HUNDREDS of residents of Mull who are "incensed" by changes at the island's arts body, including the redundancy of two key directors, have voted for a new "shadow board" to take over.
Nearly 250 people met at the Aros Hall in Tobermory following the controversy over Comar, the organisation formed in 2013 through the merger of An Tobar and Mull Theatre, and the expected departures of key artistic directors Alasdair McCrone and Gordon McLean.
Last week the actors union Equity called for the board of Comar to resign "en masse".
At the meeting, called by Councillor Mary-Jean Devon, Comar made a presentation of its business plan which was not greeted positively by the audience.
She said that the community had effectively revolted against the board of the arts body.
The meeting passed a motion of no confidence in the board of Comar and elected a 12-person shadow board to take over, asking Comar's key funder, Creative Scotland, to recognise the new leadership.
Iain Munro, deputy chief executive of Creative Scotland, and Ian Smith, funding officer for Comar, attended the public meeting to listen to the concerns of the community.
Councillor Devon said that people on the island had been "incensed" by the changes.
"I have been a councillor for nine years and I have never seen people as passionate as this," she said.
A Creative Scotland spokeswoman said its chief executive Janet Archer would be holding a meeting with Comar’s chief executive and chair this week to discuss Comar’s plans.
She added: "Colleagues from HIE and Argyll and Bute Council have also been invited to attend."
A statement from Comar said: "It was heartening to see so many people present with an evident passion for arts and culture. The staff within the organisation share that passion with the wider community and genuinely want to find the best version of the future as possible.
"It was clear that the people present have very strong feelings about how they would like art to be delivered on the Isle of Mull.
"We explained last night that we want to be open, to listen and be transparent and that continues to be our aim."
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