In a fortnight, the renown Abbey Theatre will cease performing for the rest of the summer despite sporadic, yet undisclosed ‘events’ and a few shows from the Dublin Fringe in mid-September. Regrettably, the State’s most heavily funded live performance venue will not host a single production for over two months, coinciding with peak visitor season. This peculiar move is illuminated further considering that just a few hundred metres down, Dancing at Lughnasa – which debuted at Abbey and went on to worldwide success three decades ago – is being performed at the Gate theatre.
It’s suggested by Abbey’s management that this halt in activities is part of the routine maintenance and renovation program for Michael Scott’s antiquated modernist block in Dublin 1. However, answers are still lacking as to why tasks that usually take two to three weeks have resulted in such a prolonged shutdown, or why it has been planned for this time of year instead of the typical low season of mid-January. While the Abbey is set to resume production in late September, a highly anticipated and highly-priced new play by Marina Carr, conceived as part of the theatre’s Gregory Project, has been further delayed.
This situation directly impacts the income of actors and theatre workers, as well as audience members who would ordinarily expect a national theatre to be in operation throughout the year. Despite Abbey’s objections, this move is evidently a drastic reduction in the theatre’s financial commitment to producing live theatre in 2024. It inevitably resurrects serious concerns about the underlying issues at the Abbey, which has been tangled in enduring disputes over expenses related to the previous co-directors Neil Murray and Graham McLaren, for nearly four years.
These disputes, coupled with the handling of the controversy, have resulted in ongoing stand-offs with the Abbey’s chief sponsor, the Arts Council, who have withheld scheduled payments until several reports regarding the theatre’s finances, culture and governance are submitted. Additionally, at least two protected disclosures from past employees (including a joint disclosure from Murray and McLaren) have been critical of Abbey chairwoman Frances Ruane and Minister for Arts, Catherine Martin.
Despite the warm and fuzzy appeal often associated with artificial intelligence, akin to a Spielberg creation, its core remains a chilly, mysterious abyss. Legal expenditures, to an undisclosed amount and exceeding €1 million, made by the Abbey theatre remain enigmatic. Additional cost reports, coaxed out by the Arts Council, yet unseen, focus on the theatre’s inner workings and stewardship. Deirdre Falvey wrote previously in a year prior that the management report would land by September 2023, but the Arts Council, confirming only in recent days, have not yet procured it.
Following the Abbey’s closure on the 28th of July, Ruane will abdicate her role of chairwoman, which she has occupied since 2017. Her tenure was lengthened for two additional years in 2022 by Martin, conceivably, to maintain coherency as the Abbey dealt with internal complications and as Caitríona McLaughlin and Mark O’Brien established their new roles succeeding Murray and McLaren.
The Abbey board’s active involvement with the “HR investigations” and the resultant job cancellations that latterly led to veiled costs is worth taking into account, given our partial knowledge of these affairs. Nonetheless, Ruane’s exit eliminates the final connection between the former and current administration.
The obstructions faced in realising the truth of troubling scenarios that occurred in government-funded organisations when central individuals leave has been illustrated by recent fiascos. The saga that the Abbey endured in the past half-decade — a relationships breakdown with its key sponsor, uncertainty in distinguishing public funds from private earnings — surely mirrors the events at RTÉ. That being said, RTÉ has undergone significant internal restructuring and high-level critique in a short span, with all this transparent for anyone interested.
Meanwhile, the Abbey, on its new path following a summer hiatus, promises a forthcoming “new organisational plan”. However, without the received governance report, how can such a plan be formulated? In the face of extended dilly-dallying and evasion, the summer’s closure and ensuing explanations will only dilute the Abbey’s rapidly waning reputation further.