WEXFORD'S NEW opera house makes a splendidly impressive central landmark rising above the skyline of the historic town.
The decision to locate it on the site of the old Theatre Royal, that remarkable performance space snuggled into an ordinary backstreet and home to the town's annual opera festival since 1951, shows not only good judgment but has resulted in a harmonious and imaginative blending of the old and the new.
At this point every year the magical atmosphere that opera brings to the stage spills out into the town itself, adding colour to the winter days and transforming the mood on the streets into one of festive celebration. As Lady Beit, a devotee of the festival, once wrote: "Part of the pleasure was the intimacy of the town itself. You might literally bump into singers in its narrow streets, and later hobnob with them in the hotels and pubs."
This evening, the venue will usher in a new era for an opera festival that has earned a well-deserved reputation as a unique event with a loyal following of opera lovers from home and abroad. That reputation has been built not only on the festival's tradition of seeking out rarely-performed work for its programme, but also on the spirited involvement of the townspeople who have always been at the heart of this event — from providing accommodation for performers to costume-making and taking part in the nightly routine of the theatre. The festival has kept faith with the original concept of its founders who imagined a very local event with international appeal — and long may this continue.
The challenging task of giving this country its first purpose-built opera house was not an easy one. The Government and private donors deserve every plaudit for contributing the necessary finances, and also the OPW which once more has shown the value of the skills and knowledge it brings to its oversight and development of key cultural projects. The new building is a significant addition to the nexus of such venues now providing regional access to theatre and music. The challenge ahead is to ensure that it does not become under-utilised or under-resourced — and that's made much more difficult by this week's cut in arts funding.
The new venue will stand as a lasting memorial to the efforts of the many people who took the initiative to push the project forward, but especially the vision of former chief executive Jerome Hynes who set the course for what has now been achieved. His name on one of the performance spaces stands as a fitting reminder of his dedication to Wexford and its festival.