Madam, - In her comments in Fintan O'Toole's article in your edition of April 3rd ("Wrestling for O'Casey's legacy"), Garry Hynes has identified a particular conundrum in the funding structures for theatre.
The National Theatre has been given much-needed bolstering in recent years; the fact remains that it is chronically under-funded in comparison with its European counterparts in a manner which should embarrass a nation supposedly on the crest of an economic wave.
But the difference in funding between the Abbey and the independent companies is clearly disproportionate.
We desperately need a funding system which responds to the holistic needs of the theatre industry, and which can properly manage a healthy and thriving national theatre while acknowledging the fundamental contribution of independent companies. It is this interdependence in our sector, from grassroots level to companies such as Druid, which enriches and sustains the national institutions and our cultural profile both at home and abroad.
Irish theatre is admired and envied internationally; that we continue to produce world-class theatre on such slender resources is miraculous, but not sustainable. Both the Arts Council and Culture Ireland face increasing difficulties in their efforts to make provision as the sector grows, and will need to make tough decisions. But it cannot be beyond the ingenuity of government to find a way to support the funding bodies so that continued excellence and achievement can be rewarded without draining the resources of our flagship organisation.
The Abbey Theatre does not exist independently any more than a company like Rough Magic does. It is in the interest of our sector, our nation and our cultural health that we find a more imaginative way of sustaining creativity. - Yours, etc,
LYNNE PARKER, Artistic Director, Rough Magic Theatre Company, South Great Georges Street, Dublin 2.