The Ireland Funds have made a flagship grant of 300,000 euros to Dublin’s Gate Theatre. This will launch the Gate's campaign to construct a second stage and auditorium. This new facility to be opened in 2003, the Gate’s 75th year, will be available to emerging artists and the community.

The Funds are delighted to be associated with the development of one of the country's finest cultural centers.

History
Founded in 1928 by Hilton Edwards and Micheál MacLiammóir, the Gate became internationally renowned as one of the most adventurous and far-sighted playhouses in Europe. It was at the Gate that Dublin audiences received their introduction to international theatre - to the works of Ibsen, Chekhov, O'Neill and Zola - and where the first ever English-speaking production of Oscar Wilde's Salomé was staged. Orson Welles and James Mason began their prodigious acting careers here and the theatre continued under the dual directorship of Edwards-MacLiammóir and Lord Longford, flourishing as the home of European and experimental drama.

Michael Colgan became director of the Gate in 1983 and since then the programme has included world premieres of works by Brian Friel, Conor McPherson and Frank McGuinness together with groundbreaking productions of the classics. In 1991, the Gate presented the first ever Beckett to feature all 19 plays ("In its scope, power and wit this year's great theatrical event" - Time Magazine), which then went on to tour to Lincoln Center, New York and the Barbican, London. In 1996, the Gate also staged the first ever Pinter Festival and in 2001, presented four productions at the Harold Pinter Festival in New York. It was the first ever festival of Pinter's work staged in New York and was curated by Michael Colgan. The Gate continues to receive invitations to tour worldwide.

The Gate is a landmark in Dublin - located in the cultural and social heart of the city, the eighteenth century building it occupies closes the vista at the top of Dublin's main thoroughfare of O'Connell Street. It offers a stimulating and inclusive programme which appeals to theatregoers of all generations. Its ticket prices are designed to encourage attendance by a broad spectrum of the population, ranging from student discounts to free admission for senior citizens.

Access

Currently Dublin Corporation is implementing a far-reaching plan for the urban renewal of O'Connell Street and the surrounding areas. The Gate wishes to play its part. Historically the communities which surround the theatre have been marginalized, a difficulty compounded by the recent influx of immigrants of all nationalities. The new building is a key component of the next phase of the Gate's plans to contribute to the integration of these communities to the mainstream of city life. The Gate plans to be able, through an outreach programme based in the new building, and using all the resources of the theatre, to encourage greater involvement and dialogue.

With the help of The Ireland Funds, this project entitled - ACCESS 2003 - will, we hope, transform the cultural life and opportunities available to the surrounding communities.

Development Plan

In 2001, in order to foster future standards of artistic excellence, the Gate appointed a Head of Creative Development. Specialist development programmes have been devised to address the perceived gaps that exist in the sector in the areas of acting, directing, design and playwriting. These include workshops, master classes with leading Irish and international practitioners, mentoring programmes etc., providing a creative environment in which the next generation can learn, develop and experiment.

The overriding principle of the Gate's Creative Development Plan is the development of young talent. The aim is process not product, a vision that will ensure the Gate continues to flourish as an internationally renowned hub of creative endeavour for decades to come. The Creative Development Plan is inextricably linked to the development of the building.

AN 18TH CENTURY BUILDING IN THE 21ST CENTURY

The Gate is located in a beautiful 18th century building, part of the Rotunda Hospital. On the one hand, the theatre is fortunate to be located in such an historic building; on the other, it has created very great practical difficulties. Up until recently, for example, the only entrance to the theatre for the public was up a very steep flight of stairs. A new structure housing an entrance, new foyer spaces and disabled lift access was completed two years ago.

Many problems, however, remain. The theatre has no dedicated storage space for props or costumes; very cramped box office space; no office for stage management; a cramped internal office for production management; no rehearsal space; a workshop that is smaller than the size of a suburban garage; a single toilet at stage level for an entire cast and crew and a get-in facility that involves set flats being built in sections that are smaller than 6" wide, manually lifted up a narrow staircase and through a standard doorway which measures no more than 32" wide.

Most crucially, however, it has no space to house or facilitaties to extend the Creative Development Programme. The Gate's architects, Scott Tallon Walker, have evolved an inspired plan, which will, at a stroke, resolve all these difficulties in a stunning new design which will enhance not only the theatre but Parnell Square as a whole. The Gate is fortunate to have secured the agreement in principle of the ESB in relation to the relocation of the substation and its landlords, The Rotunda Hospital.

 Appeal

The Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands announced a grant of €2.2 million towards the cost of the €3.34 million project. This very generous gesture has enabled the Gate to proceed with its plans. However, the Gate must raise the additional €1.14 million. It is a hugely challenging target for a small organisation, but one we are confident that we will meet, based on the enormous support we have received in the past and with the help of The Ireland Funds.

• The Gate Theatre Website >