Chekhov: Why?

Why indeed?

Express: Check-Out

All good things come to an end (and some not so good things, too). I’ve been predicting the demise of careers in print journalism for some time, and yesterday the latest scalp was claimed: my own.

After some eleven and a half years as theatre critic for the Sunday Express – which began with a review of the opening of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at the London Palladium in May 2002 and ended with a column that included an instant gay theatre classic in Jumpers for Goalposts at the Bush last Sunday – I have been laid off.

The paper had been tipped off by a malicious third party that there were some private, personal (but entirely legal) images of me available on a gay website. I’d never seen or heard of the site myself so it was news to me, but yes, the thumbnail picture I was shown by the Head of Human Resources was indeed of me. I had not posted it, but remembered it being taken, by my reckoning, by a friend in San Francisco I have long lost touch with some 22 years ago – long before I either worked for the paper or the internet had come of age, so I never expected them to turn up on a website that didn’t exist then.

The Sunday Express’s Head of HR, however, believes that the existence of any such images could bring the company into disrepute. My sexuality is public knowledge and by revealing this information freely as I’m doing now, it is clear that I do not agree. The editor of the paper also stated, in front of the HR head, that the images were “embarrassing”. Sorry to disagree with his world view, but I’m not embarrassed at all. (In the week that Tom Daley came out, it is good to be able to be honest about who you are and even what you look like without your clothes on – though I will agree that Mr Daley looks rather better in a state of undress than I do.)

It is, of course, the prerogative of a newspaper editor to choose his own writers but there is a certain irony that a newspaper, now owned by proprietor Richard Desmond whose business interests once included the publication of Penthouse in the UK and Asian Babes – and which he continued to publish long after he acquired the Express group in 2000, until he sold the adult magazine business in 2004 – should be so affronted. (The company continues to own and operate Television X, a series of subscription adult television channels) It could be said that the only difference is that these are straight magazines and channels, whereas mine was defined as a gay one...

Mark Shenton, former chief theatre critic of the Sunday Express, writes on his blog at The Stage.co.uk
Basically when a publisher wants to get rid of a journalist, they'll find any technicality.
UK's leading porn publisher sacks gay man for some old not-really pornographic pics fifty people might have seen for "bringing company into disrepute."
Richard Desmond's Northern & Shell were also the original publishers of Attitude incidentally...

Update: Private Eye report that "Desmond still owns through Northern & Shell subsidiary RHF Hardon TV, the pay-per-view gay website..."

The Stage: Drama Queens

Though The Stage, of course, publishes the annual Stage 100 list of Britain’s most influential theatre makers across the board, we do not subdivide it for sexuality. So today I’m going to compile my theatrical gay royalty list. I’m going to keep it to just ten, so I apologise in advance for any I have excluded, but please make your own suggestions below!

1. While Howard Panter and Rosemary Squire have held the top position of The Stage 100 list for four years now, they shared billing this year with the National’s two Nicks – Hytner and Starr. But unlike Panter and Squire, they are not married to each other; this is a purely professional partnership, as artistic and executive director of the National respectively. And both, of course, have recently announced their intention to step down from those posts – Starr next year, and Hytner the year after – after which it is widely rumoured that they are expected to set up shop together independently in the West End....

The Stage.

That list in full.

1. Nicholas Hytner and Nick Starr, National Theatre
2. Cameron Mackintosh, owns the West End.
3. Michael Grandage, ex-Donmar Warehouse.
4. Dominic Cooke, artistic director, Royal Court.
5. David Lan, Young Vic.
6. Kerry Michael, Theatre Royal, Stratford East.
7. Daniel Evans, Sheffield Crucible.
8. Laurie Sansom, National Theatre of Scotland.
9. Simon Russell Beale, thesp.
10. Phylida Lloyd, Mamma Mia!

So theatre's pretty gay, eh?
Who knew!!?

Breaking: Many People Working In The Theatre Are Gay Shock!

'I was caught napping yesterday when the announcement came about the RSC’s appointment of a new artistic director — literally. I’d been up since 5.30am (my usual waking time, as it happens) and had already met three deadlines by 9am, so I did something I very rarely allow myself to do: I went back to bed [Yeah, whatever - Get on with it, love].
'By the time I woke up again around 11.22am, saw the press release and tweeted it (hence the precision with which I know what time I woke up!), the RSC was already trending on Twitter: that says something about the viral strength of Twitter as a medium for spreading news. [Gregory] Doran, of course, was the main rival to Michael Boyd getting the job last time around; and it is greatly to the credit both of Boyd in appointing him Chief Associate Director instead, and to Doran himself in staying on undaunted by the disappointment, that his turn has come now.

'His loyalty and determination have obviously finally paid off, and the top job is now his; he’s both a safe pair of hands and has truly earned it. And it coincidentally means that both of our major national theatre companies are now run by out gay men; at the National, the two Nicks (Hytner and executive director Starr) and now Doran, who is famously partnered to RSC/National leading actor Antony Sher, are amongst a wave of gay men in charge of some of the most successful venues in the country. (Doran and Sher were one of the first couples to get civil partnered back in 2005 when the legislation allowing it first became law).
'Elsewhere, of course, there was Michael Grandage, until recently at the helm of the Donmar (whose partner is Christopher Oram, who designs many of his productions); and there is also Dominic Cooke at the Royal Court; Daniel Evans at Sheffield’s Crucible; Kerry Michael at Stratford East and Timothy Sheader at the Open Air Theatre, Regent’s Park, to name a few.
'Of course, their sexuality is secondary to their talent, and should be as unremarkable a fact of their lives as their hair colour (or even skin colour, though as I recently wrote here, that’s sometimes a remarkable fact, too, in an industry still dominated by white artistic directors). Even so, not all artistic directors are living as openly, and it’s sad that this list cannot be comprehensive.'

The Stage. 
And on that bombshell...

Equity Poll: Acting

"Almost half of all gay performers have not come out to their agents, with more than a third admitting they have experienced homophobia in the industry.
"The figures are among the findings of a survey conducted by Equity investigating whether it is safe to be ‘out’ in the entertainment industry. The survey was open to all the union’s members, with the majority of those who took part working as performers.
"Although the report found that 81% of respondents are out in their professional life, and that 94% are honest about their sexuality to their fellow performers, only 57% list their agent as someone they are open about their sexuality to..."

The Stage.
Which makes Fagburn wonder
a) what percentage of actors are gay?
b) how many are out to the public?
c) what's so bad about agents?

"Comments also suggest that actors remain fearful that coming out will hinder their prospects of being cast in certain roles such as romantic leads...
"More than half claim they fear roles available might be restricted, with 54% naming “stereotypical” casting as another and 42% saying “becoming the target of discrimination”.
"One complains: “I have seen others sidelined due to their sexuality and I know that I have been sidelined too.” Another writes that “it’s okay for a straight actor to play gay roles but harder, if not impossible, the other way round”.

Oh, that...
Isn't the whole "Can gay men act the straights?" thing so 2011?
Russell Tovey seems to be doing rather well with it.

Update: Saturday's Independent ekes an article out of this; 'Showbusiness's last secret: actors who daren't leave the closet'
It's not very good.