Marie Louise O'Donnell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses for their varied presentations but I am a little confused and I have a number of questions.

At the Joint Committee on Health yesterday, of which I am not a member but which I attended, they were arguing about the fact that we are spending €1.7 billion on a hole in the ground. I was delighted to be able to tell them, like a pantomime villain, that we were all aghast at this because nobody could find out how the money was being spent. We would never see that kind of money in arts, culture, the islands and the Gaeltacht. I want to point out that 75% of actors have no health insurance. That is at the core of what we are talking about here, which is a livable wage. I would also say the same about nurses. Nurses cannot afford to live in this country, nor can radiographers or occupational therapists. I believe that this place has gone half mad.

I turn to points about which I want to ask each of the witnesses. I thought Mr. Conlon's paper was excellent. He caught it in one what really needs to be discussed on Friday, outside of this committee. I refer to the breakdown of communication, the no-casting department, which is ridiculous, the no-open auditions or the settled before the outcome situation, the freelance directors and the decrease in the number of writers and directors. I ask Mr. Murray if these matters will be sorted. It was like a very good soliloquy in that it was from the heart, was extremely factual and he was on the money as to what is going on and as to why would 407 actors have signed this. They would not do that easily. The point made about the difference between audience growth, bums on seats, and artistic excellence. These were brilliant points throughout Mr. Conlon's paper.

Mr. Murray said that he has agreed to ensure that all future contracts will include a condition any artists engaged in a co-production with the Abbey Theatre will be paid at the appropriate Abbey Theatre rate or higher, which is answered there. What about the other areas? I will go on to my second question and then he can come back to that.

I ask Ms McBride, the director of the Arts Council, if she thinks the Abbey Theatre is doing its job. What would she recommend? Does she agree with the new strategies because she said there are unintended consequences and that a rebalancing is now required. Can she explain to me what she means by that required rebalancing?

Can I ask Dr. Ruane how much did the Bonnar Keenlyside report cost? Did this report tell her anything she did not know already? She said something, which was extraordinary. She said:

To make theatre, an openness to criticism as much as creativity is required. The Abbey regrets that some of our artistic community feel our journey [it is more than some] towards a more collaborative national theatre has contributed to their hardship.

Could she explain that and how she intends to ensure that never happens again?

I would like to ask for a general opinion from Mr. Murray, who is new. I have attended the Abbey Theatre as a member of the audience since I was five years of age. Is there something wrong that we do not have an Abbey Theatre training school and that we lost that? Sometimes I go to plays - this is me on a rant - and somebody comes on stage who I know should not be there-----