LipService theatre company funding cut

The company who have a huge gay following recently completed a ten week tour of their new show Jane Bond around Britain to packed houses and rave reviews.

"You will be shaken and stirred with comic invention" The Stage

"Along with the National Theatre of Brent, LipService is one of our great two person ensembles" The Guardian December 2007

The reasons the Arts Council give for their decision are twofold. They state that although the company's work is of a consistently high quality it does not contribute to artistic innovation.

Recent productions have employed parkour, cinema, animation, cgi, puppetry, improvisation, cross-dressing. All the writing is new writing, produced by two women, still a minority as playwrights.

"They inhabit the world of art and exploration, they are not merely entertainers" Associate Editor The Independent

The second reason they give is that LipService could be commercially viable yet they have not produced any figures to support this assertion. According to LipService the sums do not add up. Without the small amount of funding the company gets from the Arts Council, their ability to mount future productions will be severely jeopardised.

If you would like to voice your objection to this proposed cut please e-mail michael.eakin@artscouncil.org.uk

Please note the Spring tour of Jane Bond will go ahead as planned. Visit lipservicetheatre.co.uk for dates.