identity and hold an important place in the nation as leaders of our cultural life, showcasing the very best that we have to offer in the fields of dance, music, opera and theatre. This year sees not only the fifth anniversary of the direct funding relationship, but Scottish Opera’s 50th anniversary, which I very much look forward to celebrating with it in June.
The move to direct funding was a result of the thinking generated by the Cultural Commission in June 2005 around the definition of what qualities a national company should have and the expectations that the people of Scotland should have of their national companies. Many of those have been incorporated into the criteria by which we determine national company status today, including excellence of output, reach throughout Scotland and international profile. With cross-party support from the Parliament, the then Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport, Patricia Ferguson, introduced a new structure that was unique to Scotland to take the companies forward. The move to direct funding saw an immediate increase of £2.64 million of investment by the Government to stabilise the companies, and funding for the companies now stands at £23.5 million annually in revenue grant.
This Administration is proud to continue to support the companies in the face of deep cuts in public spending that have been imposed by the United Kingdom Government. We have managed to maintain revenue funding in 2012-13 for the five national performing companies at 2011-12 levels to ensure continued access to high-quality performances and services. In addition, we have maintained the national performing companies international touring fund. There has been no reduction in the £350,000 budget for this year, with a similar allocation outlined for the remainder of this spending review period. That will enable the companies to continue to showcase the high quality of Scotland’s contemporary culture internationally and to develop new international opportunities.
I have already announced a capital funding allocation of £11 million to support the redevelopment of Glasgow’s Theatre Royal, which will support Scottish Opera, and of the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, which will provide new rehearsal space for the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, in preparation for the Commonwealth games in 2014. Those two projects will support the construction industry to create employment in other sectors and will prepare Glasgow to upgrade its cultural estate.
The motion draws attention to the latest report covering the companies’ activities during 2010-11. In the interests of transparency, I will continue to report annually on their activities. I will talk about key points in the report, to give a flavour of the companies’ many and varied achievements. In 2010-11, the companies gave more than 900 performances and delivered just under 4,000 education and community events. More than 450,000 people attended performances and more than 110,000 people participated in outreach and education programmes.
All five companies are independent charities and are in good financial health. They operate a mixed economy and receive income from a variety of sources, including a revenue grant from the Scottish Government. The grant accounted for about 63 per cent of turnover during the first four years; the remaining 37 per cent was raised from performances, education work, merchandising and fundraising.
In that context, I note the Labour Party’s amendment, which I am happy to support. I pay tribute to the many private supporters whose donations help the companies to deliver such a wide variety of projects.
Support enables new partnerships to develop. There has been highly innovative media sponsorship. I attended a performance of an excellent production of “La Bohème”, which was supported by The Sun newspaper’s £9.50 ticket offer. Some 97 per cent of the audience that evening was new to a Scottish Opera performance, and the paper reported that it had had to close all its ticket lines, because the tickets had sold out in advance.
The companies are creating opportunities for Scottish audiences to see work of an international standard and key Scottish artists. This year, Scottish Opera produced a new version of “The Rake’s Progress” with acclaimed director David McVicar. In 2010 the actor Alan Cumming starred in the National Theatre of Scotland’s Edinburgh festival production of “The Bacchae”. The wonderful violinist Nicola Benedetti has regularly performed with the RSNO and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra.
The companies also encourage talented UK and international artists to work in Scotland. I enjoyed an outstanding night of ballet at Scottish Ballet’s thrilling production of “A Streetcar Named Desire”. That world premier was conceived by American director Nancy Meckler and Belgian-Colombian choreographer Annabelle Lopez Ochoa.
Key to the funding relationship between the Government and the companies are the criteria that are used to manage the relationship and what the public can and should expect from our companies. I will talk about five areas in particular.
First, it is vital that people throughout Scotland have the opportunity to see a variety of work by the companies. The five companies between them worked with all 32 local authorities in 2010-11. Activity spans a range of classical and contemporary performing arts, education and community work and takes place in a range of places. In March, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra spent a successful week working in the Shetland islands, producing 24 events, which were attended by approximately 15 per cent of the island’s inhabitants. Later in the year, Scottish Opera aims to tour to 50 Scottish venues, as part of its 50th anniversary celebrations.
Secondly, audiences remain enthusiastic about the work of the companies. The Scottish Chamber Orchestra and the RSNO are reporting increasing audiences for their Scottish seasons. In the first five years, the total audience for the companies’ concerts and performances was in excess of 2.28 million. There are fluctuations year by year, as members would expect. The companies generate different programmes of work each year, and invitations to tour internationally or participate in festivals vary from year to year, which makes annual comparisons difficult.
Thirdly, the role of education, learning and community involvement is central to the purpose of all the companies. Each company delivers a range of work, to complement performances or to explore new ways of encouraging participation or involvement in the arts. I was pleased that Scottish Ballet went to Linlithgow academy, in my constituency, to talk about “A Streetcar Named Desire” because fifth years are studying the play as part of their higher studies.
In the first five years there have been more than 15,000 events and more than 500,000 participants. In 2011-12 there were more than 2,300 events and about 88,000 participants. The companies attract a range of audiences and participants to their projects. Early years projects, such as Scottish Opera’s innovative “BabyO” and “SensoryO”, and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra’s popular big ears, little ears concerts allow parents, babies and toddlers to attend performances together.
On the other hand, Scottish Ballet’s regenerate project offers opportunities for adults aged 50 and above to enjoy dance. Scottish Ballet recently performed a new piece at the national museum of Scotland as part of the science festival.
The fourth area is talent development. The companies understand the need to develop new talent, and they are running a number of successful schemes to ensure that new talented artists get opportunities to develop. That can be a challenge in the current climate. For example, Scottish Opera, working with the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, employs a number of young talented singers, who are given a range of roles to allow them to develop their singing and performance skills. When I was Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning, the Scottish Further and Higher Education Funding Council, with ministerial guidance, provided additional resources to what is now the Royal Conservatoire to support a dance programme. An outcome of that has been the introduction of a bachelor of arts in modern ballet, by the Royal Conservatoire and Scottish Ballet, to train the next generation of dancers to the high levels that are required to pursue a professional career in dance. Of course, degree status also helps to support more teachers in dance for our schools.
Finally, I turn to the companies’ international role. The Administration has placed a greater emphasis on bringing our cultural crown jewels to the attention of audiences across the world. The international touring fund supports international tours and events, and an emphasis is given to invitations from countries with which we wish to develop better economic and cultural ties. Today, I can announce that, with support from the Scottish Government’s international touring fund, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, with its new music director, Peter Oundjian, will perform six concerts in five venues across China in December and January. Overseas tours by the companies showcase Scotland’s creative talent on a world stage and further enhance our global reputation. They also strengthen cultural and diplomatic links with countries, such as China, that are identified as priorities in our framework for international engagement. Indeed, when I was in Chicago recently for Scotland week, I was struck by the fantastic relationship that the National Theatre of Scotland has established with the Chicago Shakespeare Theater. Some of the links are very well embedded—they provide a great opportunity for showcasing work in Chicago in particular.
The companies have visited a wide range of countries in the past five years. It is, of course, difficult not to mention the impact of “Black Watch” in raising Scotland’s cultural profile. All the companies are being encouraged to work with other Scottish Government agencies. Recently, both the National Theatre of Scotland and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra have supported events in Chicago, which I mentioned, and Bilbao.
Of course, not all the work requires our financial support, as the continuing success of “Black Watch” confirms. I am very hopeful for Scottish Ballet’s “A Streetcar Named Desire”, in which there is already a lot of international interest. However, the fund allows more projects across the arts to be seen and underlines the strength of Scotland’s cultural offerings.
The exchange of ideas and introductions across borders is also important. This year, the National Theatre of Scotland is again running its exchange festival, which brings together young people in Scotland with their compatriots from abroad to create theatre. The Uncommon Charter High School from Brooklyn is one of this year’s international guests. I visited it during Scotland week in New York and joined in their extreme ceilidh, and I look forward to welcoming them to Scotland in July. They will mix with young people from Aberdeen at an event in Stirling, which will really bring people together. The enthusiasm of the young people from Brooklyn was fantastic. They are keen to learn more about Scotland and will be able to showcase that work when they return to New York.
Those types of connection might not be obvious, in terms of international work, but they are important and show not only how serious we are about developing new talent, but also how the language of culture can reach across borders.
I want to put on record my appreciation of some of the new developments that are taking place, and my recognition of some of the senior level changes across both the RSNO, whose music director is moving on and whose chief executive has moved on, and Scottish Ballet, whose artistic director is leaving after 10 influential years. I pay tribute to Stéphane Denève, Simon Woods and Ashley Page for their major contributions to cultural life in Scotland. In turn, I offer a warm welcome to Peter Oundjian, the new music director at the RSNO; Christopher Hampson, the new artistic director at Scottish Ballet; and Michael Elliott, the new chief executive at RSNO.
The death of the great conductor Sir Charles Mackerras was a great loss to the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and its audiences, but I know that, with the prodigiously talented principal conductor Robin Ticciati at the helm, the orchestra will carry on from strength to strength.
As we mark five years, it is clear that the companies have made a significant and enduring contribution to the nation, and in them we have much of which to be proud. The quality and range of their work showcases the many talented people who live, learn and work in Scotland. The companies regularly visit every part of the country, and those visits continue to highlight the cultural excellence that springs from Scotland to the many audiences across the world.
The Government will continue to work with the companies in that productive relationship, as we all accrue not only artistic but social and international benefits from their work. I look forward to hearing from members their reflections on the companies and the work that they have experienced as we celebrate a very successful five years.
I move,
That the Parliament welcomes the excellent work that Scotland’s world-class National Performing Companies continue to deliver; recognises that it is now five years since the start of a direct-funding relationship with the Scottish Government as set out in the recently published annual review of the companies; celebrates their ongoing commitment to delivering performances of quality and to distributing their work across Scotland; commends their innovative community and education projects, and recognises their importance in raising Scotland’s international cultural profile.
15:20
I am delighted to have the opportunity to debate our national performing companies, and I am sure that the debate will be consensual.
Scottish Labour decided to amend the Government’s motion only so that we as a Parliament could recognise the important contribution that is made to our national companies by local authorities and businesses and by the many individuals who contribute to their financial and artistic success. I thank the Government for indicating that it will agree the amendment at decision time.
The five companies that we now know as the national performing companies each have a long and proud history, but they have not been without their problems over the years. In the early years of the Parliament a number of those companies experienced a series of financial and artistic problems, which, by 2006, were largely behind them. With the creation of the National Theatre of Scotland, the time was right to create a new funding and governance regime that gave performing companies equal status with the national collections and the recognition that they deserved.
Artistic excellence and aspiration was the mark of the new relationship, as was raising the bar for the amount and quality of the outreach work that the companies undertook. My colleague Claudia Beamish will say more about the value of that work, but anyone who has watched or participated in the work that those companies do in our schools cannot fail to be impressed by the standards that are achieved and delighted by the end result.
I have explained the rationale behind our amendment, but I ask the cabinet secretary to consider two points. I am sure that she will take my suggestions in the spirit of consensus in which they are made. First, the Government should recognise the significant contribution that some local authorities make in supporting the national performing companies, and the arts more generally. The cabinet secretary will be aware that when budgets are tight there is often a concern that the softest target for cuts will be the arts, and sport suffers in that way too.
I realise that we have moved on from the concept of ring fencing, and I am not suggesting that it should be reintroduced, but I wonder whether the cabinet secretary would consider raising with her cabinet colleagues the idea of incentivising or rewarding those local authorities that champion the arts. We know that the arts contribute to educational achievement, assist regeneration, boost tourism and generally add to the dynamism and character of an area. It is vital that the progress that Scotland has made in that area in recent years is not lost. Incentivisation would send a gentle signal to those local authorities for which the arts are not such a priority or those that are tempted to look for savings in the arts to take a more balanced approach.
The second of my suggestions concerns the national youth performing arts companies of Scotland. When I announced the new designation of national performing companies and their new funding arrangements back in 2006, I made it clear that, although the list contained the five companies that exist today, it would be open to other companies to apply for that status and perhaps to receive it.
Obviously, any aspiring company would have to meet the qualifying criteria and demonstrate that they perform at a significantly high level of artistic endeavour. I also made it clear that the designation was open to all, including both adult and youth organisations. I suggest to the cabinet secretary that now might be the time seriously to consider awarding that status to our youth organisations.
For the past three decades, the National Youth Choir of Scotland, the National Youth Orchestras of Scotland, the Scottish Youth Theatre and YDance have demonstrated a history of and a belief in excellence, have engaged in outreach work and have been strong ambassadors for our country wherever they have travelled. Like their adult contemporaries, the national youth performing arts companies of Scotland work in every local authority area in Scotland, and each year they involve some 162,000 young people in their activities but, as the document that the companies presented to the cabinet secretary’s predecessor in 2009 stated,
“the statistics are colourless as the real impact of what we do is found in compelling performances on stages and concert platforms throughout Scotland and internationally; in improvisations and imaginative sessions in community halls, streets, stadia, and leisure centres; in myriad inspiring tuition sessions in schools and local venues in every part of Scotland”.
I know that the cabinet secretary is reviewing the work of the youth companies, but I sincerely hope that she will give my suggestion serious consideration. It would be a bold move, but one that would be widely welcomed and which would give additional impetus to our youth companies and to all the young people with whom they work.
One of the hardest tasks of Government is to monitor the performance of the companies from the point of view of artistic quality, financial responsibility and outreach without interfering in their artistic freedom. Another important and complex area is the number of people who attend performances, which the cabinet secretary touched on. I fully accept that audience numbers are not the only measure of success or of value for money and that fluctuations occur for many reasons. The staging of an unpopular but important play, a focus on smaller venues, a change in artistic leadership or even the weather can cause audience numbers to drop.
The figures that were released recently by the Scottish Government show a 20 per cent increase in audience numbers over the five companies in the past year, but—and it is a significant “but”—that seems to have been accounted for solely by the National Theatre of Scotland, which increased the number of its performances in 2010-11 and, consequently, its audience. I do not want to single out any one company because, as I said, variations can be wildly misleading, but the performance of each of the companies is an issue that their boards will need to take seriously.
The member might be reflecting some coverage that the audience figures received when they were released. She might also be aware that the chief executive of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra highlighted the fact that international audiences in one year can distort what happens subsequently, and international audiences have grown over the past years. Patricia Ferguson is absolutely right that it is the responsibility of the boards to ensure the cultural health—in terms of audience figures, participation and quality of performance—as well as the financial health of their organisations.
I entirely accept the point that the cabinet secretary makes, but I think that it suggests that the publications that give us those facts and figures need to reflect to a greater extent the rationale behind the raw numbers, because statistics—damned statistics—can be very misleading indeed. It would be helpful if that could be considered.
I want to recognise the work of Stéphane Denève and Ashley Page. As the cabinet secretary said, Ashley Page is departing as the artistic director of Scottish Ballet after 10 years in that role. Anyone who attended a performance of “A Streetcar Named Desire” will know that Ashley leaves Scottish Ballet having developed it into a strong player in the world of dance. Along with the board and the management team, he has transformed the company, and I know that he has many exciting projects to look forward to.
Stéphane Denève arrived in Scotland just as the Royal Scottish National Orchestra was about to become part of the family of performing companies. He has had a huge impact on the orchestra and I am sure that, like Ashley Page, Stéphane will not be a stranger to us. We owe them both a great deal and, of course, wish their successors well.
We are right to be proud of our five national performing companies, but I believe that the time has come to increase their number to six, to welcome the national youth performing companies of Scotland as the latest member of the national performing companies of Scotland and, in so doing, to recognise the achievements of our young people, all those who work with them and the great potential that they undoubtedly have.
I move amendment S4M-02738.1, to insert at end:
“, and congratulates those local authorities, companies and individuals that also support the work of the National Performing Companies.”
I call Annabel Goldie, who has a very generous six minutes.
15:30
I thank the minister for bringing the motion to the chamber for debate, and I am pleased to speak in the debate because I, too, want to pay tribute to the breadth and variety of cultural talent throughout Scotland. I do not dance, I do not sing, I do not act and—this will astonish members—I do not do ballet. However, I certainly enjoy being a member of audiences who enjoy all those activities, so I want to thank the people in Scotland who nurture and encourage those cultural assets—not least the people who work in Scotland’s national performing companies. Scotland has a rich cultural life and we are fortunate to have such talent to enjoy. Further, as Patricia Ferguson and the minister have said, the growing international profile of the activities not only enriches our cultural scene, but opens up a broad range of opportunities.
The activities of the individual companies show energy and innovation. I was intrigued to see that, since its inception, the National Theatre for Scotland has played to more than 710,000 people in 160 productions. The RSNO continues to offer high quality varied fare and has been reaching out to new audiences with initiatives like “Naked Classics”, for which there is a £10 ticket. I have not attended a performance, but I am reliably informed by a friend that they are very good.
In 2010-11, Scottish Ballet danced to more than 56,000 people, and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra continues to delight audiences in Scotland and abroad with varied programmes. Also, Scottish Opera—the largest of our national performing companies—has continued to woo the younger audience with its £10 tickets for the under 26s and, as the minister said, with the intriguingly entitled “BabyO”, which is a performance for infants and their parents. It is with regret that I note that I am ineligible for either category.
As well as performances in Scotland, the national performing companies have delivered acclaimed productions to audiences around the globe. As I mentioned earlier, that has an important dimension beyond the arena of culture. I was interested in the minister’s announcement about the RSNO’s proposed trip to China and I wish it well with that.
It is right that we recognise the work that the national performing companies do and the benefits that they bring to Scotland, and that we congratulate them on that, but it is also right that we are objective and question whether there are areas of concern. Debate demands that we do not just accept the status quo as being the best that we can do: we can always improve.
The NPCs are in the fifth year of a direct-funding relationship with the Scottish Government. I will look at three issues that are appropriate to that. I note that in the 2010-11 annual report, the cabinet secretary takes pride in—she pointed this out earlier—the number of performances having increased by 31 per cent, from 692 in 2009-10 to 904 in 2010-11. That increase is a cause for celebration, but it must be put in the context of the somewhat difficult year that the NPCs had in 2009-10 and—which is perhaps much more important—the four-year trend since the establishment of direct Government funding for the NPCs. Although performances have increased by 30.5 per cent between 2009-10 and 2010-11, the performance figures for 2010-11 represent an 8 per cent decrease from the number of performances in 2007. That scenario is worrying, when set against the overall budget situation. I ask the minister, when winding up, to confirm what discussions the Scottish Government has had, or is having, with the NPCs about the situation, and what the Government proposes to do.
Patricia Ferguson raised the issue of audience numbers and I listened with interest to the minister’s response. However, once again—to go back over that four-year period—the audience numbers in 2010-11 represent a 10.5 per cent decrease from attendances in 2007-08. The minister was helpful in expanding further on that to Patricia Ferguson, but that is exactly the area on which content is needed in the annual report. It would be helpful. If there are genuine explanations, such as activity abroad that has drawn audiences of which we may be unaware, and which has affected domestic performances, that is fine, but what is going on should be known. The report would benefit from such detail.
On a separate front, educational events are up a staggering 69.7 per cent since 2007-08, which is impressive progress that represents the efforts in the past five years of the NPCs to promote cultural arts education. I am all for that. However, in the same period the number of people attending has risen by a somewhat disappointing 23.5 per cent. I fully accept that those figures do not take into account the qualitative aspect of the performances or the cultural yield per event, but if we assume certain fixed costs for putting on events, surely the more people who attend them, the greater the educational return and the greater the growth potential for new adult audiences. Perhaps the minister will allude to that in her closing remarks.
I applaud the work of the national performing companies and, as the minister and Patricia Ferguson did, I congratulate all those who are involved in the wonderful productions, which delight audiences. I hope that my observations can be taken on board. I want to help and strengthen the NPCs, but we will do that only if we are realistic about challenges and if we show willingness to address them.
I note the plea that I fill a generous six minutes. I do not know whether I have served you well, Presiding Officer, but it was an unusual request as I am accustomed to obeying you by observing brevity.
I support the motion, and I support the amendment in Patricia Ferguson’s name.
We come to the open debate, for which we have a little bit of time in hand. Speeches of a generous six minutes can be made by everyone in the debate.
15:37
Unsurprisingly, I open with a quotation from Tennessee Williams, describing the creative process as he saw it. He said:
“I believe the way to write a good play is to convince yourself it is easy to do—then go ahead and do it with ease. Don’t maul, don’t suffer, don’t groan till the first draft is finished. A play is a phoenix and it dies a thousand deaths. Usually at night. In the morning it springs up again from its ashes and crows like a happy rooster. It is never as bad as you think, it is never as good. ... An artist must believe in himself. Your belief is contagious.”
Tennessee Williams’s description of that creative process is probably true of all creative processes. Whether it is acting, performing, directing or writing, it is about the initial spark of enthusiasm; the inspiration that leads to the pain and self-doubt; the obstacles that are to be overcome during production; and finally the finished production, which is made possible by the self-belief, dedication and hard graft of all those involved. Thank goodness that our national performing companies are filled with writers, musicians, actors, dancers, performers and directors who are driven by that self-belief. I, for one, am glad—just as Tennessee Williams said—that “belief is contagious”, because I certainly have the bug.
I quoted Tennessee Williams because of Scottish Ballet’s interpretation of “A Streetcar Named Desire”. I was lucky enough to see a performance and I consider it to be a masterpiece of storytelling and drama. At the post-performance talk in the evening, I also learned that it is groundbreaking. As the cabinet secretary mentioned, the director, Nancy Meckler, is normally associated with theatre direction, and is best known for her work with the Shared Experience theatre company. Nancy co-directed with the choreographer to bring the production together. I was enthralled by the dancing, but the music in the production is so powerful and evocative that I am sure that if I had shut my eyes, I would have heard the whole story through the New Orleans jazz. It was another innovative move to commission Peter Salem, who is a screen and television composer, to provide a new jazz score for the live ballet.
I commend those who are responsible for commissioning that brave and innovative production because without their firm belief in the concept at the earliest stage and the way in which their contagious belief and excitement affected the creative process, our country’s cultural reputation would not have been enhanced as it has been by Scottish Ballet’s “A Streetcar Named Desire”. Although our national performing companies have excellent international reputations for their craft and for big traditional productions such as Scottish Ballet’s “Nutcracker”, Scottish Opera’s “Tosca” or the National Theatre of Scotland’s “Peer Gynt”, their willingness to innovate and experiment has led to great productions such as “A Streetcar Named Desire” and the National Theatre’s “Black Watch”, which I note has been ranked by the National Library of Scotland as being one of the 12 most significant plays in Scotland in the past 40 years.
That kind of self-belief and ability to infect and enthuse everyone with new and exciting ideas led to Scottish Opera’s phenomenally successful “BabyO” project for six to 18-month-old babies, which Annabel Goldie mentioned. I am delighted to hear that it will be followed by “SensoryO”, which is a 30-minute show that is designed for children from 18 to 36 months and their carers. “SensoryO” is rich in sound, rhythm and music and takes toddlers into a magical night-time world. The production has been developed specifically to introduce young audiences to live performance in a relaxed and intimate environment, and mixes live singing performances, smell, textures and actions to stimulate the imagination of the young. In short, it is a curriculum for excellence dream.
I saw my first opera in the Henderson theatre in Shotts as part of a Scottish Opera programme to take opera into our communities. The company is still doing the same today. I was a bit older than the audience for “BabyO” and “SensoryO” but seeing opera at primary school contributed to my lifelong love of live music and theatre performance, so I have no doubt that both shows will inspire future artists, performers and fans.
Finally, I want to mention the wonderful role that our national performing companies play in nurturing and supporting youth development in their crafts. Scottish Opera’s “Connect” programme for 14 to 21-year-olds gives aspiring singers and orchestral musicians a unique practical introduction to the skills and experiences that are needed to perform opera. No matter whether they are singers or musicians, participants have a chance to develop their knowledge, technique and creative skills under the expert tuition of Scotland’s top opera professionals, and are able to attend Scottish Opera rehearsals and productions to allow them to see what really happens when everything comes together.
In short, our national performing companies are truly the jewels in Scotland’s cultural crown.
15:43
I commend the cabinet secretary for bringing this debate to the chamber and I join her in praising the outstanding work of the national performing companies over the past five years during which, as part of their flexible, inclusive and democratic approach, there have been thousands of large-scale performances and numerous comprehensive educational events. The broadening of access to cultural output through community outreach projects and work with our educational institutions is essential in decentralising the national companies and opening up to a much wider audience what they have to offer.
In my speech, I will deal in turn with Scottish Ballet and Scottish Opera and—if I have time—with the orchestras and the National Theatre of Scotland. I start with Scottish Ballet partly because of a constituency connection with one of their projects that will become clear in a moment.
Since 2007, Scottish Ballet has performed in front of more than 330,000 people in venues ranging from big theatres to community halls. It has set the standard for partnership working as a means of bringing ballet to new audiences and has operated in conjunction with English National Ballet, National Dance Company Wales and National Galleries of Scotland. Such an approach encourages cultural bodies to share ideas, create new performance formats and ensure that content is kept lively, fresh and relevant to today’s audiences.
For example, March this year saw the culmination of a project that was being run by Scottish Ballet and National Galleries of Scotland. “Desire”, which is an innovative performance event that was created by the gifted students of Telford College in my constituency, and Broughton high school, which serves a large number of young people in my constituency, sought to convey complex and emotional themes based on Scottish Ballet’s new production, “A Streetcar Named Desire”. It was a great opportunity for young dancers and choreographers and is an example of just one of the many ways in which our cultural institutions are adapting the manner in which they work in order to encourage new talent from all backgrounds. The students of Telford and Broughton should be proud of their accomplishments, and I hope to see many more such initiatives that encourage exceptional standards of performance and ambition in our young people and set a precedent for the future endeavours of our national performance companies.
Outreach projects are also instrumental in introducing young people to opera, and in challenging preconceptions about who opera is for and what opera is about. As a fan, I have always felt that politics and opera go hand in hand, just as opera and love so often go hand in hand. We certainly see love and politics come together in “Tosca”, which I look forward to seeing in a few weeks. Opera is a celebration of life and human relationships in specific social settings, and is often presented in a manner that transcends the years, with themes that are eminently relevant to the most contemporary of settings. Of course, as in politics, operas sometimes end in tragedy.
Before I leave that theme, I recommend a superb book about it by Anthony Arblaster called “Viva la Libertà!: Politics in Opera”, which is one of the best books I have ever read about politics. I warn Annabel Goldie that its political approach is slightly left wing, but I am sure that she would still enjoy its coverage of all the great operatic composers.
Apart from its major production, Scottish Opera also conducts an annual primary schools tour, which is one of our longest established and most popular education programmes, in which about 10,000 children each year see the performances. The operas are tailored to the young audience and their narratives convey advanced themes, such as environmental awareness, the creation of the universe and the need to protect the earth’s natural resources. By entering an inclusive process of artistic expression with a young audience, Scottish Opera’s primary schools tour aims to help children to garner a sense of self-fulfilment, confidence and self-esteem, which is so vital for maximising interest in opera as an art form and for reassuring young people that it is relevant to them.
We have heard mention of Scottish Opera’s initiatives for younger people. Many of us heard about “SensoryO” on the radio this morning, and reference has been made to the “BabyO” programme for even younger young people. I congratulate Scottish Opera for all that. It has enjoyed five years of direct funding from the Scottish Government and it is in good order. I am sure that the same can be said of the other national performance companies.
I see from the clock that I have only one minute left to cover the orchestras and the National Theatre of Scotland. I give all due respect to them.
I can be more generous.
The same themes can be reiterated with reference to the National Theatre of Scotland and the orchestras. We all know of the outreach work that they do. The Royal Scottish National Orchestra, for example, does outreach work that reaches young people and holds performances in healthcare settings, including hospices and paediatric healthcare settings. It also has a massive geographic reach and has covered many of the regions in Scotland on its various tours.
The National Theatre of Scotland, too, has performed all over Scotland. I am told that during the five-year period of direct funding, 81 per cent of the Scottish population has been within 20 miles of a National Theatre of Scotland event. The events have been held in venues ranging from the Playhouse theatre in Edinburgh to a converted drill hall in Dumfries. The National Theatre of Scotland has also toured internationally, most famously with “Black Watch” in New York. I am sure that most of us have enjoyed seeing that great production, as well as others such as “The Bacchae”.
I was struck by another initiative, which I did not know about, to my shame: the five-minute theatre project that took place in summer 2011. It was intended as a participatory and creative celebration of the National Theatre of Scotland’s fifth birthday year. Joyce McMillan said in The Scotsman:
“this brave and ground-breaking event has subtly changed the landscape of Scottish theatre for ever, reconnecting with a myriad of grassroots impulses to dramatic expression that have long been undervalued or marginalised. Completely original in concept, performed live yet mediated through the internet and through a constant babble of online comment, this was a 21st century event that expressed and celebrated the wild and beautiful diversity of Scotland today in a thousand different voices”.
I wanted to quote that to show the range of work that the National Theatre of Scotland has been involved in. I also wanted to quote Joyce McMillan, because she is always right about the theatre and is usually right about politics, too, so I am happy to leave the last word to her.
15:51
Our big five—Scotland’s five national performing companies—with their singing, dancing, music and storytelling to gladden the heart, are things of which we ought to be incredibly proud. As with most good things, there have been ordinary folk with determination and commitment behind each of those organisations since their inception.
The Scottish Orchestra, which was founded in 1891, became the Scottish National Orchestra in 1950. The youngest-ever musical director of Sadler’s Wells theatre, one Alexander Gibson from Motherwell, returned to Glasgow in 1959 to become the first Scottish principal conductor and artistic director of the orchestra—a post that he held for a remarkable 25 years. During that time, in 1962, he founded Scottish Opera, which launched with a performance of Puccini’s “Madame Butterfly” in the King’s theatre in Glasgow, to great acclaim.
In 1969, Peter Darrell and Elizabeth West established Scottish Theatre Ballet in Glasgow, out of which grew Scottish Ballet and some fine performances—the most recent of which is “A Streetcar Named Desire”. I had not noticed that it was on but, thanks to Clare Adamson and the fact that we had a free night, I went to see it. If members have not seen it, their lives are missing something.
In 1974, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra was founded and led by John Tunnell. In 1975, the old Theatre Royal was bought and transformed into the home of Scottish Opera and Scottish Ballet. I mention all that because it is fairly recent, relative to Scotland’s history. It all happened in the past 60 years, and the companies are growing still.
For almost a century, the debate about whether we needed a national theatre rumbled on in Scotland. Then, the National Theatre—the other National Theatre—opened on the South Bank in London and the debate went quiet. We might have looked south, but that theatre in London did not feel to us as if it was our national theatre and it rarely looked north or toured in Scotland. In 1995, the National Theatre of Scotland—the theatre without walls—was born. There was a huge debate in Scotland about it at the time, but the right decision was taken because it has brought theatre to people throughout Scotland who otherwise would not have been reached. With great originality, Vicky Featherstone, the director, launched the new National Theatre with several theatrical pieces called “Home”. None of those used conventional theatre spaces, but used places such as the old glass factory in Wick, a shed in an industrial estate in Evanton, an empty shop in Stornoway, a high-rise flat in Aberdeen and Edinburgh airport. There must have been one in Glasgow, but I cannot remember where it was.
The National Theatre of Scotland is holding a “mirror up to nature”, as Shakespeare said, and doing what theatre should do, which is to allow us to look at ourselves. Malcolm Chisholm referred to that. One of the National Theatre’s productions is “Calum’s Road”, the stage version of the true story of Calum MacLeod of Raasay, an island off Skye. He got so tired of waiting for the council to build a road that he built it himself—literally. He built one and three quarter miles of road: eat your heart out, transport minister. The National Theatre’s production of “Black Watch”—the telling of the history of that Scottish regiment—has been hugely popular and has toured the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Ireland.
The National Theatre of Scotland is about to open a production called “Enquirer”. I understand that it is about the media—or, perhaps, just the newspaper industry—in Scotland. I cannot think for a minute what it will be about. It is also establishing a presence across all Scotland and produces work for all ages. It is truly national, as are the other companies; as has been said, the RSNO was recently in Shetland for the first time in a long time. The National Theatre of Scotland is working on a huge community project in Shetland in collaboration with Shetland Arts.
The SCO covers Scotland every year. It plays village halls as well as city halls and it sometimes even plays in sports halls. Scottish Ballet, too, takes smaller groups of dancers to such venues in addition to performing in Scotland’s main auditoria. All the companies perform to all ages. For example, reference has been made to Scottish Opera’s “BabyO” and “SensoryO” projects.
I, too, remember having an extraordinarily good time at a show that was performed by a company called Scottish Opera Go Round which, if I remember correctly, was a small sub-company of Scottish Opera. It was hugely ambitious, although it had a very small cast with young singers and a single pianist. Through innovative stage design and so on it fitted into the most extraordinarily small venues. The audience was always amazed by the pianist, who would sometimes play through a two and a half hour or three hour opera.
Collectively, the companies are huge employers of some of our most creative and talented people, be they actors, designers, technicians, singers, dancers or musicians. I hope that the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland satisfies the people whom the companies inspire to follow such careers by enabling them to develop their talents and skills.
Our national performing companies are entertainers, educators, employers and ambassadors. We should be proud of them all, take a keen interest in them, let them be part of our lives and ensure that they continue to be at the core of cultural Scotland, both at home and abroad.
15:57
I align myself with the remarks made by Annabelle Ewing—sorry, I mean Annabel Goldie. She has changed.
On a point of order, Presiding Officer. Some errors made in the chamber are justifiable and acceptable, but others are much more difficult to thole.
That is not really a point of order.
I accept Annabel Goldie’s explanation, given that we are talking about the performing companies. I align myself with some of her remarks, as I, too, have been told that I cannot sing, although I have sometimes been told that I can dance.
As we have heard, the five national companies have done, and continue to do, a great deal to promote Scotland’s cultural profile throughout Scotland and around the globe. It would be remiss of me not to mention that four out of five of the national companies are based in Glasgow; indeed, three of them are based in my constituency of Glasgow Kelvin. The upgrading of the Theatre Royal and the Royal concert hall is welcome, but I make a plea for the Pavilion theatre in Glasgow, which is very short of funds and does not get any public funds at all.
I agree entirely with the sentiments that are expressed in Patricia Ferguson’s amendment. I am glad that we have accepted her amendment. I welcome the fact that the Scottish Government is committed to ensuring the widest possible participation throughout Scotland, as shown by the fact that NPCs must meet certain criteria set out by the Scottish Government. One criterion is that, to be eligible for central funding, NPCs must ensure that they perform to a wide and diverse audience in Scotland, that they have community education programmes and that they work with other NPCs.
I have a revelation to share. I have discovered a composer through someone in my constituency and Creative Scotland. Last week, I had a meeting with Creative Scotland, which works closely with the national companies, to look at digitising the work of one of Scotland’s greatest composers, Thomas Wilson, who produced more than 100 works in a range of different styles, including orchestra and ballet. I met Mr Wilson’s widow to discuss her late husband’s work and the digitisation of his manuscripts. During a very pleasant afternoon, Mrs Wilson told me about the many requests and visits that she had received from people from outside Scotland seeking her husband’s work. Indeed, she told me about a Spanish teacher who had introduced schoolchildren to Mr Wilson’s work. I heard a small piece, which was a delight. The point that I am trying to make is that, as well as the national performing companies, organisations such as Creative Scotland and others can work together to help to produce great artists who some people have not heard of.
That discussion led us to discuss the great effect and importance of widening the appeal of the performing arts to schools, communities and individuals that may previously have had little or no experience of them. The national and international importance of the national performing companies is undoubted, but it is equally important—if not more important—to use them to get as many people as possible involved in the arts.
The Royal Scottish National Orchestra, which is based in Kelvin, does a huge amount of outreach work, such as its monster music concerts, which are aimed at three to five-year-olds. The cabinet secretary and other speakers mentioned those concerts, which involve well-known songs and nursery rhymes, encourage the kids to join in in whatever way they can, introduce them to basic musical concepts—high and low, fast and slow—and give them an initial interest. I hope that they will get some enjoyment out of that interest as they continue to enjoy music. That work is followed up by mega music concerts for primary 5s to primary 7s and maestro music concerts for secondary school kids. All those concerts give kids the opportunity to learn more about music. The orchestra also provides teacher training sessions and packs to be used in class.
Although that programme of events is fantastic, I cannot help but think that there is something missing: what about kids in primary school up to primary 5? It could not be more important for them to get the same learning opportunities as others. Those years are formative and, as many studies have shown, will have a huge impact not only on the rest of the children’s educational lives but on their lives as a whole. Perhaps the cabinet secretary and the RSNO may wish to consider that small gap within primary school when they review its work.
Sandra White makes an important point. I refer her to a report that I think I brought to the Parliament’s attention when answering a question from Annabel Goldie recently. We have extremely strong evidence that participating in cultural activity—not only being an audience member, but taking part—has a massive influence on whether people attend or take part in cultural activities later. I am pleased that, in the debate, we are highlighting youth and children’s activities, but I think that we cannot overestimate the impact that such early involvement has on audience development, let alone participation in culture and the arts. I embrace the point that Sandra White makes. It will form an important part of our youth strategy on the arts in future.
I thank the cabinet secretary for that and look forward to seeing that strategy in the future.
The link with education is important. It is great that the Royal Scottish National Orchestra runs an apprenticeship scheme along with the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and that another NPC, Scottish Ballet, has set up a BA qualification in modern ballet, also along with the conservatoire.
I have touched on some of the things that the national performing companies do and I congratulate NPCs that are regularly involved in similar work.
Patricia Ferguson and Annabel Goldie mentioned audience numbers. We need to be careful that we do not judge performances simply by the number of bums on seats; it is important that we consider the performances themselves. I remember sitting on a committee when the 7:84 Theatre Company and other companies of that ilk had their funding slashed simply because of audience numbers. We must consider audience numbers carefully and weigh up not only bums on seats but exactly what performances offer.
16:04
For a number of reasons, I am delighted to have the opportunity to participate in this debate. I will start by focusing on what I see as the significance of the interrelationship between the national performing companies and other professional companies and amateur groups, using theatre as a model.
In January, I lodged a motion to congratulate Crossmichael drama club in Dumfriesshire on winning a United Kingdom competition and gaining the opportunity to perform in London’s west end. I am delighted that a group with fewer than 10 members from a small village in my region won the competition, especially as there were entrants from throughout the UK—all amateur groups—on a scale up to Regent Rep in Bournemouth, which has more than 100 members. Amateur dramatics are far from amateur and are thriving throughout Scotland and Britain. They make a big contribution to the arts in Scotland.
I also highlight and pay tribute to our many professional theatre companies. Grey Coast Theatre does not exist any more, but it brought challenging and relevant work to some of our remotest islands. At that time, my partner was lucky enough to be an actor in the company when it toured to community halls across the islands of Scotland. We also have the innovative work of urban companies such as the Tron Theatre in Glasgow, which is now led by director Andy Arnold. Complementing the Edinburgh international festival is the Edinburgh festival fringe, which gives students and community groups an opportunity to explore and experiment and audiences an opportunity to see performances from around the world.
Those companies are all part of a symbiotic creative relationship that stretches right into our national performing companies and also connects with our drama and music training in institutions such as the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. With two acting and singing family members, I know how tough careers in this area can be, and all opportunities for people to develop their chances need to be taken up. I hope that the cabinet secretary will comment on the training aspects of the performing arts in her closing remarks.
I also want to focus on the enormous value of the national performing companies’ outreach work, as other members have done, and we should not forget the role that is played by our theatre-in-education companies. As Malcolm Chisholm highlighted, opera is accessible. I still have a vivid memory from my time as a teacher in a rural primary school in Clydesdale of a series of workshops that were held by Scottish Opera. No one who experienced the coming together of children from several small primary schools to bring alive a Viking myth in shared song could doubt the impact on all concerned. The sense that opera was a remote, elite pursuit was dispelled for the many families and children who attended that performance, which I saw in the Memorial hall in Lanark. The comment about the ticket lines for opera being closed proves that opera is a popular performing art nowadays. The cabinet secretary also highlighted that.
I support Patricia Ferguson’s remarks on the value of the support that local authorities can provide to make the arts and our national companies real to children. It was reassuring to hear from the cabinet secretary that all local authorities have been involved recently.
As a parent, I was lucky enough to have the chance to take both my children—a girl and a boy—to Scottish Ballet’s summer schools for children from all over Scotland. For a small minority, they lead to a professional career but, for many others, they are an opportunity for self-exploration and working together beyond language. At the best Christmas outing ever, I was lucky enough to go with a rural primary school to Scottish Ballet’s production of “The Snowman”. We were all transported into a world of magic as the dancers literally flew through the air, and the young boys’ attitudes to dance changed as the snowflakes fell and the story unfolded. Theatre is so important for the breaking down of stereotypes in society.
The outreach work and performances for children bring a sense of growing understanding of the value of participating in the arts and enjoying being part of an audience.
I also want to highlight the value of our national performing companies expanding beyond the national framework and helping to develop shared understanding with other countries. As a member of the cross-party group on China, I heard about Scottish Opera’s visit to Beijing to perform “The Tale o’ Tam”. The universality of that work again went beyond language in the strict sense of the word. Cultural sharing of that kind is a vibrant way in which to develop understanding between countries.
Finally, I highlight the work of Òran Mór and the National Theatre of Scotland, which this week brought together writers from the middle east to perform in Scotland. The challenging situation in the middle east has meant that developing the plays has not been an easy task, and the writers have often not wanted their names to be revealed. Others have struggled to get visas to come here at all.
Abdullah Alkafri, who is the author of “Damascus Aleppo” said on Radio Scotland this week that he is glad to be here and is delighted that his stories have been given a platform. He said that the audience
“know the stories from the news ... but don’t know the human part of the Middle East. It is good to get in touch more with the human side of the people ... more than the terror and the blood and misery ... we are like normal humans.”
Abdelrahim Alawji, the author of “Sleeping Beauty Insomnia” commented:
“At the first level I feel guilty to be here involved in the theatre because the situation there is really tough. The theatre gives a chance to give a real picture about the people there avoiding clichés or stereotyping thoughts from the media ... and create real dialogue with the people”.
Those plays are a precious opportunity for Scotland to explore and better understand the challenges that are faced by people in the midst of a stark struggle. For all those reasons and those highlighted by other speakers, we must protect funding for the arts.
On accessibility to the arts, including the work of our national performing companies, the most recent national indicator shows that the percentage of adults who have either participated in a cultural activity or attended or visited a cultural event fell slightly in 2010. It is only a small drop, but it is important that we support the arts when they come under pressure in challenging economic times, as other members have highlighted in the debate.
The Scottish Government stresses the importance of the national indicator. It states that
“Cultural engagement impacts positively on our general wellbeing—”
I would be grateful if you would draw to a close sometime soon, please.
I am just about to, Presiding Officer. Thank you.
The Scottish Government states that cultural engagement also
“helps reinforce our resilience in difficult times.”
I thank the cabinet secretary for her broad-sweeping opening remarks and I hope that today’s debate, with cross-party support, will help to protect funding in challenging times, when we need the arts more than ever.
16:11
I am very pleased to have been called to speak in this debate on Scotland’s national performing companies and, indeed, to follow on from the very considerate contribution that Claudia Beamish made to the debate.
As we have heard during the debate, Scotland, a country of 5 million people or thereabouts, can be very proud to host five separate national companies, which I would just like to list for the record, although we all know who they are. It is enjoyable to repeat this diverse list. We have Scottish Ballet, Scottish Opera, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and, last but by no means least, the National Theatre of Scotland. Each of those five companies is a centre of excellence and I pay tribute at the outset to the dedication and commitment of all those involved. I also pay tribute to all those involved in the national youth companies. I should perhaps declare an interest because my niece, Ciara Ewing, and my nephew, Jamie Ewing, are both members of the national youth choir. They are enjoying their experience enormously.
I also have to confess, like the other Annabel in the chamber—we have been the subject of mistaken identity today and I hope that the other Annabel will not be too horrified by that state of affairs—my ballet days are well and truly behind me. However, until fairly recently, I used to list under the heading “Hobbies and interests” in a curriculum vitae, “Going to the theatre.” I have had to drop that one, though, to reflect factual accuracy, because I do not seem to get to the theatre very much these days and certainly not as much as I would like, due to other calls on my time. However, I hope to rectify that in the years to come.
Unusually, I was at a local play a couple of weeks ago. It would be remiss of me not to mention that it was called “Off the Hook”, and the production was put on by the Crieff drama group. It played to full houses over three nights and was very much enjoyed by all who attended it. Having mentioned the Crieff drama group, it would be remiss of me and perhaps somewhat risky for me not to mention the Comrie drama group. Comrie is, of course, the fantastic village that I am very pleased to call home. Comrie drama group puts on successful plays throughout the year, together with an excellent panto every Christmas. Like Crieff drama group, Comrie drama group always plays to full houses. As in Crieff, many people in Comrie are involved in one way or another in productions, and they are to be commended for their commitment.
I mention those local examples to highlight the appetite across Scotland for theatre and other performing arts and to flag up the importance of the national touring that the national companies undertake, which is a key feature of their role in our country’s cultural life. I ask the cabinet secretary to ensure that the locations that the fantastic national tours cover are constantly reviewed, to ensure that none of Scotland’s communities—however large, medium-sized, small or dispersed it is—is left out of the fantastic programmes. I assure her that there is an audience out there for such visits and I am sure that such audiences would be enthusiastic.
In addition to national touring, the national companies do extensive international touring. I was pleased to hear the cabinet secretary confirm the £350,000 for the international touring fund. International touring is not just important to the national economy; it is also about showcasing on the world stage Scotland’s cultural excellence and diversity and the modern and innovative productions for which our national companies are famed. In touring, our national companies act in effect as cultural ambassadors, and they do Scotland proud. We shall see further evidence of that in this year of creative Scotland, when our national companies will play a significant role in attracting international tourism and investment to Scotland. I am sure that the whole Parliament wishes them well in that endeavour.
The national companies’ work has many international aspects in addition to international touring. We have heard about the excellent success of the National Theatre’s production of “Black Watch”. Having seen it, I agree that it is fantastic. I think that it is the best play that I have seen, save perhaps the 7:84 Theatre Company’s “The Cheviot, the Stag and the Black, Black Oil”, which I hope will make a comeback fairly soon.
We see internationalism in the work of all our national companies. Guest conductors are invited to perform with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and the RSNO and artistic exchange partnerships take place—between the National Theatre and China, for example. We heard about the National Theatre’s work in Chicago and its great work in Brooklyn with the extreme ceilidh, to which the cabinet secretary referred. Malcolm Chisholm referred to the five-minute theatre project, which rightly excited the well-known arts commentator Joyce McMillan.
The cultural scene in Scotland is innovative and vibrant. The internationalism of our national companies is to be as treasured as the work that they do in Scotland is. The national companies contribute enormously to feeding the soul, as well as the national economy, and they are key players on the world stage. We should all be enormously proud of them. I sincerely believe that, as Scotland continues its journey to independence, we shall see increased global interest not only in our political endeavours but in our exciting cultural scene.
16:18
As we have heard, the national performing arts companies have an important role. Not only do they allow Scots of all ages to experience the very best in theatre, dance, opera, ballet and music that Scotland and the rest of the world have to offer, they have the ability to inspire our youngsters to have a future in the arts. I will direct my remarks to opportunities for children and young people.
One of the most impressive achievements of the national performing arts companies has been the number of youngsters whom they have given the opportunity to experience and participate in the performances that they offer. In June last year, pupils from Dundee’s Craigowl school took part in a fantastic project that the National Theatre of Scotland organised. They collaborated with pupils from nearby schools in Perth and Glenrothes to put on a 24-hour online theatre marathon.
That example is just one of a number of creative youth initiatives that are under way in Dundee at the moment. Just next week, youngsters from Dundee will participate in an evening of short performances at the Dundee Rep theatre, showcasing the best new talent that we have in the performing arts. Indeed, Dundee Rep has excelled under its inspirational artistic director, James Brining. I pay tribute to James, who is shortly to leave us to take up a post in York. He did a remarkable job at Dundee Rep, which is reflected not just in the critical acclaim that Dundee Rep has received during his tenure, but in its exemplary creative learning department, which seeks to develop the confidence and abilities of Dundee’s youth in the performing arts. I wish James the best of luck and thank him, on behalf of everyone, for the work that he has done for Dundee and for the performing arts in Scotland.
I appreciated the minister’s comments, during Sandra White’s speech, on children’s attendance at performances. That is critical, as the minister said. A recent study was undertaken by Caishlan Sweeney at Dundee Rep on behalf of the Northeast Performing Arts Group, which surveyed schoolteachers in the region. Ninety-six per cent of the teachers who responded said that funding bus transport to theatre or other performances was the primary and major existing barrier to getting pupils to performances. All of us in the chamber know how parent teacher associations raise money, and we know that money to fund transport to performances is more readily raised by schools in more prosperous areas in our cities and towns than by those in more deprived communities. I have a copy of Ms Sweeney’s report, which I am happy to share with the cabinet secretary so that she can see the evidence. Indeed, I invite the cabinet secretary to meet Caishlan Sweeney to see whether a collaborative solution across the arts can be found to solve that very real problem of access to performances.
As Patricia Ferguson suggested in Labour’s opening speech, giving the national youth performing arts companies the same status as the national performing arts companies will give us the opportunity to educate our young people and to inspire and encourage them to learn valuable skills through participating more fully in all areas of the arts. The education of youngsters is one of the primary functions of our national youth performing companies. As well as developing their own programmes, they work alongside existing initiatives that make a huge impact on the lives of children in Scotland.
One such educational initiative, which I have talked about in the chamber before, is the El Sistema project—a project that I believe is worthy of further discussion in the chamber. By providing intensive music tuition to some of the most disadvantaged children in Scotland and across the world, El Sistema provides the opportunity for children to learn new skills, increase their confidence and achieve where they would otherwise not have been able to achieve. I know that the cabinet secretary is currently considering evidence from the Raploch project. The project is doing fantastic work in the Raploch—I visited it a few weeks ago and was delighted to see the looks on some of the children’s faces as they rehearsed in their small groups and then came together in bigger groups. Recently, alongside the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland, they performed on stage at the Clyde auditorium in the BBC’s music nation event. I visited them three days before they took to the stage, and their excitement was palpable.
Opportunities such as that foster aspiration and a sense of achievement in children. They teach children skills that they will maintain for life, and they offer children the chance to break out of a cycle of poverty that denies them the opportunity to learn in an extra-curricular setting. As some members will know, I have been campaigning for El Sistema to come to Dundee because I believe that it could benefit a great number of children in our city. The instrumental tuition figures in Dundee back that up. In Forthill primary school—a school in one of Dundee’s most affluent areas—the number of children who are being taught music privately is 83. That contrasts starkly with the figure for Sidlaw View primary school, which is in one of the poorer areas of the city, where only four children are learning an instrument.
By extending the status of our national performing arts companies to our national youth performing arts companies, we have the chance to develop a successful working relationship between youth performing companies and projects such as El Sistema, so that projects can be expanded into areas such as Dundee, where they will benefit children immensely. The recommendation is worthy of further exploration and I hope that the cabinet secretary will consider it in her closing speech.
16:25
I am delighted to have been given the opportunity to speak in this debate on the work of our national performing companies. All the companies do sterling work, as members have said, but I will concentrate on the work of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra.
I became familiar with the RSNO’s staff and grew to admire its work greatly when I was commissioning arts pieces for newspapers and working closely with the company. I should declare an interest: my daughter sings with the RSNO junior chorus. I pay tribute to Christopher Bell, who directs not just the junior chorus but the National Youth Choir of Scotland and has done incredible work to build Scotland’s reputation as a place for young singers.
The RSNO has a long and illustrious history. It was established in 1891 to support the Glasgow choral union, which it outlasted. It became the Scottish National Orchestra in 1950 and gained royal patronage in 1991. World-class conductors such as Sir Alexander Gibson, Walter Susskind and Neeme Järvi helped to make the orchestra one of the finest in Europe, as did several generations of talented musicians.
I will concentrate on the current, sparkling company and on developments in recent years, particularly under the creative direction of Stéphane Denève. The RSNO has been remarkably successful in reaching out to new audiences, attracting young people and engaging in educational, therapeutic and community work. It has attracted people who might not otherwise have gone to a classical music concert.
That was illustrated for me a few years ago, when I went to a Prokofiev concert in Glasgow royal concert hall. When we entered the foyer bar, ambient electronic music was playing. There were lots of young people around and I realised that I was one of the few audience members who were over 25—well over 25, it has to be said. The Prokofiev in question was conducting the orchestra—he was not the ghost of the famous Russian but his grandson, Gabriel Prokofiev, a London DJ, whom the RSNO had commissioned to perform his composition, “Concerto for Turntables and Orchestra”. He was joined by hip-hop DJ Beni G of the Mixologists, and the programme explored the links between classical and modern dance music. I had not known that such links existed; the evening was an education. We listened to the cutting-edge sound of “Iron Foundry”, a ballet score by Alexander Mosolov, which dates back to 1928.
That concert took place several years ago, but innovation is part of the RSNO’s programme every season. Annabel Goldie talked about the naked classics community programme, which has drawn in thousands of people who are not terribly familiar with classical music and want to hear it in a wider context, with explanations, a little bit of history, some multimedia and so on. The approach has worked incredibly well. Last year, 67 per cent of the audience for naked classics were people who were not season-ticket holders or would not normally attend another concert in the season. I think that Annabel Goldie said that she had not tasted naked classics—if I can put it in that way. Next year the company will do Stravinsky’s “The Firebird” and the entire cycle of Wagner’s “Ring”, which I am looking forward to hearing.
The cabinet secretary talked about the importance of education and outreach work, and several members talked about the RSNO’s tour of the Shetland Islands. I will talk about the company’s partnership with Rachel House children’s hospice, which provides services for children and young people who have life-limiting conditions. The RSNO visits Rachel House for three days, three times a year, and the same three musicians visit on each occasion. As a result, they build up close relationships with the children and their families and the music therapists and staff at Rachel House. They report that music is a marvellous communication tool, particularly for children whose condition makes communication quite challenging.
I know that the musicians get as much out of the experience as the families do. Last August, Rachel House hosted a magic-themed event, which was sponsored by the Miller Group and in which 40 children and young people who attended the hospice were dressed in the style of Harry Potter characters, fairies and pirates. A lot has been said about engagement with young people by our national performing companies, but I am sure that everybody will agree that that is possibly among the most magical uses of the national companies and the arts as a therapeutic tool.
We have talked a lot about the importance of reach and of reaching out to different parts of Scotland. One area that I represent is Dumfriesshire, which has this year seen some excellent RSNO performances up close as part of the out and about programme. In March 2011, Dumfries and Galloway Arts Association and Dumfries and Galloway Council held a workshop in which young local people created and recorded the score for a film that they had made themselves and which they later premiered. In addition, two workshops and informal performances were held with patients at Crichton hall in Dumfries, with the guidance of RSNO musicians on how to perform the pieces.
I join the cabinet secretary, Ms Ferguson and others in paying tribute in particular to the RSNO’s outgoing musical director, Stéphane Denève. During his tenure, average attendance figures rose year on year, and subscription numbers in Edinburgh and Glasgow are now the highest in a generation. Mr Denève can take great pride in the job that he has done with the RSNO and in his role in reinforcing the auld alliance between Scotland and France. It is heart warming to read about the warmth that he feels for Scotland as displayed on his personal website. He married his wife here and celebrated the birth of his child here. I thank him for his hard work and commitment and for the passion that he has shown for the orchestra and Scotland. I also welcome the new musical director, Peter Oundjian, to his role. I am certain that he can follow on from the recent success that I have outlined.
We move to the closing speeches. Annabel Goldie has a generous six minutes.
16:32
The debate has been interesting and genuinely helpful. What our creative industries and NPCs do for Scotland and our economy has been universally recognised; indeed, Clare Adamson made a most impressive cultural contribution of her own. As I listened to what has been a positive debate, some lines of Wordsworth came to mind. I am quoting from memory, so I may not be word perfect:
“For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.”
We have heard from many speakers about their daffodils—the enduring and memorable impact that a particular play, ballet or opera has made upon them, which they remember with great pleasure.
However, contributors to the debate have been frank in expressing some concerns and raising some issues. The issue of audience numbers for performances, coupled with the somewhat disappointing increase in education participants despite a substantial increase in educational events, is disturbing, given the consistent increase in cash-terms funding that NPCs have received under the Scottish National Party Government in recent years.
I note Sandra White’s warning, which I do not dismiss. However, we have to note trends. The trend between 2007 and 2011-12, in terms of the Scottish Government core funding grant, is interesting. The grant has increased by 8.1 per cent in cash terms, which is an average of just more than 2 per cent per year. Despite that, as we have seen, audience numbers are down from five years ago, performances are down, and education participants have not increased proportionately to the number of educational events. I merely articulate that as food for thought; it is not a trenchant criticism of any of the companies.
On a positive note, Patricia Ferguson and Jenny Marra made some interesting suggestions about young people and how we might look at that cohort.
To return to the funding figures, there is another statistic that I find slightly troubling. Since becoming heavily dependent on central Government funding, two of our five NPCs have become more dependent on Government core grant. For the RSNO, the core grant in 2010-11 represented 59 per cent of its turnover, which was up from 57 per cent in 2007-08. For the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, the figure was 50 per cent, which was up from 49 per cent over the same period. Admittedly, those figures are not earth-shattering, but there is a trend. We should not lose sight of the fact that, since the establishment of direct Government funding, two fifths of our Scottish NPCs have increased their dependency on that funding.
I want to raise another point with the cabinet secretary. According to the 2010-11 annual report, there has been a stagnation in the level of sponsorship and funding for NPCs overall. That is not to diminish the vital role that sponsors perform, nor the invaluable commitment of fund-raisers, which are to be commended. However, I note from the report that the proportion of NPC funding that comes from sponsorship and fundraising “remained at 8%”. There is no further attempt to explain that figure.
I gently point out to Annabel Goldie that we have gone through the credit crunch and the recession. Interestingly, the arts and business figures for Scotland have increased despite the economic situation.
The Labour amendment recognises the role of private investment and sponsorship. To keep and maintain that position is very strong in the context of challenging times for many investments because of the financial situation that everyone is facing.
I thank the cabinet secretary for that observation. I value what the sponsors and fund-raisers are doing; I simply point out that, if we cannot explain that trend nor how we might address it, the destination is troubling. It is right that we discuss it.
The general trend of future Government funding for NPCs underlines the need for those companies to be ever-more resilient and innovative, and to develop alternative business models and funding structures precisely because of the challenges to which the cabinet secretary referred. The NPCs cannot act in a silo: they must be enterprising and actively seek to leverage funding from other sources.
Patricia Ferguson made an interesting point about the possible role of local authorities. By way of being positive, I observe that there are a number of important events coming up in Scotland. We have the Commonwealth games and the Ryder cup, and a short time ago we debated tourism, which is one of Scotland’s economic success stories. I would like there to be made widely available a published strategy from the NPCs on how they intend to use those events, engage with the buoyant tourism industry to promote their aims, harness the business opportunities and try to benefit from the opportunities that such activities present.
The cabinet secretary’s annual reports and activities are instructive, but I would like more information about NPC development and a contribution from the NPCs in writing parts of the report. We want the reports to reflect what those companies are doing, what they think and what their vision is.
The debate has made it clear that I and others applaud the work of the national performing companies. I want those companies to thrive and develop, and to continue to wow audiences in Scotland and further afield. I genuinely hope that the issues that members have raised today will be regarded constructively and taken on board by the cabinet secretary, and I hope that we can all help to steer the companies towards a more sustainable footing.
16:39
I, too, thank colleagues around the chamber for their interesting and thoughtful contributions to what has been a very good and consensual debate. That is a good thing, particularly as we are on the eve of being not quite so consensual, at least for 48 hours.
I want to reflect on some of the comments that colleagues have made. I always enjoy Clare Adamson’s speeches; I particularly enjoy her quotes, as they are always highly pertinent. The quote that she used today was particularly apt. She did me the service of reminding me of an area that has had little mention—the technical skills that go towards making our national companies such a success. “A Streetcar Named Desire” is a particularly good example of those skills—I do not think that I have ever seen beer crates used in quite such a creative way as they were in that performance.
Clare Adamson was also right to talk about the innovation that we see in productions such as the National Theatre’s “The Bacchae”, which was amazing in many ways. The most recent of the National Theatre’s offerings that I have seen was a performance of “An Appointment with the Wicker Man”. I went to see it with my American intern, who, at the time, was new. I was not 100 per cent sure what he would think of it or whether he would catch the in-jokes and the almost smutty humour, but he was so enthralled by the entire thing that he decided to do the project that he was to complete for me on the National Theatre of Scotland.
I am very pleased that Brian O’Bannon has completed his report, which he has now given to me. In it, he makes the interesting point—I was reminded of it by Jean Urquhart—that Scotland waited more than 600 years for a national theatre. In my view and in Brian’s, it has been well worth waiting for.
Malcolm Chisholm spoke about the collaboration between elements of the national collections and the national companies on the “Desire” project. Such collaboration is extremely important, and I would like to see it reflected in the reports that we get about the activities of our national companies and our national collections.
Malcolm Chisholm and Joan McAlpine drew our attention to the health benefits that can derive from the field of culture. I have seen many projects through which the arts and the creativity of our companies have been used to good effect to assist people who struggle with mental health issues. I was delighted to hear Joan McAlpine mention the work that the RSNO does with Rachel House, which seems to me to be a fantastic way of using the skills and the dedication of our artists.
Malcolm Chisholm’s comments on the five-minute theatre project reminded me of the 15-minute operas that I watched in Òran Mór a number of years ago, which Claudia Beamish mentioned. Not all of them were wonderful operas, but they were all very interesting and very different. It was a bit of a challenge that they were all presented in one afternoon, but it gave people a great opportunity to see some highly innovative things happening on a very small and localised scale. There was something extremely intimate about that experience that worked particularly well.
Malcolm Chisholm mentioned that opera and politics often go together. Although Sandra White’s speech did not open with any opera, there was a wee bit of theatre and improvisation on the part of Ms Goldie, which was quite enjoyable, even if the cause of it was accidental. Sandra White was correct to identify that many of the national companies are located in Glasgow. One or two of them used to be located in my constituency, before the boundary changes were made. I am sad to have lost them, but I know that Sandra White will take good care of them. I am sure that she would agree that although Glasgow is fortunate to have those companies located there, it is a shame that the national collections do not better reflect the significance of the work that is held there. There might be opportunities for Glasgow’s treasures to become part of that family of collections, but that is perhaps a debate for another day.
In an important speech, Claudia Beamish made very important points about the current performances about the Arab spring, which demonstrate the importance of portraying the human side of conflicts, to which I think that we are often desensitised by watching them on the television in our living rooms. That is a safe environment for us and, as we watch those tragic events unfold across the world, we become a little bit desensitised to them. Seeing them in the stark reality of a stage performance can help us to reconnect with what is actually going on, why it matters and why we should care about it.
I am indebted to Annabelle Ewing for giving me a slight prod in the direction of local performances. It is incumbent on me to mention that, in my schedule this week, I managed to fit in time to see a performance of “Oliver!”, which was undertaken by the pupils of St Monica’s primary school in my constituency. I think that it is the first time that the school has ever tried to do something like that, but those primary school children were word perfect in song and dialogue and were perfect in movement. It was a fantastic experience and one that it was well worth taking a few hours out of campaigning to go to.
Jenny Marra mentioned her interest in the El Sistema project. I am sure that we all applaud and are all delighted with that project, which was originally brought here by Richard Holloway. Jenny Marra has a bit of competition in the struggle for El Sistema, as I have been trying to get it into Possilpark in my constituency for a wee while, and I think that the Deputy First Minister also has an interest in having it in her constituency. We might have a wee bit of a wrangle about that one. However, the important thing to remember is that the project makes a difference and has been seen to work. We might need to think about our strategy for rolling out that model or a similar one across Scotland.
Annabelle Ewing—sorry, Annabel Goldie; I have done it now. It is obviously going to be one of those days. Annabel Goldie mentioned the importance of working across the various areas that we have in our remit and thinking about tourism. I agree entirely. Our cultural activity is very much a driver of our tourism sector. In a previous debate, I asked the cabinet secretary whether she would give us a little bit more information about the kind of activity that our national companies would be undertaking around the Commonwealth games. I would be interested in any update on that that there might be.
I reiterate my genuine suggestion to the cabinet secretary concerning the national youth performing arts companies, which have a huge role to play. They would be appreciative of being given the responsibility that comes with being part of our national performing companies. I hope very much that that will merit discussion in the time ahead.
16:47
The debate has been very helpful and it was interesting to hear about members’ experiences, views and opinions of the performing companies. I thank members for their many insightful contributions. I will try to address a number of the points that were made during the debate.
Patricia Ferguson mentions local authorities in her amendment and she made an important point about incentivising and rewarding them, although she steered clear of the ring fencing argument. That is a real challenge, and I reassure the member that in recent months I have met local authority leisure, education and culture conveners to identify what can be done across the piece to help develop a network of good practice. The Government can also work with local authorities to ensure that we have a creative partnership, and to see what both sides can bring to the cultural field, nationally and locally.
That approach might address some of the points made by Jenny Marra about access to transport, which is an issue that applies to sport and not just to culture. We have made progress in supporting travel costs in the heritage field. However, I repeat my point about participating in culture and not just attending as an audience. To ensure audience development in the future, singing or taking part in musical activity is probably of greater value than attendance. The piece of research that I referred to is important in relation to that. However, how we work with local authorities, and how we address the access issue if transport is one of the major issues—we know that it relates to, for example, the cost of fuel during these pressing times—were reasonable points to raise during the debate.
Patricia Ferguson also made an important point about the national youth companies; indeed, a number of members talked about them. There is a good relationship between the national performing companies and the youth companies. Patricia Ferguson previously made the interesting proposal to Mike Russell that each of the youth companies should become a national performing company, although I do not think that that issue was raised today.
I have asked Creative Scotland to produce a national youth arts strategy and I am expecting those proposals shortly. I have requested that the strategy address the role of the youth companies, which have been consulted as part of the process. I look forward to Creative Scotland’s proposals and to working with the Parliament to help to improve on what is already a vibrant arena for youth performance.
I must address the points that were made about audiences. We should listen to Sandra White—it is about quality and not just quantity. In Patricia Ferguson’s latter speech, she talked about the value of intimacy in cultural performance, which can be lost if we are looking at sheer volume.
I reassure Annabel Goldie that in the period of direct funding from 2007 to 2012, Scottish audiences for the Scottish Chamber Orchestra increased by 26 per cent. For Scottish Opera, audiences increased by 19 per cent in the same period. Joan McAlpine referred to subscription sales. Since 2005-06, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra has doubled its subscriptions in Glasgow and trebled them in Edinburgh. There is an important point there about the information that is provided in the report. That point, and other feedback, means that this has been a helpful debate for identifying what the Parliament needs in terms of report and interpretation. Some valuable points have been made about that.
Malcolm Chisholm, whom I might refer to as the token male in a debate dominated by women, talked about local collections and performances and outreach work. He made an important point about the pertinence of the modern expression of theatre in terms of the National Theatre of Scotland’s five-minute theatre project, which is part of the NTS’s fifth anniversary. I confess that I was part of the audience—the back of my head can be seen—for one of the performances in a railway carriage in Kinneil station in Bo’ness. It was not only a good celebration but a connection—how do we grow the writers and performers of the future and connect nationally?
Claudia Beamish made an important point about the Òran Mór and NTS spring productions—it is about content and value, the human aspects of communication, and telling stories that cannot be told any other way. Claudia made an excellent contribution in that regard. She also touched on issues around training. I give the example of Scottish Opera, which is unique in that it provides traditional artisanal skills and creates jobs in which artists can learn and practise their trades to the highest professional standards. It has third-party clients in the Royal Opera House, Scottish Ballet and the National Theatre of Scotland. The creation of a network of skills—whether it is performance skills or technical skills—is essential for sustainable creative industries in future. We are well placed to grow in that respect.
Annabel Goldie—sorry, I have done it as well—Annabelle Ewing referred to the Crieff and Comrie drama groups. I thought at one point that she was appealing for them to become national performing companies but her ambitions did not quite stretch that far.
Annabelle Ewing.
Thank you, Presiding Officer. I think that you are the first person this afternoon who has managed not to confuse Annabel and Annabelle. I am not at all bothered about it; I am sure that the other Annabel feels the same.
The cabinet secretary kindly referred to the Crieff drama group and the Comrie drama group. I will be very popular indeed. The point that I was trying to make was about the appetite for theatre throughout communities in Scotland—I am sure that the cabinet secretary was just about to deal with that point.
I would never confuse Annabelle and Annabel.
I thank Annabelle Ewing for that important intervention. I will touch on geographical co-ordination because I have indeed asked the performing companies how they work together on the outreach work that they carry out for the performances that they put on across Scotland. In that respect, geographical co-ordination is important in ensuring that their performances reach audiences.
Co-ordination of activity is also important for tourism. For example, the companies have put on performances in support of the St Magnus international festival in Orkney, but I reassure Annabel Goldie that I am discussing with not only our collections, but our national companies ways of maximising Scotland’s international presentation. In the recent debate on the year of creative Scotland and in questions that I have answered recently, I have stressed that very connection as an important means of promoting Scotland as a tourist destination.
We have high expectations of our companies. They must continue to produce high-quality work that inspires audiences, enriches lives and fosters creativity; to provide leadership in these sectors; to encourage the development of new talent; and, as I have said, to represent Scotland internationally.
I can also give the chamber an indication of the kind of support that we might expect the companies to provide for the Commonwealth games. In this Olympic and Paralympic year, Scottish Ballet’s youth collective will, as part of the Olympic torch relay, perform live on 8 June a new piece of choreography set to Scottish song in George Square with children from the Gaelic school choir. Scottish Ballet is also teaming up with the National Dance Company Wales and English National Ballet for the first time for a ground-breaking Olympic-inspired national celebration of dance called Dance GB. This triple bill of new commissions will open in Glasgow and then go to Cardiff and London.
Meanwhile, the National Theatre of Scotland is going green and getting on its bike with a production called “The Last Polar Bears”, which will have a four-week tour of primary schools in Ayrshire, Dumfries and Galloway, the Borders and East Lothian. Finally, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra has started its extensive summer tour of Scottish communities with sell-out performances featuring Nicola Benedetti. Given all that—and the fact that the Royal National Scottish Orchestra will play at the St Magnus festival in Orkney just before this year’s Edinburgh international festival opens—the Parliament should certainly be reassured of the reach and range of our companies across Scotland.
As for the companies’ international profile, Alan Cumming will star in the NTS’s new version of “Macbeth”; “Black Watch” will be back in the US, with performances in Washington, Chicago, Seattle and San Francisco; the Scottish Chamber Orchestra will visit Vienna and Rotterdam; the RSNO will play six concerts in China; and Scottish Opera will visit the city of Tianjin. I think that we can be proud of the reach of our national companies not only across Scotland, but internationally. Indeed, they are also taking part in and promoting the year of creative Scotland and, looking forward to the year of homecoming and the Commonwealth games in 2014, I think that we are very well placed to maximise their participation. I have already mentioned the investment that has been made in the RSNO’s move and in Scottish Opera.
In conclusion, this debate should be marked as a celebration of our national performing companies. They contribute a great deal to Scotland and, as Annabelle Ewing suggested, we should recognise their role in feeding Scotland’s soul.
I ask members to support the motion.