Writers pen protest letter against Bush Theatre cuts

Arts Council England is proposing to reduce funding for the tiny west London venue by £180,000.

Harold Pinter, Tom Stoppard, David Hare, Neil LaBute, Christopher Hampton and Michael Frayn are joined by Salman Rushdie and others in calling on the council to think again.

The letter says: "Playwriting has always been at the heart of Britain's theatrical life. Our playwrights are the envy of the world because there have been and are theatres able to devote resources to the development and presentation of their work.

"The Bush Theatre is unique as a theatre prepared to produce first plays, take risks on new playwrights and thus launch careers."

If the cut is implemented, it would " seriously diminish" the Bush's capacity to do its work and serve audiences, it says.

ACE has reviewed all the bodies it funds and is recommending that a fifth - including 53 in London - are axed or have their grants reduced.

There is a deadline of tomorrow for objections to be lodged. The Bush, which last year produced the hits Elling and Whipping It Up, is facing having its funding reduced from £480,000 a year to £300,000. ACE believes that its current grant does not represent good value for money because the Bush has only 81 seats.

But the theatre argues that the value of its grant lies in nurturing new writers. Stephen Poliakoff and Conor McPherson, who had early work first presented at the theatre, are among more than 100 leading writers who have signed the open letter.

Other signatories include Peter Ackroyd, Margaret Atwood, Howard Brenton, Caryl Churchill, Hanif Kureishi, Alan Plater and Arnold Wesker as well as dozens of younger writers such as Samuel Adamson, Joe Penhall and Roy Williams.

A separate letter has been signed by more than 60 emerging playwrights who have been helped by the theatre. Literary agents, actors and directors are also gathering names to present.

Josie Rourke, the Bush's artistic director, said they hoped the support would help persuade the Arts Council of the theatre industry's belief in its work and the impact of a cut. "Our phones have been ringing and ringing and this is a way of giving people who call something practical to do."

THE FULL LIST OF SIGNATORIES

Peter Ackroyd
Samuel Adamson
Kay Adshead
Paul Allen
Margaret Atwood
Mike Bartlett
Richard Bean
Alistair Beaton
Simon Bent
Helen Blakeman
Alecky Blythe
Adam Bock
William Boyd
Howard Brenton
Lesley Bruce
Moira Buffini
Amelia Bullmore
Gregory Burke
Simon Burt
Richard Cameron
Daragh Carville
Caryl Churchill
Lin Coghlan
Tim Crouch
Andrew Davies
Mark Davies Markham
April de Angelis
Nick Dear
Anne Devlin
Clint Dyer
David Edgar
David Eldridge
Lisa Evans
David Farr
Stella Feehily
Georgia Fitch
Ron Fitzgerald
Michael Frayn
Emma Frost
Lucy Gannon
Fraser Grace
Peter Gill
Maurice Gran
David Greig
Tanika Gupta
Christopher Hampton CBE
Sir David Hare
Zinnie Harris
Robert Holman
Debbie Isitt
Catherine Johnson
Terry Johnson
Charlotte Jones
Dennis Kelly
Hanif Kureishi CBE
Neil LaBute
Joanna Laurens
Bryony Lavery
Mike Leigh OBE
Nell Leyshon
Kevin Loader
Stephen Lowe
Sharman MacDonald
Conor MacPherson
Tony Marchant
Laurence Marks
Linda Marshall-Griffths
Chloe Moss
David Nicholls
Meredith Oakes
Mark O'Rowe
Joe Penhall
Harold Pinter CH, CBE, Nobel Laureate
Alan Plater CBE
Stephen Poliakoff CBE
Bernard Pomerance
Nina Raine
Adam Rapp
Philip Ridley
Billy Roche
David Rudkin
Owen Sheers
Martin Sherman
Sir Salman Rushdie
Nick Stafford
Polly Stenham
Simon Stephens
Sir Tom Stoppard OM, CBE
Colin Teevan
Stephen Thompson
Jack Thorne
Laura Wade
Enda Walsh
Steve Waters
Anthony Weigh
Sir Arnold Wesker
Michael Wilcox
Roy Williams
Snoo Wilson
David Wolstencroft
Sarah Woods
Nicholas Wright
Richard Zajdlic