The work of Irish theatre and dance companies is to be promoted and showcased internationally as part of a major new strategy programme announced yesterday.
The Irish Theatre Institute has set out a new programme of work to create opportunities abroad and strengthen resources at home in an all-Ireland context for performing artists and producers.
In a statement, the institute said that the programme was divided into three aspects: international, research and information and support.
The international aspect will include institute representatives attending 10 key international events over the next three years, including arts markets in Montreal, Canada and Adelaide, Australia.
Irish theatre and dance work will also be showcased at national festivals and networking events.
They will also attend and participate in conferences and seminars, many of which will be presented by organisations of which the institute is a member in Europe and elsewhere.
The institute will aim to promote one-off projects or seasons of Irish work abroad and exchange of theatre and dance artists between Ireland and other countries.
Research will centre on documentation, analysis and publication of original data about Irish plays, performances, theatre and dance companies, individual artists and practitioners. This will include an Irish language catalogue.
The institute already has a database containing information on 2,180 Irish plays, 800 playwrights and 11,800 theatre practitioners.
The institute is a resource organisation for theatre, funded by the Arts Council with project support from Culture Ireland and Foras na Gaeilge.