Kaos Theatre

On The Arts Council Of England

14 01 08 - 17:04. Category: default

KAOS has always striven to produce work that is of the highest artistic quality, that challenges and pushes the boundaries.

KAOS has over the past 14 years grown from a small experimental theatre company, driven by ensemble ethics and performance research, into one of the UK's foremost mid and small scale touring companies.

Concerns have been raised about the quality of our work by ACE officers but these concerns don't seem to reflect the reality of the venues we tour to (many of whom have sent us extraordinary letters of support) and the national audiences that we reach.

At our annual review in July 2007 we were shocked when it seemed that our officers were basing their judgment on wrong information.

We have found dealing with this regime at the The Arts Council a demorilising experience. The success we achieve on the road is not registered in Central Office.

I'm a founding member of KAOS. Anybody who has started a company will understand the sheer hard work that is involved to first of all make the production and then to tour it. In the early years we did this with absolutely no subsidy. We knew that to gain subsidy we had to earn it by making extraordinary work. We did this then. We continue to do this now.

We have been treated without respect.

We feel we have been lied to.

To quote one our letters of support "The Company's reputation for high quality ensemble physical theatre is second to none and Kaos' desire to push boundaries and challenge audience expectations in pursuit of excellence is what I understood to be the very essence of what the Arts Council is encouraging the whole sector to do".

Theatre is about people, it is about communication of ideas, feelings and understanding. Qualities frankly missing in this thing we call the Arts Council.

Xavier Leret - Artistic Director

Arts Council Cut

10 01 08 - 16:32. Category: default

As the Artistic Director of a company that is facing an entire cut of its grant it is difficult for me to contain my outrage towards the Arts Council.

KAOS has over the past 14 years grown from a small experimental theatre company, into one of the UK's foremost mid and small scale touring companies.

Our work has continually surprised, shocked, delighted and provoked fierce debate in venues and schools throughout the country.

KAOS is a company that has given everything it can to achieve its reputation for Artistic excellence. I pride myself on my reputation for making cutting edge physical adaptations of classic plays as well as the new material I pen. I work slavishly to ensure that my work continues to reflect the reputation that my collaborators and I have built up over years of work. Years of work it seems that are to be ended in a matter of weeks.

I appeal to the Arts Council to halt this clandestine process - we deserve better than this. Our audiences deserve better than this.

We are at a loss to understand what is the rationale behind the Arts Council's decision. 

 Xavier Leret

Artistic Director