Funding cuts pose a threat to the existence of performing arts companies.
Theatre Forum, a group representing performing artists in Ireland, says that companies will be forced to close and jobs will be lost without an increase to arts funding in the budget. Arts finance cuts this year has led to a drop in the volume and scale of theatre productions.
Many of Ireland's leading actors took part in a symbolic performance to demonstrate how cuts in arts funding has affected them. There was an eight per cent cut in funding from €47.6 million in 2002 to €44 million in 2003. Opera Ireland lost 27 per cent of its funding, the Abbey Theatre lost €750,000, and Galway's Druid Theatre lost 14 per cent. These cuts have already had a dramatic effect according to many Irish actors.
Mick Lally says that actors, theatre directors, lighting designers, and costume designers, will all work if given the chance. However, if the funding is not there, then they are out of work. Actor Eamon Morrissey describes the state of the art world as being the cultural equivalent of the desperate situation in the health care system.
These are views shared by actor Alan Stanford who says that there have been more Irish productions on Broadway in the last 15 years than there ever was in the previous 50 years.
We're delivering the goods but we're not being supported by the state.
Theatre Forum is looking for government funding to be increased to €53 million, the figure set out in the current arts plan. Johnny Hanrahan, Chairman of Theatre Forum, says that the arts industry has developed spectacularly over the last 10 years. The foundations of that progress have been put under pressure by the funding cuts.
Theatre Forum says that if the funding doesn't increase, then it's Ireland's whole cultural future that's in jeopardy and that ultimately it is the audience that is going to suffer.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 7 October 2003. The reporter is Dympna Moroney.
