The Granary Theatre in Cork will send three shows to this year's Edinburgh Festival, an achievement for any Irish theatre, let alone one that has roots in a student dramatic society.
The successful Beowolf by Felix Nobis, Innocent (When You Dream), a new UCC student production, and The Bald Prima Donna, starring Geraldine O'Grady, last year's Rose of Tralee, have been included in the festival programme for next August. It is a major fillip for the Cork theatre, which has grown from the UCC Dramatic Society, said its artistic director, Mr Ali Robertson.
The Granary has a new mission statement. Predominantly a student theatre, it is one of the gems in the cultural life of the city, and the intention now is to bring its message to a wider audience.
"Being so well represented at Edinburgh is quite an achievement. I don't think any other Irish theatre will be sending three shows. It's a very important milestone in our development. In all, the probability is there will be no more than seven shows from Ireland," Mr Robertson added.
The theatre has a permanent home at the former Presentation Brothers College building, near UCC, which has become part of the extended college campus. While its central role is as a nursery for student drama, the theatre continues to be part of a vibrant theatrical scene in Cork, yet it remains distinct.
"We recently had a change of board and we thought it would be a good idea to define what we are about and to write a mission statement setting out our goals," said Mr Robertson.
The objectives are now: to promote the theatre as a venue for student productions (curricular and extracurricular); to promote the studio at the Granary as a space for teaching, research and workshops; to promote connections between professional theatre practitioners and the UCC student and staff bodies; to support UCC graduates in their early theatre careers and the Granary as a venue for professional theatre; to raise the profile of the theatre nationally and internationally and to create a greater awareness of its availability as a venue for other theatrical groups/companies and summer schools outside UCC.
With core funding of approximately £100,000 from the university college, the 160-seat theatre runs on a budget of £250,000 annually, making up the difference from ticket sales, fund-raising etc. Audience figures regularly reach 90 per cent. The venue is popular with theatregoers interested in what is happening outside the mainstream.
The Granary encourages new writing as well as student drama and provides an important platform for small theatre groups. It has become a melting pot for new ideas and experimental theatre. In the past year it was the venue for the Irish premiere of Some Explicit Polaroids by Mark Ravenhill, the Cork premiere of Closer, by Patrick Marker, and the Irish premiere of Beautiful Thing by Jonathan Harvey.
The Crooner, with Mike Ashcroft, closes tomorrow evening, and this will be followed by Play the Piano Drunk by the American playwright Charles Bukowski. In all the Granary stages an average of 50 productions each year.
"We are trying to provide material not seen elsewhere. We are putting on contemporary plays, new writing, European material not readily accessible and, of course, we continue to be a conduit for UCC talent. Over the years UCC drama students who have come through the Granary have gone on to careers in wider theatre, radio and television as actors, designers, drama teachers and producers," Mr Robertson said.
The Granary is at the heart of the £750,000, 8,000 sq ft drama centre, designed by UCC and opened in 1995 after the old theatre was closed following a fire at the Lee Maltings.