Madam, - Following recent correspondence in your columns regarding the depiction of the celebrated Abbey actor F.J. Mc Cormick in Colm Toibin's play Beauty in a Broken Place I wish, on behalf of the Abbey, to emphasise the value we place on the contribution of all the many fine actors who graced our boards in the past 100 years.
In the pantheon of the greats of Irish theatre it is hard to imagine that there is a more illustrious name than that of F.J. McCormick. At the same time, as you would expect, we uphold the right of Colm Toibin to the freedom of artistic expression that has been a cornerstone of our new play policy for many years. - Yours, etc.,
BEN BARNES,
Artistic Director,
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Abbey Theatre,
Dublin 1.