The Dublin arts rumour mill, which always runs better when it has an Abbey Theatre story coursing through it, was given a boost recently by the information that David Brierley, who resigned as General Manager of the Royal Shakespeare Company last year after 35 years, had been brought over as a consultant to the National Theatre Society. His brief was to give advice to the board on the future plans of the theatre. These include building plans, but also plans to revamp the management structure of the theatre, it is understood.

This planning process is part of what swayed Patrick Mason to continue as Artistic Director for a future two years. What the nature of this revamping may be is unclear, but there have long been calls to create a senior management post to make long-term plans for the theatre, in the way an Artistic Director cannot. All that press officer Dorothea Melvin will say is that the plans are towards "a theatre for the 21st century, and all that that would entail."