Cork Opera House Issue

Lord Mayor,

Over the summer, walking around Emmett Place in the evening was saddening – it was sad to see the darkness in the Cork Opera House.

This is the fourth time the Opera House has come before the Council this year – first time, the Council agreed to be guarantor on E1.5m and then two months later, the Council agreed to fund E.1m to keep the operation going – a week later a decision was taken to close the premises for three months in order to save money – then we discussed that at a Council meeting before the summer and given assurances by the Board and City Manager that everything was ok and everything above board – then a month later, it broke that E.60,000 had gone missing in the accounts and we were to have a garda investigation

And now we’re back again, considering to give another E,250,000 to keep it open. Again I want to revert at other meetings, I need to see a business plan and strategy. I feel here we have a high profile place now under major threat of full time closure without a decent business plan. I’m a fair individual – but tonight I am asked to give permission to something I am told to have trust in.

I am told that the everything is on top of – that everything will be fine – but when I read the programme for the next six months, I’m met with more of the same – one off concerts and anything staying for one more than one night like Fame has again has high prices – highest ticket prices amongst the nine venues.

The people fifty years ago had a more open minded attitude to the Cork Opera House. Midway through the ten year process of struggling to come up with funds to rebuild the place. They opened an office in the old pit stalls entrance in the ruins of the old Opera House and from there the great campaign began. Public meetings were held. Over four hundred members of the different theatrical and musical organisations in the city had volunteered their help to undertake a systematic house-to-house canvass of the city.

Committees were set up in every quarter of the city, and the enthusiasm spread to such an extent in those early years that the movement was taken up in various towns throughout the county such as Midleton, Macroom, Bandon, Mallow, Youghal, Cobh, Fermoy and Clonakilty. Organisational meetings were held and functions arranged, bazaars, exhibitions, dances; a widespread publicity campaign was set up which never flagged; until the goal was eventually reached.

In the first five years, the various groups only raised enough money to demolish the ruins of the building. The government seeing the work done intervened and allocated further monies to get the premises rebuilt. But because of Cork people’s interventions, the theatre became the people’s theatre, the heart beat of the arts in the city for decades

What I can see of the current strategy, I don’t think it goes far enough to keep the profile of the Opera House as a national even regional arts centre – unaware of its competition INEC and Marquee and the new Arc; unaware of audience development – getting a new generation into the building.

The programme seems unaware that the city will have a new arts plan shortly – we should be looking to develop the local arts scene – where at the moment everything is coming from outside on the Opera house programme – what’s the plan for Cork actors, singers, dancers, builders. The opera house should be a cultural/jobs training ground for technicians and actors. Establishing ties on all levels with the Cork community and thus interconnected/relating to its community will generate income – even if operated on a small scale at first.

Establishing ties on all levels with the Cork community and thus interconnected/relating to its community will generate income – even if operated on a small scale at first.This city’s creative power should also be harnessed like they did way back fifty years.