DUBLIN'S GATE Theatre celebrates its 80th anniversary this week. It does so not only with a long and distinguished record of world-class productions to its credit but also with the near-completion of an extension that greatly enhances the elegant 18th century building that has been home to generations of our finest actors and has attracted so many international stars to its stage.
But perhaps the most remarkable aspect of the celebration is that the theatre has had only two artistic directors in its 80-year-history. Gate director Michael Colgan shares the occasion with his own 25th anniversary year running the theatre. That only two directors have guided the fortunes and fate of this most intimate of venues through most of one century into another must constitute some kind of record.
During his tenure, Colgan has consolidated the central place of the Gate in Irish theatre and, like its founding fathers before him, has had to overcome the usual adversities: inadequate funding, competition for audiences and the upkeep of an old building that is close to the hearts of its audiences.
When Hilton Edwards, with his partner Micheal MacLiammoir, established the Gate in 1928, the role of Dublin's other main theatre, The Abbey, was still very much the promulgation of home-grown drama and serving the nationally-minded agenda of its founders. Edwards, on the other hand, envisaged the Gate as having a more outward-looking perspective, giving audiences the opportunity to see work of a more avant-garde nature as well as classics of the European and American canon.
While that tradition has continued, the theatre's repertoire and remit have been widened. As Brian Friel has stated, it has "quickened and sustained Irish theatre". It has also played an important role in bringing Irish theatre to an international audience.
Under Colgan's direction, it has developed particularly close bonds with three of the major dramatists of the 20th century - Beckett, Pinter and Friel. While the showcasing of the work of these writers, no doubt, has been a labour of love for Colgan, it is a tribute to his dedication and passion and to his legendary powers of persuasion that this theatre of humble beginnings has found favour among these masters of the art.
The Gate's triumphs have been many but perhaps its greatest is that it stands so well-placed to enter into a new era and to continue the work of the past 80 years.