Articles in the press concerning London Arts Decision to cut Mu-Lan's Funding

SUNSET FOR MU-LAN (Time Out (6th-13th March 2002) article )

'Funky', 'vital' and 'brilliant' were just three of the words of praise heaped on Mu-Lan's production of 'Sun is Shining' at the King's Head by our reviewer last week. Yet this week the British-Oriental theatre company has announced that its already insubstantial grant of £20,000 has been cut. Its a surprising decision, given London Arts' commitment to diversity and new writing, but the panel is apparently not convinced by the company's choice of plays and feltthe output had been inadequate. Artistic Director Paul Courtenay Hyu argues that the long script development has been justified by the success of 'Sun is Shining' and complains that London Arts didn't wait to see the fruits of this work before making their decision. The company has two other scripts ready to go but, if it is to produce them, will now have to try and find extra money elsewhere.

MU-LAN HITS OUT AT LA 'MEDDLING' (The Stage (4th April 2002) article)

London Arts has been accused of meddling with the artistic policy of award-winning Mu-Lan theatre company after it refused to renew its fixed-term funding agreement.

Paul Courtenay Hyu, Artistic Director of the British-Chinese company, said a regional arts board representative had told him the board "Didn't like his choice of play" during a meeting informing him that Mu-Lan's £20,000 a year would not be renewed in April.

"They said they didn't like the choice of play. I said that's got nothing to do with you. That's my choice. I live or die artistically by that choice," he claimed.

The company's most recent production Sun is Shining, played to sell-out audiences at the King's Head, Islington and is looking to return to the venue in the future. It was produced with £26,000 project funding from the Regional Arts Lottery Programme.

An LA spokesperson confirmed that the theatre company's artitisc programme had given cause for concern but added that it was one of a number of reasons why Mu-Lan's fixed-term funding was not renewed. She said it could still aplly for project funding.

"London Arts thinks that the work and experience of the company is of strategic importance but its application, in comparison to the many other applications was seen to be a comparitively weak one in a number of different areas," she said.

"There was a lengthy debriefing with Mu-Lan and they are well aware of the other perceived failings. Among them a declaration by LA that Mu-Lan had not performed in London for the past three years.

"The point is I okayed it with them. We said we were going back to basics to spend time developing new plays for Mu-Lan," he said.

He added that, during the past three years, the company's youth theatre had performed at the ICA and at Goldsmiths College and the Albany in Lewisham. Its fetsival of new writing was performed at (the Albany and) at Soho Theatre and it has presented workshop performances at the Bull in Barnet and the Watermans Arts Centre in Brentford.

Hyu concludes that the success of Sun is Shining and the promise of a further run at the Kings Head meant that the company could continue to operate. However, he revealed he would not be able to pay permanent staff.