Irish performers plotting global assault

Theatre and dance acts are invading far-flung places all over the globe as part of a bid to promote Irish culture.

A host of artists have been provided with funding to bring their performances to diverse places including Rio de Janeiro, United Nations Refugee Agency Camps in Kathmandu and Nepal, Mexico, Slovenia, Romania and Beijing.

Micheal O’Suilleabhain, chairman of the Board of Culture Ireland, said the national agency has supported more than 400 events across all the continents since it was set up in 2005.

“Nowhere is unusual in the sense our catchment is the world. There isn’t anywhere on the planet that is safe from us or should be,” he said.

The chairman said the group was working to promote understanding between Irish and other cultures and communities.

“It links the Irish artist into the network. It lifts them on to the international stage in an arena of international repute. It can open up new opportunities, commissions and so on. The artists work in other cultures and they observe other ways of doing things,” the chairman said.

“This sudden dramatic widening out of Irish artistic energy will have all sorts of impact. The message coming back is positive, the artists are grateful to go to places where they wouldn’t normally be able to afford without funding.”

Fergal McGrath, managing director of Druid, said the theatre company brought an extensive production of DruidSynge, an eight-and-a-half-hour production of all John Millington Synge’s works, to two venues in the US through the funding.

“With the support of Culture Ireland we have been in the past two years to the UK, Australia and America. In 2007 we will perform in London, Tokyo and Edinburgh,” he said.

“We are going to be so busy for the next year in a single week in March we are opening in London on the Monday the 19th of March, and on Thursday the 22nd of March we will open with another play in Tokyo.

“That gives an idea of the impact Culture Ireland have had on Druid’s activities.”

Mr McGrath said two years ago Druid was struggling to take Irish productions out of Ireland unless they were major commercial successes such as the Beauty Queen Of Leenane.

“DruidSynge was a huge undertaking, it was a large-scale project. It would have been commercially impossible to bring overseas without the support of an agency,” he said.

“Thirty-five people were brought to New York. It was large scale and needed significant support.”

Mr McGrath said the awareness of the country raised by the plays was an important way of communicating Irish culture into a new territory.

“It is opportunistic. The Government is aware of the depth of Irish talent here and will reap rewards as it will open up doors, build bridges. It is a win-win situation, you can’t fault it,” he said.

“It is brave and visionary but at the same time the obvious thing and we should be doing it when you look at the British Government.

“We went to Edinburgh last year, so out of that invite came New York and Minneapolis and out of that Japan for this year. One leads to another. Once you break into the higher profile on the international scene other people come looking for you.”

During November and December the Irish Modern Dance Theatre was funded to bring performances of The White Piece to Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo in Brazil.

Samuel Meyler – Clowns Without Borders was granted funding to travel to seven United Nations Refugee Agency Camps in Kathmandu and Nepal next October, and the Corn Exchange Theatre Company will also travel to Mexico the same month.

Music, visual arts and literature have also been given funding, as well as a photography exhibition in Berlin, and the Royal Irish Academy of Music Chamber Orchestra was also granted support towards a US tour.

Among the other groups funded were 10 companies who were supported in performing in the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.