TD raises concerns over difficulties for local arts world during COVID-19

The uncertainty in the arts and entertainment world is creating difficulties for local venues to arrange a future programme for events, a local TD told a Dáil committee recently.

Deputy Sorca Clarke was speaking during an Oireachtas special committee debate on the impact of Covid-19 on the arts and entertainment sector.

She said the manager of the Dean Crowe Theatre in Athlone had mentioned “the difficulty that those running the theatre are having in developing a programme of events for the future given the hesitancy of promoters and artists to book”.

“This is because of their sense of a lack of security and the viability of employment in the sector. My take on this is that without a comprehensive and highly structured support package put in place by Government, we will see this replicated throughout the country,” she said.

She said the Backstage Theatre in Longford has a capacity of 212 but that would be reduced to 17 under current social distancing guidelines.

“That completely removes the enjoyment for the audience who have to sit so far away from one another.”

And she said the Mullingar Arts Centre were looking at reducing the number of attendees at its annual pantomime but extending the number of performances.

“They are determined to put this on come hell or high water. The reality, however, is that it is not sustainable, certainly not from a financial perspective. The only guaranteed income they have every year is from the local authority. If that was to be withdrawn, I would not like to think about the outcome.”

Angela Dorgan, chair of the steering committee of the National Campaign for the Arts, NCFA, replied that for the first three months of Covid-19, an Arts Council survey found that 12,000 events and activities were cancelled per month around the country.

She said: "That figure for activity will also evaporate unless those centres, local arts activities and local arts funding are maintained and sustained and unless those artists can be given the opportunity to come off the PUP and to engage in full-time work again, albeit delivering that work online for the time being."