... Pinter's point Though 1 can sympathise with James Martin Charlton's dismay at Harold Pinter's pessimism (April 20, Letters, page 9), I think he has failed to see that Pinter's poignant new play. Celebration, is aimed at precisely people like himself those who yearn for good, illuminating and imagi native works of art. In the play an assortment of self-focused, foul-mouthed or vainly stupid ...

... Trendy class battles are boring now I was interested in the letters of Susan Lea and John Samson (March 16, April 6, Letters) about the way good speech is despised and even persecuted in England. I too, am saddened and concerned at the way poor speech is promoted by trendy people scrambling to acquire that ghastly fashion accessory 'street cred'. These downward social climbers affect ...

... Alan Fluck's legacy of musicals Your article on the Notting ham Festival (April 6, Heydays, page 1 1 has been drawn to my attention because of its references to the musical Love on the Dole, by Alan Fluck. and the writer's question about the present status of this and other works by Alan. As the article rightly records, Alan died on Christmas Day 1997, and 1 am his joint executor. The ...

... There is still an audience for Christopher Fry Leonard White (April 13, Letters, page 7) expressed the views of many people when he called for the revival of Christopher Fry's plays. In 1 997, after spending a magical hour at a National Theatre platform performance with Fry and Denis Quilley. I wrote to Trevor Nunn asking when the National was going to stage a Fry play. The NT replied that ...

... Daylight robbery My newsagent delivers my copy of The Stage and the Daily Mail every Thursday. I instruct the manager to deliver The Stage with the morning paper. Whenever the Daily Mail arrives with no Stage I am immediately on the telephone to find out why. One recent Monday, I did not receive my Daily Mail. I was told that the shop had been burgled and the manager attacked. Apparently, he ...

... Facing up to considerate mailing In further response to Peter Bradford's letter (Letters, October 5, page 9), I agree that folding and returning people's photographs is an unprofessional way for agents and so on to behave. Having notepaper or CV with one's photo incorporated into the design (or on an address label) would be more cost-efficient and allow artists' pictures to reach more people. ...

... Box office needs a private opinion In order to enhance larger audiences supporting regional theatres and here in the north (I refer specifically to the West Yorkshire Playhouse), clearly greater box office efficiency is needed. This is especially so with long-term subscribers where, on more than one occasion, tickets have failed to arrive and where matinees are suddenly cancelled after booking ...

... Requesting all showbiz Savages I am researching Savage fam ily history, and I am particu larly interested in those actors, directors and writers that work and have appeared on film, TV and theatre. Those that immediately come to mind are Joan, Justin, Charles, Martin and I'm sure there are others, Lily included! If these and any others would like to write to me, I would be grateful. I would ...

... 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 ...