SIR - Mr Phillpott's article about the Swan Theatre (Saturday, January 19) reflected a singularly biased view of the "defining moment" five years ago when the city council decided to discontinue most of its funding of the theatre, despite the Arts Council's decision to increase its own substantial support.
The entertainment now provided by the Swan Theatre, apart from the amateur productions which have continued as before, is a pale shadow of its former professional output, and Worcester is the poorer for it.
Certainly, the remarkably broad cross-section of Worcestershire society which constituted the former Swan audience has been deprived of a valuable cultural and educational asset.
The simple truth is that the city council found itself in a financial mess and the withdrawal of most of its funding for the theatre provided the easiest solution.
In response to the spontaneous popular backlash which ensued, Mr Jaeger got the council off the political hook with the offer of a low-budget programme of specialist and bought-in' entertainment (as opposed to home-produced drama).
The programme obviously has limited audience appeal and the poor ticket sales are hardly surprising.
GERALD HARRIS, Formerly chairman of the Swan Theatre board.
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