Vicky featherstone

Sonia Friedman I assume! 

"The Stage 100 is the definitive list of theatre’s most influential people and partnerships."

Looking at the list, they seem to mean UK theatre.

I am out of the loop on this. Are you allowed to say more?

It does have the potential to raise questions about their programming process. The last thing the RC needs is any more bad coverage.

But giving a staff member their first professional production does risk this.

You don't think nepotism in the arts - and theareland in particular - is an issue? It has been discussed on the Summer And Smoke thread, and this guy seems to think it's worth examining too...

www.whatsonstage.com/london-theatre/news/rufus-norris-price-cutting-art-education_44655.html

...but perhaps it is beneath the 'most influential person in UK theatre'?

Ward should have submitted her play in the same way that everyone else has to submit and her script should probably have been anonymised because of her closeness to the decision makers. She seems to have had direct access to the AD (unheard of for aspiring unsolicited writers). She got an agent - even though their books are full. This play may be sensational (it was written in two weeks and is being produced with little revision) we’ll just have to wait and see, although with Featherstone at the helm any weakness in the writing will probably be obscured by high production values. I wish them all good luck, but I think that this definitely raises questions about privilege and accessibility.

Of course practitioners have to work with people they know but there should be measures in place to ensure that it isn’t abused. Remember, nepotism played a key role in the sexual harrassment cases with directors feeling they had the power to make or break careers.

I mean it raises questions in general, not necessarily in this case.

There's an interview with Anoushka Warden on the Guardian website this weekend: www.theguardian.com/stage/2018/jan/07/anoushka-warden-my-mums-a-Tw*t-interview-excitement-levels-mental-royal-court

Yes, Warden certainly had access to Featherstone and that privilege can't be overlooked in its usefulness, but it sounds like the play itself would probably have stood a reasonable chance of being produced even if Warden had never set foot in the theatre before, much like Rory Kinnear's The Herd probably got through a few doors because of his name but was a decent enough play in its own right once produced. I for one (although I obviously haven't seen the play yet) thought that it sounded interesting and booked it when it first went on sale, and I literally only just found out who Anoushka Warden is. And with some of the stuff I've seen at the Royal Court, it's got a LONG way to go to be among the worst plays I've seen there (Wastwater, The Low Road, Gorge Mastromas, How to Hold Your Breath, The Twits)! Also, let's not forget that you do get a lot of first-time playwrights being produced in the Upstairs space, it's surely at least partly what the space is for.

I LOVE the idea that production values for a monologue will cover any deficiencies in the script, I'm looking forward to this one-woman Cursed Child-equivalent in a tiny room high above Sloane Square! 

I do think theatres are way behind other institutions when it comes to good and fair practice and this situation has continued because of the grey areas related to performance. However they should be seen to be accountable. Current Personnel who are unsolicited writers should send their work in anonymously. I am not referring to Warden because it isn’t productive or fair to discuss individual writers. Perhaps theatres need to draw up more codes of practice.