The floating stage

Original non-fiction-style practice text.

The arts festival's most discussed proposal is a stage moored beside the harbour wall. Its designer showed a drawing of performers reflected in still water. The image has already attracted sponsorship enquiries, and the festival director believes an unusual venue could bring people who have never attended before. Harbour staff were invited to comment after the drawing appeared in the public programme.

They began with the audience. From the lower benches, spectators might see only the front edge of the platform once the tide changed its height. Wheelchair users would need an access arrangement which remained usable throughout the event, not merely at the level shown in the drawing. The narrow harbour path is also a working route for crews carrying supplies. A queue along it would affect people whose jobs continue during the performance. Those boats which usually use the proposed mooring have not yet been offered alternative positions.

The technical team raised other questions. A singer would be separated from the main sound desk by water, making quick adjustments less straightforward than in the hall. Equipment would need somewhere secure to wait before loading, but the nearby shed is already full. Rehearsals would depend on when the platform could be brought alongside, reducing flexibility for performers with daytime work. The programme gives no alternative venue if conditions prevent the performance. A cancellation could leave visiting groups with travel costs they could not recover.

The director accepts that a distinctive photograph is not a complete event plan. The latest estimate also excludes transporting the stage to the harbour and returning it afterwards. Sponsors may support an unusual backdrop without funding these less visible tasks. Local residents have asked why the existing hall, which needs repairs, should receive no part of the same campaign. Their question is not proof that the stage must fail. It asks the festival to compare what the money could provide before the attractive drawing makes the decision for everyone.

According to the text, what are the reasons for questioning the floating-stage proposal?

Use continuous writing, not note form, and use your own words as far as possible. Your summary should not be more than 120 words. Up to 10 marks are available for reading and up to 5 marks for writing.