THE State should make it clear if it wishes to end its partnership with the National Theatre, its artistic director, Mr Patrick Mason, has said.
His remarks are contained in a speech originally delivered to a private meeting of National Theatre Society board members and shareholders at the end of March. But the text of the speech has since been circulated to members of the Oireachtas, and other interested parties, including the Arts Council.
"The assumption on the street," Mr Mason told The Irish Times yesterday, "is that the Abbey is a semi state body, with everybody living in clover, getting all the perks, but it doesn't work like that. All I'm saying in this document is that there are too many anomalies, too much disinformation and misinformation."
He said the desirability of a national theatre was an open topic. He hoped this new publication would encourage dialogue.
"We're in a new ball game and it would be nice to just actually have a dialogue about the National Theatre . .. I believe a national theatre is important for the survival of the theatre art in Ireland, for training or developing talent in all areas.
According to the document, various funding issues caused Mr Mason to wonder whether "the State has any real commitment to a national theatre at all", and further to ask whether "the State wishes to withdraw from its partnership" with the National Theatre Society.
"If that is the case, it should say so," Mr Mason says in the document, "and the society will have to face the hard fact that, whatever its own sense of purpose, it cannot properly sustain the work of a national theatre without such a partnership."
Mr Mason said this was not just the Abbey "whingeing" and looking for more money, it was a matter of whether the nation wanted a national theatre. He had been disappointed that a previous discussion document published by the society on the question had received no official response.
"There is a time limit on this," he said. "Life moves on and people move on and things move on, governments move on, arts councils move on, and I think 18 months is a long time to wait."