Stage Directions
Presented by John Drummond

A 6-part series on Radio 3

Following on from his previous much-praised examinations of the current state of British ballet, opera (A Price Worth Paying) and orchestras (And the Band Played On), Sir John Drummond talked to leading figures in contemporary British theatre about the state of their art.

Programme 1 A Risky Business (31 March)
With Sir Richard Eyre, Cameron Mackintosh, and Jude Kelly (director of the West Yorkshire Playhouse)

Programme 2 Another Part of the Forest (7 April)
With three directors of regional theatres, Giles Havergal, Tamara Malcolm, and Terry Hands.

Programme 3 A Stream of Words (14 April)
With Dominic Dromgoole, author of `The Full Room', and playwrights Mark Ravenhill and Sir David Hare

Programme 4 Looking for Meaning (28 April)
Actress Juliet Stevenson and directors Deborah Warner and Simon McBurney discuss their approach to the profession.

Programme 5 Spaces and Voices (5 May)
With historian and consultant Iain Mackintosh, writer/fdirector John Barton and actor Denis Quilley

Programme 6 A Brighter Future? (12 May)
Will the recent Arts Council report on regional theatre make a difference? Producer Thelma Holt and critic Michael Billington discuss the background to the crisis; while Peter Hewitt, Chief Executive of the Arts Council of England, sets out what the report hopes to achieve.

And the Band Played On
Presented by Sir John Drummond
Produced by Martin Cotton

BBC Radio 3, 6 half-hour programmes
Broadcast 13/05/2000 – 10/06/2000

In a six-part series, Sir John Drummond took a searching look at the state of orchestral provision in Britain.

1 The Isle is full of noises
John Drummond began with an overview of the current situation, in conversation with composer, conductor and festival director Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, trumpeter John Wallace, and conductor Sir Simon Rattle.

2 The London problem
Are there too many orchestras in London? Are the halls good enough? Why should a world-class conductor want to work there? John Drummond explored these issues in conversation with Clive Gillinson, then Manager of the LSO; Karsten Witt, then Director of the South Bank Centre, and Kurt Masur, Music Director of the London Philharmonic Orchestra.

3 Covering the Country
John Drummond looked at the valuable contribution and the problems faced by regional orchestras, in conversation with four people closely involved with their management and planning over the years: David Richardson, Edward Smith, John Summers and Hugh MacDonald.

4 Small Forces, Big Impact
The early music movement and the proliferation of chamber orchestras have had a profound effect on the musical scene. John Drummond discussed their impact with conductor Sir Roger Norrington, Director of the Proms Nicholas Kenyon and Stephen Carpenter, manager of the City of London Sinfonia.

6 Strategies or Solutions
In the final programme of the series, John Drummond talked to the then Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Chris Smith; Libby MacNamara of the Association of British Orchestras, and previous contributors to the series about the prospect for orchestras in the future.

A Price Worth Paying
Presented by Sir John Drummond
Produced by Martin Cotton

Tx BBC Radio 3, 1999

In a series of five half-hour programmes, John Drummond, former Controller, BBC Radio 3, took a critical look at the state of opera in Britain since the Second World War.

1 A Place for Opera
In the first programme, John Drummond talked to the Earl of Harewood and Sir John Tooley, both former administrators of London’s two principal opera houses, about the post-war consolidation of the Royal Opera House, the creation of English National Opera, and the setting of standards at Glyndebourne.

2 Beyond London
John Drummond talked to some of the key figures involved in the establishment and consolidation of regional companies in Cardiff, Glasgow and Leeds.

3 The Creative Elements
In this programme, John Drummond continued his searching examination of the state of opera in Britain since 1945, looking at opera from the point of view of a composer (Sir Harrison Birtwistle), a director (David Pountney) and a conductor (Paul Daniel).

4 The Skies Darken
In this programme, John Drummond probed the contentious issue of funding. He asked administrators and critics involved in the business whether this relatively expensive form of entertainment should continue to attract public subsidy.

5 Whatever Next?
In the final programme of the series, John Drummond and key figures from the opera world reflected on the achievements of opera companies over the past half-century and their prospects for the future.