Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)

I agree about the facilities already in place all over the country through the access programme which has been very valuable. All of us will have seen many of these facilities. It is clear some areas are far better than others in maximising the use of a theatre. It comes down to the personalities involved — the drive, energy and vision shown in the different areas. I am strongly supportive of the touring programme and have conveyed that view. It is not just about "Waiting for Godot" which has been an enormous success. I have seen the production around the country and it has filled all of the theatres. Given the quality of the actors involved, people would come from all over the world to see it; they are just outstanding. They have made what I would consider to be a very difficult and inaccessible play as accessible as they can in terms of the way it is presented because of the sheer quality of their acting. This tells us that there is a hunger all around the country for quality theatre. Because of what has happened in recent times with touring programmes and their success, we need much more. That responds to the essential point made by the Deputy to the effect that while we have invested on the capital side, we now need to ensure we invest on the current side to support programmes that clearly reach out into all communities. It has been demonstrated that they can fill theatres all over the country and have been very successful for all the audiences involved, whether young or old.

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