... Duplicate your letters for TAPS Thank you for all your continued support of our scheme. I should be grateful if those of you who wrote letters to The Stage would forward copies to the TAPS office at Shepperton Studios, as legally The Stage is unable to do this, and we are now compiling press, letters, sig natories etc to help our cause. You will be pleased to know that our three day South East ...

... Scripts would make us happy I live in a retirement complex in Margate, South Africa. Among the activities in the village we a have play reading group of ten women, and we also perform when asked for the people in the village. But we are finding it increasingly difficult to obtain one act plays, sketches and monologues of the period 1930 to 1950, hence I am appealing for anyone who could give ...

... Soaring chorus of disapproval As a singer, I would like to join in fortissimo with the chorus of those who are in opposition to the constitutional changes as proposed in the current Equity referendum. I was the councillor for the concert and session singers for 19 years, and my observation was that the efficiency of the council bore no relation at all to the numbers present for any debate, but ...

... What's the story of Joyce's glory? I am writing the first bio graphy of Joyce Grenfell for John Murray publishers. Did any readers, or their parents, work with her or see her perform during the Second World War, either in revues or for ENSA? Janie Hampton 80 Temple Road Oxford 0X4 2EZ e-mail:ham pton.oxforcMiWial.pipex.com ...

... Dyke's declarations were water-tight Your leader 'BBC's blind eye to Dyke's assets', (February 3, Leader, page 6) was based on an entirely false premise--that the BBC's governors did not discuss Greg Dyke's political and business interests with him during the director- general appointment process last summer. In fact, Mr Dyke's interests were disclosed to the governors in full early in the ...

... Sky-high pay harms low earners I read from the front page of the Daily Mail newspaper, dated February 10, that yet another top film star makes a fortune. Yet certain TV/film production companies, particularly American ones, rely on inadequate budgets to try and cover these exploding rates of pay to main actors. Why? These companies should come up with more realistic budgets, which allow union ...

... Barnes storming celebration Readers may wish to know that the 75th anniversary of the opening of Barnes Theatre in 1925 will occur on Mav2. Graeme Cruickshank Bamesdale Avenue Isle of Dogs London Heydays letters can also be found on The Stage's Web site at: www.thestage.co.uk ...

... A precious connection I chanced upon your Web site as it contained the only bona fide reference to Steffani on the Internet. I am trying to obtain information of the Silver Songsters and in particular Steffani, who was my grand mother's uncle. I have managed to put together a ten-track CD and would be happy to provide copies on request. David Adams hieias tna House Mill Lane Hardwick Norwich ...

... Scandal of producers not paying by the rules I am leaving the industry to retire after 20 years, first as a producer and then as an agent. It seems to me to be an industry in serious decline, definitely underfunded but beset with other equally serious plagues, many of which the industry itself shows little or no sign of addressing. In the commercial sector there is an increase in producers, ...

... Comic cuts no laughing matter We are always delighted that we make the news pages of The Stage, but become more than a little concerned when crucial wording is edited out, changing a whole story. This happened in Cameron Robertson's news story (March 9. News, page 5). The final paragraph had been edited in such a way to make the Comedy Store look like we would not be happy for our line-ups to ...

... Knight him now Ray Aldred is quite right to wish to see Ken Dodd receive some kind of honour from the Establishment (March 16, Letters, page 7), but it will have to be grander than an OBE because he was awarded one of those 1 8 years ago. 'Sir Ken' has the right ring to it, so why not campaign for that. And, while we are at it. why not ask for, say, an OBE for that great, gifted but ...

... On the lookout for Catlin's info My earliest theatre memories were as a child living in Llandudno and visiting the Arcadia each summer to see the Catlin's Showtime pro ductions. These shows would have been staged in the early sixties and featured performers including Felix Bowness and a harpist whose name, I believe, was Carl Ames. I have tried for many years to trace memorabilia of these ...