Our Juno and the pay block state o’ chassis

IN THE inimitable words of our greatest ever playwright, Seán O’Casey, Irish theatre is truly in a state o’ chassis. This week we had the final theatrical production in Dublin’s Tivoli Theatre in the heart of the Liberties as the builders move in to demolish this iconic building where entertainment has been provided to the population of the capital since 1934.

Such is the importance of the location that An Bord Pleanála, in granting permission for another ‘apart-hotel’ in the capital, specified that the ‘graffiti’ which has adorned the car park should be properly and professionally archived and distributed to public libraries because ‘the artists’ work is emblematic of 21st-century European youth culture and some of the art is of a high standard’.

The current owner of the theatre has, in fairness, ploughed on for years without a single cent in State aid and admits that the building had fallen into disrepair, but it is still the end of an era as the Tivoli closes.

It comes in the midst of startling revelations by over 300 Irish-based actors who have publicly and courageously highlighted the current situation in the Abbey Theatre, which each year receives at least half of the entire Arts Council budget for ‘drama’ in Ireland.

The campaigners claimed, among other things, that in 2017 ‘only 56 actors were directly employed in Abbey shows’ – and of course it’s worth pointing out that this is by no means permanent employment. As one of our great actors, Jane Brennan, has pointed out, if she is lucky enough to get work on the Abbey stage, ‘she gets paid the same amount as 20 years ago’, between €850 and €950 for the week’s work.

Recently I went to see a great production of Juno And The Paycock in the wonderful Seán O’Casey Theatre in the heart of Dublin’s East Wall. To a packed house, most of whom walked to the theatre from the local community, it was a superb production by the Clontarf Players. The Seán O’Casey Theatre doesn’t get a penny from the Arts Council.

Even fantastic touring performers like Duffy’s Circus – which employs 50 people full time – gets a pittance from the Arts Council.

Despite being the first experience of live performances for countless thousands of young people for generations, the circus, which tours for up to 38 weeks a year, receives less than 0.3% of the amount that the Abbey is granted.

They and other performing groups have told me that the rigmarole and paperwork that the Arts Council demands make the application process tortuous and expensive. One drama group told me this week they simply gave up applying, because they couldn’t afford it!

There is something rotten in the state of Irish theatre, it needs to be addressed urgently and creatively.