Concern over Temple Bar trust's plan to fund theatre

CONCERN HAS been raised at a meeting of Dublin City Council about Temple Bar Cultural Trust’s intention to provide hundreds of thousands of euro in funding to Smock Alley Theatre.

Board members of Temple Bar Cultural Trust will meet this morning to discuss a proposal to provide a €300,000 loan and a €350,000 guarantee to the theatre.

In 2006 and 2007, Smock Alley received €3.8 million in grants from the Department of Arts and Culture towards the redevelopment of its Temple Bar site, the location of a 17th century theatre. To date some €595,000 has been drawn down by the company.

The decision of a key sponsor to withhold a planned €300,000 donation to the company prompted Smock Alley Theatre director Patrick Sutton to request a loan from the Temple Bar Cultural Trust.

The trust – which is an independent private limited company set up in 1991, but whose shareholder is the city council – is also planning to commit to guaranteeing a €350,000 long-term loan from Ulster Bank.

One of the key components of the proposal to redevelop the theatre is that the redeveloped theatre will become the new home for the Gaiety School of Acting, a private company of which Patrick Sutton and founder Joe Dowling are the sole directors.

Calls to representatives of the trust and the school were not returned yesterday.

Cllr Mannix Flynn raised the issue of the proposed arrangement between the trust and theatre at a council meeting on Monday night. In response, the Dublin city manager said while the trust is wholly owned by the council, it is a separate company and is legally entitled to enter into contracts in its own right.

“On the matter of Temple Bar Cultural Trust issuing of loans and guarantees, I understand this function is given to it in the articles of association and is something which it is legally entitled to do.”

The council recently ordered a review into the trust.

The trust derives its income from rent of properties in the area, which are ultimately owned by the city council. It uses these funds to run a number of cultural events in the area including Culture Night and Messiah on the Street.

The trust is governed by a board appointed by the city manager. The 12-member board includes a number of councillors, including Mr Flynn. Matt McNulty is chairman.

Recently elected Senator Cllr Catherine Noone, who is a member of the board, said the trust needs to be sure it is financing a project that is financially viable.

Board member Martin Harte, manager of the Temple Bar Traders Association, said full and adequate information needed to be provided for board members to make a decision regarding the use of public funds.

Of the two other councillors who are members of the trust, Oisin Quinn declined to comment and Maria Parodi was not available for comment.