Academic to help choose theatre's new board

An academic was chosen to appoint the members of the new board of the Abbey Theatre today as part of a radical reform.

Arts Minister John O’Donoghue confirmed John Fairleigh had been appointed to the selection committee which will choose eight of the 11 new board mbmers of the century-old institution.

Mr Fairleigh, who is a Fellow of the Institute of Irish Studies at Queen’s University in Belfast, is a director of the Stewart Parker Trust, which works to support and encourage new playwrights in Ireland.

The academic was also a member of the outgoing Advisory Council of the Abbey Theatre.

Mr O’Donoghue said: “I am delighted that John Fairleigh has agreed to accept this important position on the selection committee.

“He will bring considerable knowledge, experience and expertise to the committee and I wish him and the committee every success in the task ahead.”

Mr Fairleigh will join Olive Braiden, the chair of the Arts Council, and the chairman of the Abbey Board, Judge Bryan McMahon, on the three-person selection committee.

The committee will be selecting eight of the 11 members of the new company board from a variety of disciplines.

The Arts Minister will appoint the remaining two members of the board.

Earlier this year the advisory council of the theatre approved measures which will allow for a radical change in the way it is run.

The National Theatre Society, which had run the theatre since its foundation in 1904, was dissolved in favour of replacing it with a new limited company without shareholders.

The move followed a financial crisis at the theatre, which sustained major losses of €1.85m last year.