"An annual recognition of talent, achievement and vision", is how Mr Conor Brady, editor of The Irish Times, described the The Irish Times/ESB Irish Theatre Awards which were presented at the RDS last night. "These awards have been welcomed by the profession as a long-overdue celebration of theatre," said Mr Tony O Dalaigh, chairman of the judges. "We are celebrating that unique role which theatre plays in our society, and we are acknowledging the pleasure it has brought to audiences both at home and abroad," said Mr Ken O'Hara, chief executive of ESB, co-sponsor of the Awards.
"We all pay due recognition to the excellence of Irish theatre by our attendance at performances throughout the country. However, for many years now there has been no formal recognition of this success. These awards afford us an opportunity to recognise and encourage our own achievements, which are so often feted abroad, but somewhat forgotten at home." Mr Brady recalled his apprehension when he considered "the sheer scale and ambition of what we were about to undertake" when the awards were announced last January. "We were about to launch an enterprise which would seek to encompass the growing wealth of talent and accomplishment which is Irish theatre today. We were seeking to set in place a scheme which would endeavour to identify very special attainment and talent in the world of Irish theatre."
He admitted that "the sheer dimensions of this enterprise have turned out to be far greater than we anticipated a year ago: the range and variety of excellent productions, the proliferation of talent and the emergence of new and exciting influences in the theatre over the year have been greater than any of us might have anticipated".
Comparing the brand new theatre awards with the now well-established Irish Times Literary Awards, he said the aim in both cases was to be as inclusive as possible. "The processes of nomination, selection and adjudication had to be as thorough and as fair as human endeavour could make possible." Mr Brady thanked the theatre community in Ireland for the "unfailing co-operation, enthusiasm and participation" its members have shown in this first year of the awards.
He also paid tribute to the "extraordinary commitment" shown by the three judges of the awards: Mr Tony O Dalaigh (director of the Dublin Theatre Festival), Ms Doireann Ni Bhriain (director of the Celtic Film Festival) and Mr Jerome Hynes (executive director of Wexford Festival Opera).
"At no point did we meet or discuss what they were about. But I am aware of the vast distances, the nights on the road, the periods away from home, the interruption of family and social life which were all entailed in their role as adjudicators."
Mr O'Hara echoed this praise: "The judges viewed, on our behalf, 121 shows by some 69 companies. Undaunted by the sheer scale of their task, they travelled from Donegal to Cork and on to Limerick, Galway, and Belfast. Without their dedication, there would be no awards to present." Mr O Dalaigh said that as director of the Dublin Theatre Festival for the last eight years, he was well aware of how difficult it was to get sponsorship for theatre: "Therefore, I would like to applaud The Irish Times and ESB for this initiative." Mr O'Hara said business sponsorship of the arts was on the increase. "The latest Cothu sponsorship survey showed the business sector contributing about 30 per cent of that which the Arts Council provided in the same year, in 1996. Apart altogether from the altruism which one can associate with sponsorship of the arts, it would appear that business is deriving benefit by financially supporting artistic endeavours."
He spoke of several sponsorship schemes in which the ESB is involved, including that of TEAM Education Theatre Company, Music Network, which tours music all over the country, and Opera Theatre Company's Magic Flute project, which has toured an adapted version of the Mozart opera to more than 8,000 people. "The common thread in this sponsorship programme is that all the initiatives promote the active involvement of communities throughout the country." Mr O Dalaigh mentioned "the enlightened Government and Arts Council policy" of recent years in facilitating the improvement of venues for theatre all over the country. "One of my great pleasures last year was to see shows in comfortable surroundings in places like Longford and Kilkenny. It was a different story in the Seventies when I toured with the Irish Theatre Company to draughty school gyms in the same towns."
On a less positive note, he added: "It is depressing that facilitating the export of Irish theatre has such a low priority." The budget of the Cultural Relations Committee, he noted, had hovered at about the same figure of about £400,000 for more than 10 years. "Contrast that with the success of the Arts Council in persuading the Government to increase this year's allocation by 25 per cent."
He spoke of Rough Magic's Theatre Shop as "effective in putting companies in contact with potential touring venues, but unless there is an active policy of promoting Irish art, including theatre, and adequate funds to carry it out, the huge potential of the current Irish theatre scene will not be sufficiently realised abroad".
He pinpointed the vital need for a representative body for theatre in Ireland. "There are at least five for music. Theatre lacks a cohesive voice in making a case to the Government, to the Arts Council, and elsewhere. If I had one wish for 1998, it would be that some of the major figures in Irish theatre would get together to take the first steps in that direction."
At the end of the evening, Patrick Mason, artistic director of the Abbey Theatre, announced a Special Tribute Award to playwright Tom Murphy, whose play, The Wake is currently at the Abbey.
"Tom Murphy is a great treasure," said Mr Mason. "He has been writing plays for 40 years, and has a long and distinguished association with both the Abbey and with Druid. He is an exceptional writer of tremendous stature."