On The Town: There were speeches, good wishes and some tears when glasses were raised to salute Mary Elizabeth Burke-Kennedy at a special reception in Dublin's Irish Film Institute this week.
After co-founding and then directing the Storytellers Theatre Company for 19 years, Burke-Kennedy is stepping down to concentrate on her writing.
"I love that her passion for theatre never dulled," said actor Simon O'Gorman, who has performed in five Storytellers productions. "She never failed to inspire those who work for her. In case you don't know already, your actors love you."
Patrick Sutton, director of the Gaiety School of Acting and board member of the Arts Council, described Burke-Kennedy as "somebody who has theatre in every single corpuscle" and someone who has been to the fore in "flying the flag for theatre".
"Now her ship is going out and Liam Halligan's is coming in," he added, turning to the company's new artistic director.
Liam Halligan announced details of a new play for 2005, The Dream of a Summer Day, which will go on a national tour of 12 venues, opening in Tallaght's Civic Theatre on March 31st. The play is based on the writings and life of the Irishman, Lafcadio Hearn (1850-1904), who wrote 13 books about Japan.
Paul Murray, of the Department of Foreign Affairs, and author of a biography of Hearn, said "people will be excited by the emotional charge in the play". Hearn "explains the essence of Japan like nobody else".
Others at the reception included Marie Jones, co-founder of Storytellers with Burke-Kennedy; Abbey Theatre board member Siobhán Bourke; actor Gerry Byrne; Joe Long, of the UCD drama studies department; and actor and playwright Paul Meade.