My Job: Everyman CEO on how the theatre is entwined with the soul of Cork

Anne Marie Coughlan on the challenging brief of resourcing and producing excellence in art

Anna Marie Coughlan: 'The Everyman is deeply entwined with the soul of Cork, the cultural spirit and history of the city and its people are built into the fabric of the building.'  Picture: Darragh Kane

MY JOB

Name: Anne Marie Coughlan

Occupation: Executive Director/CEO, The Everyman

Background: Opened in 1897 as the Cork Palace of Varieties, it is the oldest purpose-built theatre building in the city, and a cultural icon performing for an annual audience of over 100,000.

Having been Development and Partnership Manager for eight years, Anne Marie Coughlan readily agrees that belief and passion for The Everyman is now hard-wired in. 

“As an audience member and part of the community, it is so important to the city of Cork to have The Everyman as a place and as an idea,” she explains. “The Everyman is deeply entwined with the soul of Cork, the cultural spirit and history of the city and its people are built into the fabric of the building.” 

Going forward she aims to build on “what has brought us here and grow and nurture the special relationship we have developed with our supporters, funders and artists.” The brief also incorporates continuing to resource and produce excellence in art and advocate for the value of culture and creativity to the community. In a modern world of multiple entertainment options, she believes there is no competition for a real live experience. “People’s attention is pulled in so many directions, with lots of streaming options, social media and news sites, it can be hard to grasp the imagination. However, I feel there is something positive in the hunger for a good story, it feeds back to our need for a shared experience, something to connect with. There really is nothing that compares with sitting in an auditorium with other people, sharing laughter, tears, being moved with others in a collective gasp is innate to human nature. 

There is an emotional connection with the performer a few metres in front of you on the stage, which just can’t be replicated on screen.” Anne Marie recounts a recent incident where she and her husband happened to be sitting beside a lady during a performance of Imelda May in ‘The Mother of All The Behans’, and got chatting during the interval: “She revealed that her uncle was Leo Maguire who had written the song ‘Dublin Saunter’, and she was thrilled to see it performed by Imelda May here in The Everyman. That type of connection is gold,” she said, adding that a live performance is a two-way engagement, where the performer works with the audience and the audience feedback to the performer. “I personally feel there is room for everything, on-demand entertainment on screen plays a big part in our lives now and I feel certain that live performance can continue to hold a place in people’s hearts.”

Theatre is a complex business, a world where the action seen on stage is only part of the story - with much of the costly presentation hidden away behind the curtains. “Like all industries. there has been a huge increase in overheads and operating costs over the past few years. For an historic building like The Everyman those costs can be even higher.” As a charity The Everyman relies on support from the Arts Council, the City Council, the audience, and donors - always mindful of the need to balance the commercial aspect of the business to grow. 

“It is essential to support and nurture the community of emerging artists, performers and makers on their career path. To be able to take calculated artistic risks requires the support of the business community and our audiences and donors to ensure a future for the arts.” 

the theatre is at the centre of the ongoing McCurtain Street renaissance within the Victorian Quarter. Pic: Larry Cummins

Cork has a long tradition of theatre at the centre of its cultural offerings - a tradition that has filtered down to the new generation of theatregoers. “We have seen a shift in our general demographic in the past number of years to a younger audience. Some shows attract audiences of all ages, and I think parents really see the value of engaging children in live performance. Perhaps now more than ever before the arts need champions, seeing the value of participating and engaging with the arts and passing it down through the generations, while also ensuring that older generations can continue to engage with the art they enjoy.”

As the centre of the ongoing McCurtain Street renaissance within the Victorian Quarter, Anne Marie sees that the recent regeneration of the area can only be a good thing for audiences, staff and communities. “There are so many lovely places to eat, drink and shop on the street, it brings added value to the over 100,000 audience members we have every year. There is such a value to respecting our built heritage and looking after an historic building like The Everyman as it sits within the conservation and development of the wider area.” 

The audience is at the heart of everything for The Everyman - an ongoing development at the core of the theatre’s operational ethos: “We talk to our audiences and really want to hear from them about their experiences. 2023 was our first full year of being open without restrictions due to Covid, so we are still measuring and learning from our audience. There are definitely new behaviours and demands, with, for example, later booking as one which has been identified industry wide.” 

Like so many businesses reliant on the public, Anne Marie recalls the pandemic as hugely challenging - but ultimately a period of enforced confinement that helped foster a greater appreciation of theatre. “The lack of live performance was sorely missed. I remember being at home watching a live broadcast of Lisa Hannigan performing on the stage of The Everyman to an empty auditorium and being so moved. Equally, I really enjoyed the ‘Play it By Ear’ series of plays the Everyman broadcast during the Covid period - there was a sense of connection though the live aspect of the broadcast. Many times during the restrictions my wider family settled down to listen or watch a live performance and communicated with each other on WhatsApp groups to recreate the interval conversations normally had in the foyer or the bar.”

The overwhelming support and messages received by The Everyman during that time gave the entire team the boost needed to keep going and keep planning for a future which included the possibility of audiences and performers together in the theatre again. “People wanted the live experience back.” In a position where every day brings a variety of challenges and satisfactions, Anne Marie underlines the honour it is to work with the team in bringing the kernel of an idea through all the stages to the final piece for an audience in the auditorium. “I love working with our various funders and stakeholders, fostering relationships that secure The Everyman for the community, and its deeply entwined position with the soul of Cork. “I think one of my favourite parts of the job is hearing from people and their stories of The Everyman and the special place it holds in their heart. These stories nourish us to go forward with our mission, to be an organisation that grows with a vibrant and sustainable future, where the arts can thrive in the heart of our community.”