THE new Arts Development Council is planning a shake-up of the way grant-supported performances are assessed, members said yesterday.
They said the existing system, in which volunteers get complimentary tickets to attend performances and write up reports later, was ''haphazard'' and ''sometimes amateurish''.
The chairman of the music and dance committee, Vincent Chow Wing-shing, said the system had also been the subject of consistent debate and arguments with the arts groups, who have often claimed the assessors' reports were biased, unfair and sometimes ignorant.
The reports - which include information about audience reaction, props and stage management, as well as a critique of the show - are put on file and used in the decision-making process the next time the arts group applies for a grant.
Mr Chow emphasised that the reports were not the only factor used by the grant-giving body when it made its decisions, although he said he would like to be in a position where both parties could view the reports as more reliable documents.
''We are thinking of introducing a system where we pay a small team of professionals to be available to attend performances.'' He said one of the difficulties facing the committee was finding enough people in Hong Kong who could be viewed as drama professionals and who would be available in the evenings.