Historic Boxford Masques play is cancelled
Organisers blame austerity and council cuts
AUSTERITY and drastic cuts to local services have played a part in the cancellation of a community play with more than a century of history.
Boxford Masques, which stages local performances and has become a mainstay in the local arts scene, made the shock announcement last week that its forthcoming July performance – –had been cancelled.
Announcing the news, Masques committee chairman Steve Wilson said: “Despite mighty efforts by all hands, huge generosity, endless goodwill and some joyful fundraising events, we simply could not raise enough in time to go ahead this July.”
Explaining the decision, the director of Boxford Masques, Ade Morris, said: “We’ve postponed this year simply because, despite our best fundraising efforts, we’ve not been able to reach a target which would make us feel comfortable.
“We are an independent non-profit-making charity and simply cannot lose money on this community show.
“In the past we have been confident that if, for instance, it rained for a night or two, or indeed even for the whole week, we would not be forced into debt by lack of a brave – or foolhardy enough – audience.
“With the decision made, we are now aiming for a triumphant return in 2017, after a year’s more fundraising.
“Everyone who made an advance booking for 2016 has already been refunded.”
He added that recent cuts to funding which have put West Berkshire Council out of pocket by £17.5m were partly to blame.
Mr Morris said: “Certainly the fundraising has been more of a challenge this year, and, in this era of austerity and drastic cuts to services and community support, we are competing with some far more essential and deserving charities, so we certainly do not complain about that.
“However, we do feel that the Masques, being free to participants, and having been a fixture of West Berkshire artistic life since 2000, are an important and valuable local celebration of the human urge to tell a story as part of a community, to make friends, to entertain and be entertained, and to acquire the skills and confidence in the performing arts that can enrich an individual’s life on so many levels.
“The Masques have become a special part of our local life, a little bit of genuine magic every two years or so, and for that reason almost alone we want to keep them going.”
The Masques community show was first dreamt up by Charlotte Peake in 1908 before being revived for modern audiences by Great Shefford author Geraldine McCaughren, providing the words and songs together with local professionals since 2000.
Mr Morris added: “We are certainly disappointed that it won’t happen this year, and sure that everyone who was planning to be involved will feel the same.
“But by not risking the Masques this year we are guaranteeing a show in 2017, and we hope securing the Masques as a continuing part of West Berkshire cultural life for the foreseeable future.”
West Berkshire Council stressed that it does not fund the Boxford Masques and the executive member for culture, Hilary Cole (Con, Chieveley,) said: “West Berkshire Council continues to support the arts as we recognise that a strong local arts scene makes the district a culturally richer place to live.
“This year we have provided significant funding for both the Corn Exchange and The Watermill theatre, as well as offering live performances at our own Shaw House.
“It’s no secret that we’re poorer as a result of cuts to central government funding and we’ve got less money to spend this year.
“This is likely to be repeated in future years as we make increasingly tough decisions about what we can and can’t do as a council and which services our residents value most.”