BROADCASTER GAY Byrne and his namesake, actor Gabriel Byrne, marked their appointment as honorary directors of the Grand Canal Square Theatre by ceremonially putting the first boards of the stage in place yesterday.
The new theatre, situated in Dublin’s Grand Canal Square, is still under construction and is expected to be finished by St Patrick’s Day next year.
It has been designed by award-winning architect Daniel Libeskind, who is most well known as having been selected to redesign and rebuild the World Trade Center in New York. The theatre, when completed, will seat 2,100, making it the largest theatre in Dublin and the first to hold more than a thousand people since the Theatre Royal closed in 1962.
Mike Adamson, the theatre’s managing director, said the completion of the theatre would allow larger, more expensive international productions, such as ballets and operas, to visit Dublin.
Gay Byrne, speaking to journalists at the event, said: “It’s wonderful. Unlike many of you, I’ve lived long enough to have been in the Theatre Royal, and I can say it’s a very exciting prospect a theatre of this size in Dublin again.”
Most important, he said, was that the theatre would be commercially self-funding. “This means we won’t have to be worrying about whether or not a show is going to be a success or not. Instead, if it’s a flop, it’s a flop, but the theatre will be paid no matter what.”
Gabriel Byrne, who was recently nominated for an Emmy for his role as a therapist in In Treatment, highlighted the importance of the new theatre for Dublin.
“Every village, every city, needs a theatre. It’s not just a building; it’s about being exposed to new ideas. Theatre changes the way we view society and connects us to global ideas. In the past, we’ve suffered from being closed off.
“The theatre is seriously important for who we are. In the past, the most important building in a village was a church,” the actor added. “A theatre can be as powerful as a church, but without being as controlling.”