The Board of the Abbey Theatre is meeting in an emergency session today.
It is believed that the Board is discussing a controversial email sent by its artistic director Ben Barnes to international arts figures last week.
At the weekend, the Irish Times published the text of an email Barnes sent after he survived a motion of no confidence at an extraordinary general meeting of the National Theatre Society which runs the Abbey.
The board meeting is not taking place at the theatre but at an undisclosed destination.
The Arts Council is expected to discuss the problems at the Abbey during a regular meeting today.
A spokesman for the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism, John O'Donoghue, said the Minister was aware of the crisis at the Abbey but could not intervene until a four-week consultation process, agreed at last week's extraordinary general meeting, was complete.
The spokesman said the Arts Council was in constant communication with the Abbey and the Minister was waiting to hear more from the Arts Council.
