... Help us, please SIR,-- Having read the notice from Equity Card campaign on the back of THE STAGE (October 4) please let me add that this is a sheer understatement of the situation. 1 have been working as a stage manager for nearly three years for a co-operative company that cannot give me an Equity Card. At the end of each production I would be lucky to receive £25.00 for four weeks work and ...

... Our 'dead' ballet dancers SIR, Ann Nugent's closing comments on the Bolshoi dancers in The Golden Age, (August 7) disgracefully un tidy feet just about sums up the difference in training in this country and in Russia. Here they train dancers who are dead from the ankle up (save but a few) there they produce dancers who dance from the heart, from the soul, and with every millimetre of their ...

... Feeding the fire of the philistine SIR,- An extraordinary statement appears in the leader of The Stage (August 21): In some well funded regional theatres with a high profile artistic director, the administrator is virtually nothing more than head of accounts department- probably going home at five o'clock every evening I challenge you to name one such admi nistrator. My work brings me ...

... SIR--Having seen myself widely 'quoted' in the August 4 edition of The Stage and Television Today (Barbican, Barbican't, page 12), I thought I should respond by trying to put things in context and clear up what I felt were some inaccuracies and misrepresentations. Firstly I should like to say that I have a great regard for the Corporation of London and enjoyed much of my time at the Barbican ...

... SIR--The education debate--mandatory awards--is reaching a stage where the mistakes of forming the dying accreditation system, running it and draining the public purse for no public good have to be analysed, and the basic facts on which the future accredita tion system will be based are stated. At present there are three parties involves in drama edu cation: National Council for Drama ...

... Jumping on the bandwagon SIR, Further to the article referring to Colin Crompton and his cut-price plans (STAGE, January 8), it is, of course, commendable that he should take such action, but we would point out that he is st least five years behind the times. Sarnia Productions have presented touring revues around all sorts of venues from social clubs to forces camps, and Duggie Chapman and ...

... But witt BARB be any better? Dear Sir, Your report on Christmas rating claims--Television Today January 15 --ended on a false note. You said: Differences of 52, 49 and 31 per cent in computing the audiences for popular and regular programmes emphasise once again the need for a single audience research organisation such as has now been formed and should be in operation during this year. Not ...

... D'Oyly Carte must not die SIR, I feel I must write to say how much I deplore the recent action by the Arts Council of Great Britain in denying financial help to The D'Oyly Carte Opera Company. This Company, unique in so many ways, must surely be preserved as part of our national heritage. Its work is much appreciated by people throughout the world. The D'Oyly Carte organisation must not be ...

... 'Don't be so Eager to milk the agent issue' SIR As Equity's second in command, Dave Eager has an extremely naive view of the workings of our profes- In last weeks Stage (Letters, March 4), he said: The bad agents are the parasites who milk their commission from our members. It really does say something when the Equity Vice- Prcsident, and variety councillor, provokes me as a member into a ...

... Clarifying the issue of Archie's departure SIR Having read your front page article by Helen Gould (Agents revolt after MacMillan is dumped, The Stage, March 4), as President of the Agents' Association I should like to clear up a few points. 1) Only two people, i.e. Ivan Birchall and Archie MacMillan put their names forward as Secretary due to the retirement of Gordon Blackie. It was a fair ...

... SIR--I was appalled to read of yet another example of misinformation about casting being conveyed to subscribers to PCR. May I echo the anger which Brian Hewitt-Jones voices in your article on Page 3 of this week's issue, PCR jumps the gun, ('News, page three, April 21). Over the past several years my com pany has experienced that same frus tration and time wasting exercise of having to return ...

... SIR In The Stage and Television Today, April 2 1, Brian Attwood's report on the Equity AGM, con cerning the debate on the future of the AGM, headlined: Equity votes for end to AGM (News, page two), begins: Equity's annual general meeting this week sensationally voted itself out of existence The article then goes on to describe how performers backed an amendment to the Council's pro posal ...