Ɖ Gardịn vy on Aḷn Êcbōrn: a tonic fr sic tîmz
(Transcription of an editorial published in the Observer on Friday 26 August 2022)
D’nt asym ɖt ɖ arts r jst abt enttenmnt – ɖe hv a crūśl part t ple in ɖ mntl hlʈ v ɖ neśn
Frîde, 26 Ōġst 2022
Ɖ plêrait Aḷn Êcbōrn z a standǎt figr in Britiś ʈiytr, nt līst az an octjnerịn huz plez ǎtnumbr hiz yirz. Jst az hiz 86ʈ ple finiśz its run at a tîni ʈiytr nir Ẃitbi, hiz 87ʈ z abt t opn 20 mîlz alñ ɖ Yorx́r cǒst in hiz hom-fṛm-hom, Scarḅra. Mnẃl, dǎn in Susix, Ćićistr z wormñ p fr a rvîvl v hiz 1985 coṃdi Wmn in Mînd.
Ẃt betr tonic cd ɖr b in ɖs dīpli unfuni ira ɖn an īvnñ wɖ a consymet craftsmn hu hz spent six decedz mînñ laftr fṛm prsnl c’laṃti. Az a rīsnt Arts Caunsl rport spelz ǎt, ɖ arts r indd a tonic, wɖ an importnt rǒl t ple in ɖ mntl hlʈ v ɖ neśn.
Az wn v ɖ YC’z most cmrṣ́li s’xesfl ʈiytr-mcrz, Êcbōrn mt sīm an od figr t foc̣s on. H z nt cutñ-éj; h z nvr gwñ t cnvrt an ełnetd inr-siti yʈ t ɖ jôz v ʈiytr-gwñ. Bt h z olso a locl hiro, hu hz ŕnd ɖ loylti v hiz public bî steyñ loyl t ɖm.
In ɖ gaɖ̇rñ storm v śrincñ incmz n b’lūnñ oṿhedz, h pts bumz on sīts bʈ in istabliśt arīnaz, sć az ɖ Stìvn Jozif ʈiytr, n in smōl mc-śift venyz in eriaz ɖt, in ɖ cuṛnt bt inadiqt jargn, me wel qoḷfî az culćṛli dprîvd. Tec ɖ farmñ cḿṇti srvd bî ɖ 102-sīt Esc Vali ʈiytr, ẃć hz oṗretd fṛm a vilijhōl fr ɖ last 17 yirz n z cuṛntli stejñ Êcbōrn’z Ol Laiz, d’rectd bî ɖ mîstro himslf.
Esc Vali srvz a scatrd, pridominntli eldrli popyleśn, ẃć wz wn v ɖ deṃgrafics pinpôntd in ɖ Arts Caunsl rport. A sns v sośl welbiyñ wz amñ ɖ ci beṇfits îdnṭfaid bî a studi ẃć rportd ɖt 82% v adults flt artsingejmnt – ẃɖr woćñ or tecñ part – hlpt ɖm t fīl cnctd.
In cīpñ wɖ a tîm v sośl n ic̣nomic crîsis, ɖ rport tecs a ytiḷterịn lîn, foc̣sñ on ɖ cpaṣti v ɖ arts t rdys criṃnaḷti n substns’bys in ic̣nomicli dis’dvantijd eriaz. Ɖs z valid n poḷtic, bt ɖ sáitd studiz tel a rićr stori v ɖer rǒl in ineḅlñ ppl t “fluriś” n t fînd a mīnñ in lîf. Ʈiytr n ḿziym vizits mc oldr ppl, in ptiklr, fīl les lonli.
Crūṣ́li, ɖ rport olso pônts ǎt ɖt ɖ arts r a “periśbl cmodti”. It’s no gd paṛśutñ in a sngl razl-dazl śo or dansmastrclas: in ordr t flfil ɖer ʈeṛpytic ptnśl, ɖe hv t b cept gwñ, so ɖt ɖ sns v welbiyñ ɖe jeṇret z reġlrli topt p. Public fundñ z’nt set p t pṛvîd sć conṭnywti, bt ɖ culćṛl icoṇmi ofn rlîz on ɖ eṇji n cmitmnt v indivijlz, sć az ɖ huzbnd-n-wîf tīm – an actr/d’rectr n a coriogṛfr – hu run ɖ Esc Vali ʈiytr.
Ɖe tù wl nīd s’port f ɖe r t weɖr ɖ ic̣nomic storm. Ɖe me b smōl bt, az ɖer loñstandñ rleśnśp wɖ Êcbōrn demnstrets, ɖe r a vałbl part v a culćṛl cntinẏm, adminisṭrñ śots v hīlñ laftr ɖt inoklet ppl agnst lonlinis n dsper.
