The Stage

MacConghail takes charge at Abbey Theatre

Published Tuesday 15 February 2005 at 11:10

The Abbey, Ireland’s troubled national theatre, has chosen Fiach MacConghail, currently adviser to arts minister John O’Donoghue, as its new director.

MacConghail has worked as a theatre, film and visual arts producer and takes over on a five-year contract from Ben Barnes, who completes his term as artistic director at the end of the year.

The appointment of MacConghail marks a new development at the Abbey as not only is he the first producer in recent years to fill the post but the job’s definition of director has been changed so that he will have overall artistic and managerial responsibility for the theatre. These functions have traditionally been split into the separate offices of artistic and managing director.

The new arrangement will require hands-on involvement by the director in resolving the Abbey’s financial difficulties, alongside creating success at the box office. The role includes implementing the venue’s restructuring programme, including redundancies and changes in work practices.

According to board chairwoman Eithne Healy, the three-month search for Barnes’ successor produced “a field that included strong Irish and international candidates”. The board was convinced, she said, that MacConghail had “the artistic vision, experience, skills, personal qualities and commitment to lead the theatre through a period of fundamental restructuring and renewal.” She added: “We believe his blend of artistic and management expertise is exactly what the Abbey needs at this time.”

The new man is no stranger to the Abbey, having been personal assistant to Noel Pearson during his tenure as artistic director from 1989-91. He has been stage manager and administrator at Dublin’s Gaiety Theatre and spent seven years as artistic director of the city’s Project Arts Centre. He has served as Ireland’s cultural director at Expo 2000 in Hanover, managed the redevelopment of the Irish College in Paris as a cultural centre and was cultural programme commissioner during Ireland’s EU presidency last year.

In between all that, he has been producing visual arts projects, plays and films and is currently working on a screen version of Studs, a Paul Mercier play starring Brendan Gleeson. Of his new job, he says: “It’s a huge honour, a dream come true. The Abbey is a place everyone should aspire to work in. It allows you to set the agenda. I want it to be the most creative organisation in Ireland.”

The new director, son of former RTE programme controller Muiris MacConghail, is married to actress Brid Ni Neachtain.