VOICES from the six regional public meetings held by the Arts Council as part of the Theatre Review are recorded in Dialogues 1996, published this week. The purpose of the Review, as the document clearly states, is to rewrite the theatre section of the Arts Plan 1995-97; a new document will be published before the end of the year.

Key issues which emerge from Dialogues are:

. the need for a progressive approach to audience development and greater crossover between professional, community and amateur drama

. the need for a comprehensive, sector wide approach to marketing

. an assertion of the vital, social, cultural and economic importance of theatre in cities, regional towns and local communities

. the need for vastly improved support systems for bringing Irish theatre overseas and foreign theatre to Ireland (hear, hear, say we)

. the need for genuine, accountable partnerships involving the Arts Council, the Department of Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht, FAS, local authorities and the Department of Education

. the need for sector representation to address matters such as VAT regulations

. the need for three year rolling funding to allow business like planning, and for transparent criteria, appraisal systems and increased funding from the Arts Council.