Massive funding boost for Irish opera and circuses

Published Thursday 4 January 2007 at 12:40 by Michael Quinn

Ireland’s opera companies and circuses are to receive large funding increases in 2007.

The Irish Arts Council has announced the first tranche of revenue awards for the coming year and is set to distribute €10 million (£6.71 million) to opera, circuses and the traditional arts.

Responding to warnings earlier this year from Ireland’s five remaining circuses that they faced closure before the decade was out, due to lack of adequate funding, the council has almost doubled its allocation to the sector to €230,000 (£155,000) for 2007. Fidget Feet, Duffy’s Circus and Fossett Brothers - the self-styled Ireland’s National Circus - will each receive €57,000 (£38,000). Circus Gerbola will benefit to the tune of €45,000 (£30,000) with €12,500 (£8,400) going to the Galway Circus Project.

Meanwhile, the state’s six opera companies will see their funding increase by €660,000 (£443,000) year-on-year with the lion’s share of €1.7 million (£1.14 million) going to Opera Ireland, which is to produce Donizetti’s Don Pasquale and Mozart’s Cosi Fan Tutte in 2007. Wexford Festival Opera, which is to mount three new productions in a purpose-built temporary theatre in the grounds of nearby Johnstown Castle while work continues on the building of its new €30 million (£20.15 million) town centre home, is set to receive €1.15 million (£775,000).

Touring ensemble Opera Theatre Company will receive €798,000 (£536,000) with Opera 2005 and Cork Opera Works also to benefit from the new allocations.

The news comes hard on the heels of arts council awards for ‘once-off’ projects that saw 17 theatre companies sharing €909,000 (£610,000) between them with an additional €215,000 (£145,000) allocated to seven dance projects.