Mr. Edward Hayden:

I wish everyone a good afternoon and thank the committee for the opportunity. For more than 60 years, the Drama League of Ireland, DLI, has supported, nurtured and enhanced the aspirations and activities of amateur theatre artists through education, training, advocacy and advisory services. Through our library, summer school, ongoing workshops, play licensing services, competitive insurance scheme and information service we support a membership of in excess of 20,000 people nationwide, based within more than 600 groups, to realise their creative ambitions and produce the highest-quality local and community drama.

It is fair to say education in its many forms is key and our members engage with us to tell us what they need and how we can best support these aspirations, thus enabling us to work together. To this end, we strive to ensure the education we provide is suitably pitched, robust and will enhance the dramatic ambitions of the participants. We present invaluable education opportunities during our annual flagship week-long summer school at the University of Limerick, UL, where we bring the best of Irish and international theatre practitioners to work with our attending members. We also offer a wealth of regional workshops, masterclasses and online learning opportunities. If we look at academia, the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, STEM, approach has been replaced by STEAM, or science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics, in recognition that the arts play a role in the overall creation of the human being.

Amateur drama in local and community arts offers a wide range of benefits to both individuals and the communities they serve. These include creative expression, community building, cultural enrichment, skills development, personal fulfilment, emotional intelligence and can often provide a safe space for exploring social issues in an artistic setting, raising awareness of important topics. It completely erodes generational differences and fosters an attitude of inclusivity in a community as amateur drama welcomes peoples of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities. The work of our members provides a core strand of programming to theatres, community halls and arts centres across the country and a continuous stream of payments to playwrights, local businesses, hospitality providers, etc. In essence, it plays a vital role in enhancing the life and cultural fabric of towns and cities up and down the country through community cohesion and fostering creativity and expression.

Ireland is rich in culture and heritage and as the year of centenary comes to an end, we must think of the importance of retaining this cultural tradition. Many local drama groups produce historical or traditional plays that help preserve and celebrate the history and traditions of their area, which is an important aspect of cultural preservation. We are after all the land of saints and scholars and between all-island playwriting competitions and providing a vehicle for the exposition of the arts around the country, there is a body of evidence to suggest that the DLI is contributing to that conveyor belt of scholars and artists. Liam Neeson, Fionnuala Flanagan and Gabriel Byrne are but three of so very many who come to mind when thinking of those who have migrated from the amateur to the professional scene.

We are an ambitious and charged board of volunteers with great aspirations and these need support. Recent comprehensive applications for Arts Council funding to support capacity building, audience development and inclusion projects were unsuccessful, so we hope that this committee will acknowledge the contribution made by our members and in turn support the activities we conduct on their behalf.

I conclude by urging members to consider their last visit to their local theatre, community hall or arts centre to see a local or visiting group. Here, we have explored the depths of human emotion and the endless possibilities that live within the realm of the stage. People have laughed, cried and grown together. Here, the commitment to excellence has presented us with multiple dramatic achievements on the amateur scene in these venues around the country, thereby feeding and sustaining the audience. Long may that continue to thrive. However, for it to thrive it needs support, investment, access to resources, financial stability and political support. During Covid, we at DLI received funding from the Department this committee scrutinises for an extensive outreach programme, especially to rural areas, which are the very ones that often go unreached by professional theatre. This funding, administered by the Arts Council, required us to spend it on supporting professionals during the pandemic, who obviously were very impacted by its ramifications. Due to this, we were in a position to offer a suite of workshops around the country, allowing our members to hone their craft regionally and in the "teach a man to fish" approach, return to their own groups to share the learning. We want to continue this model, and perhaps our presentation here today will highlight the relevance of the initiative and the myriad benefits it offers. I thank members for their time and look forward to fielding any questions they may have.