Ms Clíona Dukes:

Since the letter came out, we have all been asked why we did not write to the Abbey or why it went to the Minister. There had been formal requests to meet the Abbey from the Irish Society of Stage and Screen Designers, ISSSD, as well as from the Writers Guild of Ireland, but there was very little in response. The ISSSD did not get a response for five months and no meeting had been planned so we felt urgent action needed to be taken. As the Abbey Theatre is our national theatre, it comes under the remit of the Minister and the Department, as well as the Arts Council, and that is the reason we informed those bodies. It was a cry for help.