Crippling costs spell curtains for Bard Aug 3 2005 Karen Price, Western Mail   ALFRESCO Shakespearean productions are as much a part of summer in Wales as strawberries, tennis and Bryn Terfel's Faenol Festival. But after 20 years of entertaining 10,000 people annually, Wales Actors' Company (WAC) has been forced to cancel its summer tour of stately homes and castles due to crippling costs. And WAC founder Paul Garnault says that pleas for financial assistance from the Welsh Assembly Government, which would salvage the tour, have fallen on deaf ears. Mr Garnault said the non profit-making company, which receives no subsidies, now had to pay Cadw, which looks after Wales' national treasures, more than £4,000 each season to stage its shows at the venues. And it also has to pay new costs, which add up to more than £3,000, to the local authorities for theatre licences to perform at the venues. On top of those costs, WAC has to pay for lighting, a cast of around seven professional actors, costumes and other overheads. It means that WAC, which used to break even purely through box office sales, now faces thousands of pounds in losses. It has appealed to the Welsh Assembly Government, which has taken over the running of the former quango Cadw, to slash the costs it has to pay them. And around 600 fans who watch WAC's productions each year, have written to politicians asking them to intervene and help save the summer tour. "We are not asking for thousands of pounds, we are just asking for the costs to be reduced as they are too high," said father-of-two Mr Garnault. "We used to be able to cover our outgoings through the box office sales but we are now unable to cover them due to the increase in costs. "We have no subsidy at all for our open-air summer tours." Although WAC also stages small theatre tours during winter months, it is the alfresco productions for which the company is best known. For 20 years, WAC has been staging the bard's work at around 35 venues throughout Wales - from major attractions like Pembroke Castle to venues in small communities. It has built up a huge following. "We have families who have been coming for years and their kids have grown up with us," said Mr Garnault, who hoped the company would stage either King Lear or A Midsummer Night's Dream this summer. "We have even helped some students with their A-levels. "Therefore, there has been a big outcry since we revealed we would not be touring this summer." Mr Garnault, 44, said the WAC brought visitors flocking to Wales' attractions. "What I cannot accept is that a dedicated company such as WAC can be expected to boost arts and tourism in Wales without financial support from the bodies that profit from it." Although it has been forced to cancel its summer tour, Mr Garnault hopes that WAC will not fold altogether and that it will still be able to stage its indoor winter shows, for which it receives some funding from the Arts Council of Wales. A spokesman for the Welsh Assembly Government said, "Grant funding for individual arts organisations is a matter in the first instance for the Arts Council of Wales (ACW). "The Wales Actors' Company should approach ACW to discuss the options available."