This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/apr/14/in-praise-of-almeida-theatre

The article has changed 2 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
In praise of ... the Almeida theatre In praise of ... the Almeida theatre
(about 14 hours later)
When Arts Council England allocated its budget for the four years from 2012, loud jeers came from north London, where the Almeida theatre lost a fifth of its grant. But the theatre promised no cut to its ambition, and at Sunday's Olivier awards it got its deserts. It won eight awards, five for Lucy Kirkwood's Chimerica, a play with a huge geopolitical range, commissioned while Michael Attenborough was artistic director – and directed by Rupert Goold, its new one. Three more awards came for Richard Eyre's revival of Ibsen's Ghosts. The Almeida attracts City money, as well as Arts Council England cash. But both plays successfully transferred to the West End, confirming the continuing importance of subsidised theatre, not just in London, in supporting the commercial sector. In July ACE announces a new round of allocations. Its budget is now even tighter. The Almeida shows what can be done even after the axe has fallen. When Arts Council England allocated its budget for the four years from 2012, loud jeers came from north London, where the Almeida theatre lost a fifth of its grant. But the theatre promised no cut to its ambition, and at Sunday's Olivier awards it got its deserts. It won eight awards, five for Lucy Kirkwood's Chimerica, a play with a huge geopolitical range, commissioned while Michael Attenborough was artistic director – and nurtured by Rupert Goold, its new one. Three more awards came for Richard Eyre's revival of Ibsen's Ghosts. The Almeida attracts City money, as well as Arts Council England cash. But both plays successfully transferred to the West End, confirming the continuing importance of subsidised theatre, not just in London, in supporting the commercial sector. In July ACE announces a new round of allocations. Its budget is now even tighter. The Almeida shows what can be done even after the axe has fallen.
• This article was amended on 15 April 2014. An earlier version said Rupert Goold directed Chimerica. The director was Lyndsey Turner.