“This year, students have discovered the drama of the fantastical and the grotesque. In an education system that has become increasingly utilitarian, they want an outlet for their creativity where they can shout and scream in pain or pleasure. The NSDF is a celebration of the imagination that for more than 50 years has made a real contribution both to the professional theatre and to generating an enthusiastic and informed audience. That is already a hard job. To make it harder by withdrawing public funding would be, well, grotesque.”