‘Tearing up the Script’ was the theme of a conference hosted by the Theatre Forum in Limerick recently.
The two-day conference, attended by 250 members of Ireland’s arts community, featured keynote addresses from director of the Gate Theatre, Michael Colgan, and actress Fiona Shaw. A wide range of speakers from the arts community spoke about the challenges of making theatre, and the need to reflect the diversity of today’s Ireland.
Rotimi Adebari (pictured right), a Portlaoise town councillor who participated in the conference, told Metro Eireann: “I chaired a workshop titled ‘New Community, New Script’. We discussed how the forum might rise to the challenge of the new Ireland.
“‘Tearing up the script’ refers to the old script, the one that has been used in the past. This theme has come at a good time. There are over 200 different nationalities and it is high time that we define a script and a way of working in the theatre that will reflect the new Ireland. In the last 10 years we have a community faced with immigration, plenty has changed.”
The main suggestion from the discussions, according to Adebari, is to enable new communities to become more involved with theatre so that their voices can be heard and listened to.
“If you look at audiences for example, how many of them are immigrant? For theatre to be a good reflection of our society today then there should be a much bigger immigrant audience in those seats,” he said.
Asked why so few immigrants are going to the theatre, Adebari replied: “Plays that are reflective of today’s audiences need to be produced more. Productions need to take into account the new make-up of society, to be a voice for people.”
Adebari admits that it can be difficult to get other cultures to support even their own actors and productions: “I think that maybe theatre in its present form can be seen by immigrants as a luxury that needs a time commitment; some potential audiences are literally too busy working.”
The discussion hosted by Adebari also suggested that different cultures in Ireland could be encouraged to hold onto their own identity through theatre. Adebari explains: “Just because a person is a Nigerian living in Ireland, they do not need to completely surrender their Nigerian culture, they can keep it. The same way that the Irish in New York held onto their Irishness, while immersing into American life. The Theatre Forum and theatre in Ireland has a role to play in this process.”
The Theatre Forum (theatreforumireland.com) is the association for the performing arts in Ireland, representing theatres and arts centres; theatre, dance and opera companies; and the main arts festivals.
The Theatre Forum acts as a voice for the community to Government, State and semi-State agencies and elected representatives.
The forum also organises training and professional development courses and seminars.
