The chairman of the Board of Directors of Cork Opera House, Mr Charlie Hennessy, yesterday issued an appeal to the Minister of Arts, Sport and Tourism, and the Arts Council, to ensure the continued successful development of the theatre.
The Cork Opera House agm was told that the theatre made a profit of €50,000 before depreciation last year, as compared to a loss of €178,000 before depreciation the previous year.
In total 224,000 people attended 544 performances at the opera house, ensuring a record turnover of €6.4 million. This compared to €6.1 million the previous year, representing a 5 per cent growth in turnover.
Mr Hennessy said the capital investment of €8 million in the building over the last 10 years helped put the theatre on a new plateau of performance.
However, while expressing his gratitude to the local authorities for their generosity over the years, he said it would be impossible to continue running to such high standards without funding from central Government.
"We are urging Minister O'Donoghue to help us finish a job well started," he said.