I hesitate to give credence by replying to Terry Candy's letter (4 October), but as the philistines are at Croydon's gates I feel I must do my best to repel them.

He says: "Entertainment is part of the private sector, not the public sector." So I presume this person is ignorant of the fact that the National Theatre, the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, The Royal Court, The Almeida and more than 100 other theatres all over the UK depend on revenue grants to operate, making their work available to everybody by keeping the seat prices affordable?

And "much of theatre in London in crisis"?

Far from it - there is a huge boom in theatre-going at the moment, and much of the content in the commercial' West End originates from the subsidised sector.

The Warehouse Theatre is a success story too with our current play, Golden Opportunities, receiving rave reviews from three national newspapers, and our imminent new Dick Barton production has a booming advance box office.

But the Warehouse is a vital educational resource in Croydon with projects that particularly benefit the young and while we may provide entertainment as well, it is our community role that should be cherished not debunked.

TED CRAIG Artistic Director Warehouse Theatre