Professor Frances Ruane:

I mentioned earlier that the Abbey is open to listening about the various issues that have arisen. I am very aware of the issues for freelancers. Among my children and their in-laws, I have five freelancers and one person in paid employment so I know exactly how difficult this is. However, I have also met young actors who told me that they were out of favour with the person in Abbey and so they never got the gig. There is a blend or solution to be found that makes sense in having the point of contact and ensuring that what we put in place is fair across the board. At the moment we are drawing on casting directors and a problem is being identified and I accept that is something we need to address. However, I would caution that this is something that could limit actors in future. It does not all go in one direction, just as where some of the shows have been shows have been shorter and longer means that some actors have gained and some have lost in that process. These are all things that we are happy to discuss in a very open dialogue with the signatories of the letters and their representatives. I think that the members of the committee will recognise what I feel is the key point. The Senator mentioned some points at the beginning that relate to the industry or sector relating to payment and the difficulty of surviving as a freelancer in Ireland doing anything.

Some of them are wider issues which we would need to take up on a sectoral level. What we are committed to doing is dealing with those which are Abbey Theatre specific, but the background is very difficult for freelancers who came out during the recession and who either had to emigrate or stay here to find limited work. When we have the discussion, I urge that we have this open dialogue to map the different issues, where they sit and who might have a role to play in progressing in a positive direction.