This issue of Performance Magazine has been reproduced as part of Performance Magazine Online (2017) with the permission of the surviving Editors, Rob La Frenais and Gray Watson. Copyright remains with Performance Magazine and/or the original creators of the work. The project has been produced in association with the Live Art Development Agency. IKON wo1-;n:; TELLING STO,iIES fa.3GvT 1:Cl"E!\ GALLERY Performance by Paul Burwell June 10 7.30pm Admission free t~ l~ Ikon Gallery ::tkl.,,. ~ M~ s-,,),,.fv1,v~ 58-72 John Bright St lr(i);IIKlll~JITit/till Birmingham B1 1 BN f>1E.,iri.., 0w~ ·M~c h'ffa,,«S~ ~<A:d ½ ~ y,.M -tHi;{ THE ALBANY EMPIRE THE DRILL HALL l)()l Cl.AS WAY, I.ONDON SES 16 (UENIES STREET , LONDON wn Tr.1in : Ucptford / New Cross . Tube : New Cro s~ Goott11:e Streel T ub e April 29- '\1a y 2, Ma ) -7- 9, Ma)· 14- 16 '1a) · 18--30 at 8.00 Tuesda y-Saturda y al 8.1~ pm. Sunday al 8.00 pm Sunday 6.00 pm Wednesday 19 Ma y at 7.00 pm BOX OFFICE : 01----6913333 BOX OFF ICE: 01-637 8270 Bar , Food, Musi(' & Dancing after sho"'°· LiC'ensed Bar & Good Food Our new address is: 14 PETOPLACEJ LONDONJ NWl 01 - 935 2714 This issue of Performance Magazine has been reproduced as part of Performance Magazine Online (2017) with the permission of the surviving Editors, Rob La Frenais and Gray Watson. Copyright remains with Performance Magazine and/or the original creators of the work. The project has been produced in association with the Live Art Development Agency. May/June 1982 The Performance Magazine 14 Peto Place, London NW1. 01 935 2714 Editors Rob La Frenais Luke Dixon Lynn MacRitchie Design Editor Chloe Nevett Associate Editors Pete Shelton Features Margurite McLaughlin Opinion ..... ....... ..... ....... .. ...... ... .. ... ... .. .. .. 4 Bruce Bayley Irish Performance . .. .. .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ..... .. .. .. _. 5 Music Four Artists .. .. .. ...... .. .. ... .... ... ... .. ... .. ... ... 9 Paul Burwell Red Artists Threat? . .. .. .. ..... ... .... ... .. .. .. .. ... ... .. ... 17 David lllic Contributors London's Dance Crisis . .... .... ..... ... .. .... ..... ..... .. 30 John Roberts Hesitate and Demonstrate . .. ... ..... ........ .. ... ... .... ... .... 15 Roger Ely Phil Hyde Gillian Clark Interview Diana Simmonds Geraldine Pilgrim ............ ... .. .. ........ .... ...... .... 12 Andrea Hill Liz Stolls Neil Hornick Music Guest contributors Women and Jazz .. ... ...... ..... .............. .... ... ... 18 Nick Stewart Peter Hill Mike Toobey Reviews Distribution London Roundup, La Ronde, Optik , Ariadone Co, Boogie! , . .. ...... .. 20 Full Time Distribution Duel Duet, Media Arts Group , SEM Ensemble, Forkbeard Fantasy , Typesetting Windhorse Photosetters Bread & Puppet, Delado, Pastorale , Leicester Performance Week Printing Calverts North Star Press Ltd Publisher Rob La Frenais Copyright (£; 1982 The Per1ormance Magazine ISSN No 0144 5901 This issue receives financial assistance Listings ···················································J from the Arts Council of Great Britain. --- -------------------- -- --, SUBSCRIBE Six issues annually post and packing paid: £5.50 (individuals) , £9.00 (institutions and overseas) . Back issues sent in the form of subscriptions : Back issues : No 4 Academia Ruchu , Mary Longford , The Maste,..,ork, Gay No 13 Gay Culture and Performance , Synoptic Realists , Mitzi Sweatshop . Wildebeeste , Theatre of the Eighth Day, Provisorium , Gilbert and George , No 5 Cardiff , Stuart Brisley , Silvia Ziranel<, Sonia Knox, Charlie Drake Roland Muldoon (Interview) , Lyon Performance Festival . (interview) . No 14 Interview with Laurie Anderson , Jonathan Borofsky , Perfor­ No 6 Midlands , Naked Art , Drag, Steve Cripps , Point Blank Dartington mance Art Platform , Tate Performance , The Acme 1976-81, Miranda Dance . Tufnell. No 7 John Cage (Interview) , Merce Cunningham, Street Performance . No 15 Magic and Performance , Yoshi Oida, The Art of Social Change , Tadeusz Kantor , Lumiere and Son, Forkbeard Fantasy . Station House Opera , Dance Umbrella . No 8 About Time , I Giselle, Tom Saddington , Stefan Brecht , Pip No 1t- Disband, Video Libraries , Bruce Maclean, Andre Stitt, Lumiere and Simmons (Interview) . Son , Forkbeard Fantasy. No 9 Entertainment Special , (Showbiz , TV, Tourism , Bingo, Waxworks , Discothquea), lvor Cutler (Interview) . No 10 Chr is Burden , Station House Opera, Cameron and Miller (Interview) , Video Festival , Belgian Performance . No 11 Lizzie Cox , Brion Gysin (Interview) , Stuart Brisley, Artworks , Please Note new address for subscriptions: send to Theatre Despatch , 31 Riverside Dance , European Theatre of War. Shelton Street, London WC2H 9HT. No 12 State Performance (Analysis of Royal Wedding) British Events , Make cheques payable to Perfo rmance Magazine . Richard Layzell , Crit ics and Doormats Show Trial , Cabaret Futura. I would like to subscribe to Performance Magazine starting with No. (please ring) 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 I enclose cheque/postal order for __ _______________ payable to Performance Magazine. Name Address __________ _____ _ This issue of Performance Magazine has been reproduced as part of Performance Magazine Online (2017) with the permission of the surviving Editors, Rob La Frenais and Gray Watson. Copyright remains with Performance Magazine and/or the original creators of the work. The project has been produced in association with the Live Art Development Agency. Opinion . quality argument lead? Inescapably to the conclusion that men do not hold the patent on genius, but that they've cornered the market in powerful mediocrity. \ Women Live Which brings us back to the end of the tether and 'Women Live' - a month Diana Simmonds asks some awkward questions organised by and dedicated to women's work in the arts. The full programme is eclectic, nationwide and largely, of the fringe: the placid manly brows in high places remain, for the time being at least, unfurrowed. This is hardly surprising, given a budget of £3,500 (not a misprint ): £3,000 from the Equal Opportunities Commission and £500 from the Greater London Arts Association to get the event off the ground. Ironically, in the great tradition, this has meant that many women have given their time for nothing in between making a living and running their private lives. The rich, rambling result is thus even more an extraordinary phenom­ enon. There is wonderful theatre, world class music and scores of films. Out of the woodwork have come technicians and per­ formers who have never before realised each other's existence let alone the possi­ bility of finding work together - and transforming entertainment. If Women Live! is to mean anything out­ side of this glorious month of May, it is that transformation that has to come - not the once a year joys of a festival, but the daily, weekly, monthly, yearly work requirements of the participants, who after all, need to live in order to continue holding up their half whilst persuading the rest that they're also entitled to the simple perks of being alive. And it is this aspect omen Live! 'Live' as in 'strive' oozing from every orifice bring us almost I that is most worrying. Already a male W rather than 'give', that is, is the unadulterated pap on all three TV colleague has said 'Well, maybe we can title given to the culmination of · channels: the West End's current crop of have a bit of peace now you've had your over a year's extraordinary back- bum-numbing drama (63 productions month '. He meant it as a joke but, as I room work by Women In Entertainment written or directed by men, six by women pointed out (in the way of humourless and, as their programme says 'launches our at press time) and, recently, a crop of films · feminists ) the Falklands started out as a drive to transform entertainment in depicting such grotesque violence towards joke too. Musicians, electricians, play­ Britain'. women that even the tabloids began to wrights, designers (journalists even) need But what does it all mean? Transforming question whether it was perhaps a bit work, affirmation and control over their entertainment means re-adjusting our sets much. The latest of the genre 'Visiting lives all year round. Blowing or singing - theatncal, TV, music and film - to Hours', even brought the urbane your lungs out for a month is progress of a take into account that the species who hold Alexander Walker out in hives. Neither is sort but it will be interesting to see how up half the sky would like to do other cinema exactly overflowing with works of many have anything like the same amount things as well. It also means that those who pacific genius elsewhere either: 'Chariots of work in October. And, although the are already 'doing' would like the oppor- of Fire' may well be about the triumph of stamina of women is legendary, one tunity to do more, do it differently and do the athletic will over, inter alia, racism, but wonders whether the pushers, pullers and it as a matter of course rather than in the is also a great deal to do with the resur­ movers of W0men Live! could or should grace-and-favour, nudge-nudge system gence of (respectable ) British nationalism. continue with this sort of burden. Can that currently passes for thought in the Imagine swapping Wilma Rudolph for they/we keep up the pressure? Is it the corridors of entertainment power. Harold Abrahams - the declared inten- right kind of pressure? The taskforce has A (male) theatre director, asked why tions would be achieved but the actual set sail with , for some of the crew at least, he'd put on only one play by a woman in result wouldn't ... little idea of the fundamental nature of the over ten years work, said 'We don 't cater Then of course there is the music battles that could lie ahead - or even a for minorities'. However, this minority business where, whether it's a record corn­ destination . No one gives up power easily, accounts for 52% of the population and pany executive, revered jazz man or good least of all the beneficiaries of the richest over 40% of the official workforce - not to leftie supporter of RAR, their attitude industry of all (we're talking about enter­ mention 100% of child production.