Madam, - Last Tuesday I watched the informative RTÉ documentary on the history of the Abbey Theatre. It confirmed my belief that the Abbey Theatre has no right to be called the "National Theatre".
How an institution whose productions, year after year, continue to favour the male consciousness, that has predominantly nurtured the aspiring male playwright, that allocates its considerable State subsidy to such an unfair project, can be called the "National Theatre" is beyond my understanding.
Women playwrights have an equal right to be nurtured, to be enabled to find a platform to tell our stories, in our own way, and from our own point of view. This does not happen.
Now that the Abbey Theatre is planning to expand its physical boundaries, I would suggest that it should also look to expanding other boundaries. There are many social and historical reasons for this imbalance in Irish theatre that need to be addressed and until they are, the Abbey Theatre is not entitled to call itself Ireland's "National Theatre". - Yours, etc.,
MARIE BASHFORD-SYNNOTT, M.A., Shenick Avenue, Skerries, Co Dublin.