That achievement could not be sustained, however. It was eventually squandered, with attendance falling to a mere annual 12 million as the State enterprise which achieved what was a profitable success, spent its way to virtual bankruptcy.

The Sri Lankan experience is at once an object lesson in how film development and State enterprise can succeed, massively so. It is also story of how and why such an accomplishment could not be preserved and improved upon and why it eventually failed so wretchedly.

That story, hitherto untold, is of relevance to film buffs and Governments struggling to develop their film industries. The experience is also of direct relevance to State enterprise and Public Organization students the world over.

The tale is one of clash of private and public enterprise, the dominance of mainstream and the formula film; the tension between film art and business, the national cinema against the foreign, the producers verses the exhibitors. Nihalsingha takes the reader beyond the glamour of production into the hitherto untouched backrooms of the behind-the-scenes work that makes film possible as an art and as an industry: film distribution, exhibition and imports in an Asian country. This focus is all the more important when these facets remain submerged as discourse on film-as-art dominates the terrain.

Waiting in the Wings is the brainchild of Michael J.Lawrence, a man with over 20 years experience at very Senior levels in the Record Industry with both RCA and Pye Records, and a further 20 years running his own successful Entertainment Agency and Artist Management company.

This book navigates the reader through a chronological list of chapters, commencing with Chapter 1 'Am I right for this business?'. This chapter asks a few searching questions about the readers suitability to become an Entertainment Agent, and the demanding nature of the job. The reader is then taken on to look at the basic office equipment that would be required, together with current legislative requirements. Subsequent chapters look at the best ways of building both an act and a client portfolio. Which came first, the chicken or the egg? Do you concentrate on building an act portfolio or a client portfolio first? All is revealed. The reader is shown the best ways to go about promoting and marketing their agency, and deals with 'Press Releases' and the invaluable use of the internet. What contracts should contain and contractual layout is covered in depth, both for the acts and the clients/venues. The reader is also shown some 'case histories' where things have not always quite gone according to plan, showing them the 'early warning signs' of something going wrong and how to avoid them.

The book covers every aspect of this intriguing business, being one of a small number of businesses that can be set up on a very minimal budget, with few additional overheads. When the Author started out, there was nothing or no-one to show him how to go about starting off, just that well known double act 'Trial and Error'. There were no books on the subject to turn to and he would have given anything just to have some help or guidance. Now, determined that nobody else should have to go through what he went through in the early stages all that has changed with the release of 'Waiting in the wings', THE definitive book on becoming an Entertainment Agent, Manager or Promoter.