Ms Ciara O'Connell:

What I am talking about is a stepping-stone effect. The arts can be very exclusive. Not everyone has access to the arts. For those who do, that is fine but a person who comes from a council estate might not go to IMMA or somewhere like that. He or she might never consider crossing that threshold. A venue like mine provides a stepping stone into these spaces. It makes the arts more accessible. We hold a variety of events, including open mikes and so on. We also hold electronic music events. We have seen a huge crossover within our audience. When young people come to the venue to DJ and so on, it provides them with a start. They attend the talks, the open mikes and our productions and then they go to the Theatre Royal to see our other productions. It is about breaking down the exclusivity.