The appointment of Neil Murray and Graham McLaren as co-directors of the Abbey Theatre may signal a new approach to the idea of a national theatre itself.

Murray and McLaren, who have worked together in Scottish theatre for almost 20 years, come to the Abbey from the National Theatre of Scotland (NTS), where Murray is executive producer and McLaren works as associate director.

Founded in 2005, the NTS is one of the world's youngest and already most successful national theatre companies. Defined as "a theatre without walls", the NTS originates productions anywhere in the country – either in theatres or non-traditional spaces, independently or in collaboration – and then tours them throughout the country and sometimes throughout the world. (An early and defining success, Gregory Burke's Black Watch, began in an old military drill hall in Edinburgh and visited four continents).

Applying such thinking to the 111-year-old Abbey, the definition of a “building-based” national theatre, is “one of the reasons we went for the job” they say, and it also suggests an attempt by the theatre’s board to put young heads on old shoulders.

Challenge

“For us the exciting challenge is combining those two things,” Murray told

The Irish Times

. “We want to look at what the Abbey’s reach can be.”

McLaren elaborated: “It’s the obvious thing we should be doing. There is a real opportunity for us here to try to involve people, regardless of where you live geographically, how much money is in your pocket, or whatever your sexual orientation or race happens to be.”

If work originates beyond Dublin, however, it will not be at the expense of the operation of the theatre’s two existing stages, the Abbey and the Peacock. “It’s something we’re keen to look at, providing it doesn’t cannibalise the audience of the building,” explained McLaren.

When the Abbey advertised the position of director, to succeed Fiach MacConghail when he retires from the position in December 2016 (the pair will start on July 1st, 2016), the board encouraged joint applications. It had been suggested to Murray and McLaren individually that they should apply for the position, so they decided to collaborate.

“We started to realise there was a potential for us to be greater than the sum of our parts,” says McLaren.

They intend to divide their responsibilities evenly, sharing artistic and management duties. Already, they have begun sharing press statements, speaking in an implied unison.

“We believe in the concept of a national theatre that reaches all of the country,” they said in an announcement. “This applies to touring work, but also addresses the issue of where shows and projects are rooted and made, regardless of geographical remoteness or perceived social barriers.”

That has certainly been the founding ethos of the NTS, whose recent productions, such as Let the Right One In and a one-man version of Macbeth starring Alan Cummings, have toured to the West End and Broadway respectively.

These days national theatres aspire to be international theatres, and Murray and McLaren's appointment – the first time the role has been filled by theatre professionals working outside Ireland – recognises that.

Nation and nationhood

But an international reach, they say, is not their main agenda. “First and foremost, the job is to reflect the nation back to itself and to challenge our ideas about nation and nationhood,” said McLaren. “If that work has international appeal then it would be appropriate to show that work outwards. But we don’t conceive of projects that have to have an international perspective.”

They will also strive to preserve a balance between new work at the Abbey and the repertoire. “We’re certainly not going to tar up the canon,” said Murray. “Perhaps we’ll approach it with a certain irreverence. We’re certainly looking to engage with a brilliant generation of Irish theatre makers.”

Both sounded reverential about what the inheritance of the Abbey entails. “I’ve often said, publicly and privately, that the NTS is 50 years behind the National Theatre in London, but more importantly we’re 100 years behind Dublin,” said McLaren.

Lessons

“There are many lessons to learn from it. Nothing captures the ideas of a young theatre maker more than WB Yeats jumping on stage to berate a rioting audience. That red-hot passion is so seductive and important. It’s up to us to keep that energy and maverick spirit alive – to genuinely stand on the shoulders of giants.”