Today’s Budget 2021 announcements have, at long last, offered Ireland’s artists a much needed glimmer of hope regarding the future of their sector. Given that the arts and entertainment sector has been one of the hardest hit by the pandemic, the introduction of a live entertainment support package and an increase in funding to the Arts Council gives cause for a long awaited sigh of relief.
But with the tightening of level-3 restrictions in Dublin in recent weeks, theatres yet again closed and significantly reduced their programming – the third time since March that theatres have been expected to suddenly adapt without clear guidelines. Might the boost announced today have come too late?
Dublin Theatre Festival (DTF) was hugely impacted by the pandemic. In a statement put out after the announcement of restrictions on September 18th, the festival announced that “some elements of this year’s festival will now not be possible”. Then on September 23rd, DTF confirmed that two shows would be cancelled outright, five would move online, one was still seeking alternative arrangements, and the remaining shows would be postponed until further notice. While this limited continuation was somewhat hopeful, the sudden reshuffle put many working professionals and paying audience members in precarious positions.
This type of unexpected cancellation was already seen in August when the Dublin Fringe Festival (DFF) took the difficult decision to cancel their outdoor events – restrictions at the time allowed for six people indoors but only 15 outdoors.
There’s a lot of people who are just starting out, and might still have another job, and they’re so disheartened they’re just giving up.
Speaking to The University Times, cabaret performer and comedian Mark T. Cox – whose DFF show She’s So Lucky was among those cancelled – praises the team behind DFF who had to make those difficult calls in order to persevere. “I’d really like Dublin Fringe to feel loved”, he said. “Everyone expected them to disappear, but from early March they were determined to do something. They’ve been very supportive financially and, in many ways, it’s been a massive help to the artists.”
He also says that although his show was cancelled, the support he received from the DFF means that he now has a show ready for when theatre returns. “A lot of what we do in these shows is about the process of writing and developing and preparing, and doing the thing onstage is the last bit – I absolutely would not have done that on my own if I didn’t have the deadline of Dublin Fringe coming ahead of me.”
Cox is, nevertheless, concerned about the future of the industry. “There’s a lot of people who are just starting out, and might still have another job, and they’re so disheartened they’re just giving up”, he explains. “I hope something can happen to reignite that beginner level of performance, otherwise we’re going to have a big gap in a couple of years, there’ll be nothing new coming through.”
Cork-based dance company Croí Glan’s show Tilt also fell victim to the DFF cancellations. Centred around a pole designed by Barnaby Munn, the show tackles themes of uncertainty and imbalance through aerial dance. Speaking to The University Times, Artistic Director Tara Brandel affirms that the show, conceived in 2019, is “still relevant now because of the theme of uncertainty”.
Despite the show’s cancellation, Croí Glan used a combination of pre-recorded and live footage to adapt it for Culture Night, which can still be viewed on the Uillin: West Cork Arts Centre Facebook page. Brandel still hopes to tour the production once restrictions ease.
It wasn’t just festivals that were impacted by venue restrictions, however – works in progress have also been stopped in their tracks. Bombinate, a Trinity graduate theatre company, has had its most recent work in progress, Goodnight Egg, pushed out from April to early October. The production will now run as part of the Babaro International Arts Festival for Children.
“Theatre is really resilient and we will find new ways.”
Speaking to The University Times, Mollie Mollumbey, co-director of Bombinate, says that “the show will be socially distanced, the families are all going to sit in pods in the theatre, so Baboro are taking good care of that”, she explains.
In terms of navigating the industry, Bombinate, which was founded in 2016, is “still figuring things out”. However, “theatre is really resilient and we will find new ways”, she believes.
Due to the government’s lack of clarity, the National Campaign for the Arts (NCFA) has been working hard to provide clarity for artists and art workers to ensure their survival. The NCFA is a grass-roots movement that was founded in 2009 in response to proposed cuts by the government following the financial crisis of 2008. Since 2016, the current committee has been actively lobbying for funding and the strengthening of the arts.
Speaking to The University Times, Cian O’Brien, member of the NCFA steering committee and Artistic Director of Project Arts Centre, outlines the pandemic’s impact on the sector. According to O’Brien, the industry has suffered a €2.9 million loss since March, leaving 89 per cent of NCFA members in financial uncertainty. In the words of the NCFA: “Lockdown proved that the arts are our safety net, already overused and undersecured, and now stretched to breaking point.”
Despite worrying numbers, O’Brien explains that the NCFA is doing everything it can to ensure that artists can continue on the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) and get clarity from the government in order to continue working where possible. “We’re very clear with the government that if events aren’t safe to happen, that’s fine, but the government needs to put in very clear supports that will allow people to remain in the sector, and that when the sector can reopen, we will still have people who are able to get back to work.”
The government needs to put in very clear supports that will allow people to remain in the sector, and that when the sector can reopen, we will still have people who are able to get back to work.
The NCFA also works closely with the Department of Culture and the Arts Council to represent artists on shared issues. “Ultimately, we can present our case, but only the government has the power to make those decisions”, O’Brien explains. However, he remains confident that “the Arts Council and the Department of Culture have a really good understanding of the issues we’re facing”.
“Artists are extraordinary at adapting their work to society” O’Brien affirms, “so it’s really vital that they get support”. However, he recognises arts workers – those who work backstage – as facing the real challenge because their “ work depends on artists or events being able to make work”. “That sector is a real focus for us in terms of how we can support them, how we can ensure that those people, who are incredibly skilled, are able to stay in the sector.”
O’Brien acknowledges that the importance of the Irish arts sector “is recognised by the media, by the government, and what’s essential is that the sector survives however long this is going to last.” He welcomes the significant increases in Arts Council Funding in recent months, which largely went “to individual artists to help them figure out how to make work over the coming months.”
It’s clear that the lack of government support and clarity has taken a massive toll on the arts. Theatre makers have proven their resilience, but to continue to do this they need support. The arts create a safety-net for society in times of trouble. It thus follows that its creators deserve some protection too.
