I announced this year’s participants in the British Council’s Accelerator programme in Melbourne yesterday. The initiative takes up-and-coming indigenous cultural leaders from Australia to the UK, to work with mentors and peers. Previous years’ winners have talked eloquently about the personal development which they gained from participating. We were serenaded at the event by the outstanding Black Arm Band, who performed in London last year as part of the Cultural Festival organised around the Olympic Games.
This year’s awardees included: Solomon Booth (visual artist); Ron Bradfield (arts administrator); Michael Cook (photo media); Andrea James (playwright and theatre director); and Kimberley Moulton (museum curator). I had dinner with them afterwards: they were a lively and dynamic bunch, and I’m sure they are really going to make the most of their UK experience.
The British Council do a great job in promoting cultural relations around the world. I’ve worked very closely with them during my career, particularly when I was head of Public Diplomacy at the FCO. In a country like Australia with such strong cultural ties to the UK, there seems to be some artistic event with a British link going on in most cities on most nights. Last week I saw West Australians Tim Minchin and Toby Schmitz in a sparkling production of Tom Stoppard’s Rosencrantz and Guildenstern at the Sydney Theatre Company (STC). Tim has enjoyed massive success in the UK with his musical Matilda. The British Council occasionally work with some of these mainstream shows, for example the National Theatre’s One Man Two Guvnors at the STC earlier this year was part of their GREAT Britain Arts festival. But the Council also play an important role behind the scenes, in bringing together promising artists, directors and administrators.