The Stage

Equity proposes N Ireland arts summit

Published Thursday 28 July 2005 at 13:10 by Nuala Calvi

Equity bosses have met Northern Ireland secretary Peter Hain to discuss proposals for a summit to address what they say is a chronic lack of investment in the cultural life of the province.

Union officials believe a “cultural renaissance” is needed in Northern Ireland to stem the flow of talent to the rest of the UK and make it a viable place for writers, producers and performers to pursue their careers.

Ian McGarry, Equity general secretary, said plans to bring together broadcasters, funders, government and arts organisations at a major conference in the new year had been met with strong interest by Hain’s department and a decision is expected after the summer recess.

“What we really want is for the government to back this initiative, so the various parties, like the arts council, are more likely to respond,” said McGarry.

“For decades there has been under-investment, which perhaps was understandable when it was hard even to take film crews on location in Northern Ireland, given the situation. But we think the circumstances are there now for investment to go ahead.”

Union representatives were particularly disappointed with recent government cuts to the Arts Council Northern Ireland budget.

“We thought it was a regrettable decision,” said McGarry. “There is so little theatre in Northern Ireland. The Lyric in Belfast had to cut back on productions. There is no theatre in education, virtually no small-scale theatre.

“There is virtually no investment by the BBC or UTV in drama in the province. It’s a cultural desert.”

The union wants broadcasters to come to the summit with pledges to set soap operas in the province and the arts councils in Northern Ireland and the Republic to work together to produce more touring productions.

John Botteley, director of the Grand Opera House, Belfast, welcomed the proposals and called for per capita arts expenditure in Northern Ireland to be brought up to the level of the rest of the UK.

“There’s a 20% difference between us and England and, while the opera house is well funded, there are an awful lot of people struggling to get by with very small amounts of money,” he said. “Even a modest injection of cash would make a huge difference.”

Ali Fitzgibbon, director of Young at Art, which runs the Belfast Childen’s Festival, said the lack of a proper infrastructure for the arts was contributing to the problem.

“There are very few professional training courses which are of a high enough level, so the artistic workforce just don’t stay here,” she said. “Meanwhile the interruption of attendance of arts events, which happened in the sixties and seventies, still needs to be taken on board. But when we hear about new national initiatives for the arts, they rarely filter through to Northern Ireland.”