C102 Article

Fitting it in

Ian Joyce: installing Errigal, public artwork for An Grianán Theatre, Letterkenny, 1999; courtesy the artist

This October An Grianán Theatre will have been open to the public for three years and things are generally going well. We have a high level of support from the local community, both in terms of audience numbers and financial support through sponsorship and local-authority funding. The theatre is located on Letterkenny's Main Street and has the advantage over many other regional arts venues by having a very visible street frontage in a busy part of town. It also has the advantage of excellent facilities for performing artists and members of the public alike.

Since its inception, the strategic plan for An Grianán has been to make it a theatre at the 'heart of the community'. We aim to achieve this through programming and audience development and also by inclusiveness. An Grianán is primarily a performing arts space. Our ambition has been to offer quality and diversity across the different art forms. The programme encapsulates music (folk, rock, country, chamber and orchestral classical), drama, opera, modern dance, ballet, and standup comedy.

It is our aim to offer the best practitioners and companies on a local, national and international level and we welcome both amateur and professional artists. The policy of offering the greatest choice to cater for various tastes has paid off and this, for me, has been one of the main reasons for the success of the theatre. In a town with the population base of Letterkenny, it is extremely important to cater to the widest possible choice. The emphasis is always firmly on quality, whether the work is popular or 'higher art'. This is key to the long-term sustainability of An Grianán.

We also have a visual-arts programme but it is not a major part of our brief. The first exhibition in the theatre was by Ian Joyce, a commissioned artist in the percent-for-art scheme. His stunning views of Mount Errigal fill the huge expanse of the theatre's glass-fronted entrance area. When the theatre opened, this work was accompanied by an exhibition of prints, which complemented the commission. Since then we have run a programme of exhibitions, which tend to turn around on a two-month basis. There is an arts center in Letterkenny, with a mainly visual-arts focus. Therefore at An Grianán we devised a visual-arts policy for the theatre, which aims to enhance the work on show in the arts centre.

The exhibition space at the theatre is most suitable for two-dimensional art. There is an emphasis on work from locally based practitioners but exhibitions are not exclusively local. The space available makes it ideal for one-person shows but again, this does not exclude the possibility of group shows. Brian Byrne is an example of an artist whose work has been recently shown. Other artists who have exhibited include solo shows from Jacinta Feeney, Paul Rooney, and Una Campbell, with group shows from collectives such as Cló Ceardlann na gCnoc and Letterkenny Artspace. We have also hosted touring exhibitions, such as the Linenhall Library's Images and Reflections and the Irish Times' Exposure.

Another important element in the sustainability of An Grianán Theatre is that it has been proactive in the production of work involving professional artists. We are currently producing our fourth major drama, which will tour after its run in Letterkenny. We have also produced four shows in-house for the Christmas audience. In addition, An Grianán has produced two major music shows, Trasnu, which marked the formal opening of the theatre, and Between the Jigs and the Reels.

It was always important for me, as Director, that An Grianán would not simply be a receiving venue. I wanted the organisation to have its own artistic heartbeat. Producing work has enabled the theatre to engage with professional artists such as actors, directors, designers, writers, musician and choreographers. This has been extremely important in establishing the theatre as a professional arts organization and it is this work that has given the theatre a strong national profile in a short period of time.

One of the main reasons we have been able to produce this work has been the supportive attitude adopted by the board of management, which is accountable for the financial health of the theatre. Despite the financial risks involved, they have encouraged the staff to push forward with these projects. The board has adopted a 'hands-off' approach in the day-to-day running of the organisation, while they fulfill their brief by ensuring that excellent reporting systems are in place. The other key element in producing the work has been the support and hard work of a small core-team. In-house productions mean a huge amount of additional work and it would not be possible without the core staff buying into the process.

It is still early days for An Grianán. We aim to sustain our activities long into the future and we hope to see the theatre firmly planted at the centre of the community, both as a resource to the community and a successful theatre enterprise. We aim to continue our programme strategy. We will work in conjunction with other local partners and continue to fund raise so that we can develop our activities, especially in the fields of outreach work and audience development.

Patricia McBride is Director of An Grianán Theatre, Letterkenny