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Playwright Stephen Poliakoff at the King’s Head. |
Playwright urges Boris to put West End theatre centre stage
Dramatist voices concern for our ‘rich cultural life’ as antiques market faces threat
ONE of Britain’s leading dramatists, Stephen Poliakoff, has called on new Tory Mayor Boris Johnson to pledge his support for arts in the capital.
Mr Poliakoff, 55, who lives at Angel, a mile from the Holloway home of the Mayor, has urged Mr Johnson to authorise a programme of cheap West End theatre tickets to get “more bums on seats”.
He said: “The Tories always say they are going to be friendly to the arts but are less so when they get into power. I hope this won’t be the case with Mr Johnson.”
Mr Poliakoff, who is a cultural ambassador for the 2012 London Olympics, said: “The Labour government has had a lot of bad press in recent months. But one of its great actions was making museums free.
“This had a brilliant effect, galvanising people to visit museums. We need something inspirational to encourage more people to visit the theatre.
“A programme of cheap or reduced theatre tickets is one idea. It would encourage more people to see plays.”
The writer will be talking about his early influences and his skill in creating offbeat characters at a Holloway Arts Festival event on June 20.
He will be interviewed by child psychotherapist Margaret Rustin and sociologist Michael Rustin, who will delve into the significance of storytelling, family ties and secrets in his dramas.
He laments the loss of one-off TV dramas such as those in the Play for Today series, where he first made his name. The TV slot gave writers Alan Bennett, Mike Leigh and Dennis Potter a platform.
He added: “It is often said that I’m quite lucky being one of the few survivors who does occasionally get a one-off play on TV. But I’m optimistic that with digital TV and more air time there will be more opportunity for original work.”
He has lived in Islington for almost 30 years but has his complaints about the borough. “They’ve finally repaired the street lights – for 15 years I was walking home along some of the darkest streets in London,” he said.
“And the borough is also said to be the road hump capital of the world.
“But my main concern is for the rich cultural life of the borough. One of my favourite local haunts is Camden Passage antiques market, which is under threat and could lose its unique identity.
“We also have Sadler’s Wells, the King’s Head and the Almeida Theatre and they must be protected. They help to define the borough.”
Married to writer Sandy Welch and a father of two, Cambridge-educated Poliakoff has been writing plays since he was 15.
One of his first jobs was reading dramatic submissions for Hampstead Theatre, but it did not last long because he was regarded as “too nice”.
He is currently working on a new film and a stage play for next year.
Connecting Conversations, with Stephen Poliakoff, is on Friday, June 20, from 7-8.30pm at The Resource Centre, 356 Holloway Road, Holloway.
Tickets are £12/£8 concessions (including a glass of wine). Tickets from www.connectingconversations.org or on the door, subject to availability. |
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