Irish shows prepare for Australian new year

ARTSCAPE:EARLY JANUARY IS the only quiet time in Ireland's cultural calendar, but Australia is clearly where it's at early next year for Irish arts.

Three Irish theatre and dance companies headline the two big festivals, in Sydney and Perth. The Gate Theatre and Sydney Festival will present a season of Brian Friel plays in January, marking his 80th birthday, though details haven't been confirmed. The following month Druid Theatre perform Enda Walsh's Fringe First-winning New Electric Ballroomat the Perth International Theatre Festival, while Fabulous Beast Dance Company will bring Giselleto the festival.

But, back to this week, and next Wednesday's hectic nexus for Druid Theatre. That day the company has three productions on stage simultaneously (time differences apart) in the UK, US and Ireland. The Walworth Farcecontinues its run at the National Theatre in London, The Cripple of Inishmaanis at the Olympia as part of the Dublin Theatre Festival, and The Playboy of the Western Worldand Shadow of the Glenare at Berkeley Rep, California, as part of a five-city US tour.

Word is that Druid has further ambitious plans in the international pipeline. The logistics alone involved in this level of activity are impressive, never mind the artistic ambition. There must be something better than just lead in the water in Galway.

Those Australian outings feature in Culture Ireland's latest round of support (of over €400,000) for more than 60 international projects in theatre, dance, music, film, visual arts and literature, presenting work on four continents. At theatre festival time a lot of groundwork is done that leads to such Irish work touring abroad. This week's International Theatre Exchange included 55 international producers and presenters - from Hong Kong to Sydney and from Istanbul to the US - interested in putting on Irish work. This annual event is the cornerstone of the Theatre Institute's promotional work and has resulted in many tours and international collaborations.

What's the collective noun for directors of national theatres? For those interested in the role of those institutions, today's Abbey Talks discussion features Abbey director Fiach Mac Conghail; Vicky Featherstone, director of the National Theatre of Scotland, Nicholas Hytner, director of the National Theatre of Great Britain and John McGrath, the recently appointed director of National Theatre Wales. It is chaired by Vincent Woods, and will be broadcast on RTÉ Radio 1's Arts Showon Monday. The event is free, but booking is essential, on 01-8787222.

Black Watchwas one of the most hotly anticipated theatre openings of the festival, and the production hasn't disappointed. But it was a pity, then, to have such a kerfuffle over the single preview night of what was a sold-out show. The cancellation of the preview at the last moment on Tuesday - as audience members sat tightly packed under the hot lights and as the cast were visibly ready backstage - was a disappointment (and a particular inconvenience to those who had booked babysitters or travelled from far afield).

Presumably the ticket refunds are poor consolation, and it's a pity an additional show wasn't possible. Dublin Theatre Festival director Loughlin Deegan this week said that the festival and the company would have liked to put an additional performance on tomorrow night, but that would have meant two performances on Saturday followed by two on Sunday before flying straight to New York to perform. So for "contractual and scheduling reasons" it wasn't possible.

Incidentally, the concern over the subsidence of the raked seating, which caused the cancellation, was unfounded, and safety was cleared by a structural engineer the following morning. But on the night, rarely enough for theatre, the show didn't go on.

As part of the events around Black Watch, there are two British Council Conversations this weekend. BBC journalist Seamus McKee chairs Conversations: The Greater Gloryat the RDS Minerva Suite at 1pm today, where Neil Kinnock, Ken Adelman, director of the US Arms Control and Disarmament Agency in the Reagan era, and journalists Susan McKay and Fintan O'Toole will look at attitudes to war and the military.

At the RDS Minerva Suite at 5.30pm tomorrow, former Arts Council director Patricia Quinn chairs Conversations: Theatre and War, where playwright Gary Mitchell, Neil Murray of National Theatre of Scotland, Eugene Downes of Culture Ireland and Sally Cowling of the British Council will discuss the role of art at a time of war.

Earlier, at 1pm, in Dublin's Project Arts Centre, you can catch the theatre critics of the future. At the National Association for Youth Drama Young Critics' Panel, 16 people aged 16-18, will air their views and critical opinions on productions this year, including three new shows in the Dublin Theatre Festival. They will work with theatre critic Karen Fricker to assess Black Watch, Dodgemsand That Night Follows Day. Admission is free.

TG4 recruits artists

A new arts series on TG4 called Imeall, replacing Soiscéal Pháraic, hopes to inject fresh perspective into a sometimes jaded formula by using artists as reporters. The line-up includes singer Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh, contemporary dancer Fearghus Ó Conchúir and artists Fergal McCarthy, Sinéad Ní Mhaonaigh and Ceara Conway, writes Catherine Foley. The 35-programme series, with a budget of €258,000, started on Wednesday (repeated at 7pm tomorrow).

The new format and approach is the brainchild of producer Maggie Breathnach. "Our artists will give us a unique insight into the world of their contemporaries. It's their chance to develop and talk about what they feel is important to them," she says. Imeall, which means "edge", "is where we intend to be, at the cutting edge of all that is happening culturally and artistically in Ireland."

The Imeallteam of artists-cum-reporters, under the direction of Paschal Cassidy, will engage with their peers at rehearsals, workshops, galleries, performance spaces, theatres and concert venues. The first show featured fiddle player Colm Mac Con Iomaire and a look at new work by choreographer and dancer Ríonach Ní Néill.

The series will also showcase emerging work, with harpist and Clannad musician Cormac de Barra as presenter in a theatrical red and gold studio in Galway. Breathnach and Cassidy hope the series will become a beacon of knowledge, shining in the darkness, giving direction through the frothy sea of the arts or, as Gaeilge, "réalt eolais, lóchrann sa dorchadas agus stiúir ar fharraige cháite na n-ealaíon is ea an tsraith seo".

In last week's Artscape, John Collins of Elevator Repair Service discussed the ongoing difficulties the company had in securing rights for their production of Gatz, which is still excluded from production in New York and the UK, writes Sara Keating. However, Collins is keen to clarify that the Fitzgerald Estate does in fact know that "Ireland is not part of the United Kingdom", and that it was the producers of Simon Levy's conventional adaptation of The Great Gatsbywho complained that the Irish production was infringing upon the rights agreement. As Collins explains, Elevator Repair Service have a good relationship with the estate, "dependent on goodwill", informing them "in advance of any production of the play, even where permission is not required". Having seen the epic production myself, I am happy to clear up the confusion: Gatzdeserves to be seen.