Madam, – I write to you in relation to Andrew Johnstone's rave review of The Diary of Anne Frank(September 13th), pointing out the inaccuracy of his statement that this production, which he identifies as setting the bar for touring opera in Ireland, is "an auspicious foretaste" of what the new Irish National Opera company may provide.
Clearly your reviewer is under the misapprehension that the expertise and experience of the Opera Theatre Company (OTC) will feed into this new company, rather than the new company being built on OTC’s ruins.
In fact, as the question of a new opera company in Ireland has not yet been thoroughly explored in your pages, many of your readers may be under the impression that the original presumption of Martin Cullen, that Opera Theatre Company and Opera Ireland would amalgamate to create a national company, is still the case. Instead both companies must close and all staff, including artistic directors, be made redundant.
There is no guarantee that any of their expertise or experience will be carried into the new company.
Opera Ireland’s closure may be due in part to its significant deficit.
But Opera Theatre Company has no deficit and has been producing quality, exciting opera (such as The Diary of Anne Frank) within a reduced budget, being the victim, alongside many other arts organisations, of the last couple of rounds of cuts.
These cuts raise another question: it would be interesting to know what amount of money has been ringfenced for the new opera company and compare it to the known operating costs of Opera Ireland and the Opera Theatre Company to see if sufficient funds are being provided to create something truly greater than the existing provision of opera in Ireland.
If not, then in this time of retrenchment, why not let a budget-savvy company that’s been Ireland’s national touring company for 24 years continue to excite, inspire and entertain? – Yours, etc,