UK consultancy to review Abbey Theatre operations

A UK-based management consultancy firm has been appointed by the Arts Council to carry out a review of the operations of the Abbey Theatre.

London-based Bonnar Keelyside, which works across the arts, heritage, and wider cultural sector, began its work yesterday and is expected to conclude by the end of April.

A spokesman for the Arts Council said the costs associated with the contract are yet “to be determined”.

Bonnar Keelyside has previously carried out work relating to cultural event planning for the London Olympics.

The review coincides with the deterioration in relations between the two groups following a critical evaluation of the Abbey’s productions by the Arts Council.

Last month, Abbey director Fiach Mac Conghail, who is also a senator, said it was “insensitive of the Arts Council to release this information without duty of care to the artists in question”, stating that he had pleaded with the council not to release the report.

This year, the Abbey Theatre has had its Arts Council funding cut by €600,000, from €7.1m to €6.5m. Between 2011 and 2013, the Abbey received €21.3m from the Arts Council.

A spokesman for the Arts Council said yesterday: “The review will provide an independent, professional assessment of the current business model of the Abbey, taking into account the extent to which this is shaped and influenced by the organisation’s artistic activities.

“It will identify if the theatre could be operated in a more efficient manner. If so, advice provided by the review may indicate how the resources available to the Abbey could be used to generate additional artistic and programming outputs, thereby generating a better return on the public investment.”

“On the basis of the level of public funding the Arts Council has offered for the period 2014-16, the review should consider whether and how the Abbey Theatre could deliver on its mission in a way that is more efficient and effective, and whether resources might be redeployed to deliver more in terms of artistic and programming outputs.

“The review will take account of the likelihood that the level of funding available to the Arts Council will not increase in the medium term, ie immediately beyond 2016.”

The review will also include “an examination of the current level and recent trends in costs and staffing resources and consider if alternative approaches have the potential to yield cost savings”.

The review will also examine “fixed costs, including staff costs and the cost of operating the building; staffing levels, the balance between permanent and temporary staff; employment of actors and terms and conditions of employment”.

A spokeswoman for the Abbey said: “We welcome this review, as it will increase the Arts Council’s understanding of how we plan and operate our business and what it takes to deliver on the scale that we do currently.”

The management and board of the Abbey Theatre have worked closely with the Arts Council to agree the scope and purpose of the review.