... 'Say what you mean and mean what you say' SIR--Glad to see the words some of a Lettish persuasion in the editorial (July 11). Unhappily some of our most vociferous actors and actresses berate people who don't subscribe to their particular brand of politics in spite of demanding and accepting wealth and privilege for themselves. They do it loudly from the stage, in books, and on television ...

... What price for theatre's scoup? SIR--It is ironic that in the week Temba Theatre Company announced its closure. The Royal National Theatre presented the premiere of Coup, a new play by Mustapha Matura. The first of this major black British writer's works to be pro duced by one of our major National companies. Mustapha Matura's first Temba production was in 1975 I hope that the company is still ...

... BOV's too good to be forgotten SIR--The Editor of The Stage obviously has a sense of irony that would be amusing were not the content of the two articles that appeared on the front page of the July 11 issue so tragic. I refer, of course, to the article by Helen Gould: Bristol Old Vic set to close and the neighbouring article by Brian Atwood: Labour comes out top in arts. Obviously in these ...

... 'Laugh?--I couldn't SIR If Plaza Patrol is the best television that Cannon And Ball have done (Television Reviews, Jury 18) I shudder to think how bad the other television scripts they have done must havt- been. The first episode had a plot that must have been thought up by a five- year old. And the painfully corny lines (I won't call them gags) must have come out of a very old Christmas ...

... By any means necessary SIR In reply to Mr Warrict's let ter about the lack of programmes for the performance he saw in Weymouth, (August 8), he should know, as a printworker, that the cost of producing a reasonable programme is so astronomical owing to printing charges that the outlay is impossible to recoup unless you charge, as in Glynde- bourne, £8 for a programme. Paul Hansard 1 avistock ...

... Please give BEDA its dues SIR, The report headed PRS to con tribute to BEDA's Tariffs, March 14 omits several facts, thereby giving a distorted report. This is obviously because it was taken from the PRS press release and seeks to play down the tremendous success of BEDA in firstly persuading the Copyright Tribunal to accept a new basis of charge related to the number of people who hear the ...

... Policy plea SIR, The Policy Studies Institute is Britain's leading independent institute conducting research into social, eco nomic and cultural issues. We are cur rently being funded by the Carnegie UK Trust, the Gulbenkian Found ation and the Baring Foundation to inquire into the nature and extent of amateur arts activity and the relations between professional and amateur artists. As part of ...

... Club row's satirical turn SIR-On behalf of the committee and myself I write to offer our wholehearted support to the comments attributed to Mike Halloran of the Club and Institute Union in your last week's front page news story, Clubs fear closure as artists' fees soar. Mike is absolutely right, turns are costing us far too much. What they don't seem to understand is that we are members' clubs ...

... New system is a stick-up SIR-The arguments of the Equity Council for accepting the new Commercials' Agreement will stretch our members credulity. The majority of members, they say, estimated at 80 per cent, would gain, and the size of the gains will be greater than the losses. The employers furnished Equity with details of 24 advertising cam paigns shown over a 12 month period. The ...

... Yorkshire figures it out SIR-In the article Pay Freeze Outrage in The Stage and Television Today, August 22, it is reported that a union spokesman said: We are especially incensed at the pay freeze in the light of YTV figures which show that company directors' fees rose by 319 per cent last year, and we are pointed by the attitude ot the compa ny to the loyalty of staff and their con ...

... A day to remember Sir, Stephen Citron, who is mad about musicals, tells us that he would see four shows in a weekend. In 1950 I went up to London and managed four shows on the Saturday. It was in the days when MGM was running the Empire cinema and its excellent stage show (based on Radio City Music Hall), called Yesteryear, started at lunchtime with the George Melochrino Orchestra, full ...

... 'What dash?' SIR, I was rather bemused to read John Constable's quote on the front page of The Stage (October 3 1 stat ing that he and I had a personality clash. As far as I am aware, it is wild ly inaccurate. Throughout our discus sions about his play, The Complete Casanova, our relationship remained both forthright and amicable. The rest of the reported dispute was, I was told, resolved by ...