THE director of a part public funded Richmond theatre accused of nepotism in casting his actress daughter in his productions, has defended himself by saying that she has been very well received.

This week a local actor questioned the propriety of Sam Walter's actions in employing his daughter Octavia in several recent productions at the Orange Tree Theatre.

The Kew Road theatre is partly funded by donations from the public and money from the Arts Council and Richmond upon Thames Council.

In a letter to this newspaper, the actor who wished to remain anonymous said: "I am intrigued to see that Sam Walters' daughter is in her second consecutive production currently being played at the Orange Tree Theatre. If it was through the usual auditioning process that the current cast was assembled, then I would like to know where the information about the parts was posted.

"I may be completely off the mark but I am concerned that we may be witnessing more dynasty' at work than so called democracy'."

His criticism was supported by a member of the public who also telephoned this newspaper to question the propriety of a publicly funded theatre using the daughter of the director so prominently.

Mr Walters strongly defended the way his theatre operated and explained the way he cast his actors. He told the Times: "We have a company of actors at the Orange Tree that have been together a long time and it has always been our policy to use actors in more than one play.

"My daughter has actually been in more than three productions whilst Cate Debenham-Taylor and Jason Baughan have been in plays since the beginning of the year. It is part of our policy to use actors who are known to us.

"Auditions at the theatre are varied, we do hold auditions but we also sometimes make offers to people we know. For the Brecht play, we cast actors who had already worked at The Orange Tree or whose work I had seen elsewhere.

"There are various organisations one can go through but we chose to cast actors and actresses who were known to us. I did audition but I didn't audition her as obviously, I know her work.

"After she had trained at Lamda and had been out in the profession it was three years before we suggested she come to the Orange Tree and her agent began to ask her why it was that her father had not offered her a role. When we had the permanent company she didn't join it for a year which was quite deliberate and she worked elsewhere before doing her first play at the end of the season when she was very well received.

"Then it was a year or so before she returned and was cast in The Daughter-in-Law, the reviews of which were excellent. If anybody is received as well as this, it is natural to be keen to repeat the experience.

"Also in the reviews for The Three Sisters, she in particular, was received very well. If you are given an opportunity, you have to deliver the goods or you will fall even farther and people will be watching with care.

"If you are a mistress or lover of the director people might not know that you are connected to them but if you are the daughter they will and they will watch you with daggers drawn.''