Midland Arts and Culture Magazine - Register.ie

Major regional venue is threatenedby escalating funding cutsHistoric and groundbreakingIn 2012 Backstage Theatre in Longfordfaces into its eighteenth year inoperation. Almost 20 years old thetheatre can look back on manymemorable and often challenging timesin an ever changing arts landscape.When the theatre opened its doors in1995 it was the only theatre in themidlands region.Many would have thought the notion ofa theatre in Longford a far too lofty andambitious one when the concept wasfirst announced but the determinationand hard work of a relatively smallnumber of people, with the support ofthe local community behind them,made this vision a reality.Since then Backstage has been aleading force in the promotion anddevelopment of the arts, not just in themidlands, but in the country as a whole.Impressive track record of theatreA programme of theatre that hasfeatured such notables as Druid TheatreCompany, The Abbey, Rough MagicTheatre Co and Livin Dred has proven tobe a great draw for audiences regionallyand have cemented Backstage asfundamental to any national tour by thetop theatre companies in the country.Excellent dance venueBackstage has earned itself a glowingreputation as a dance venue nationallyand has a strong relationship with theShawbrook dance organisation inLegan. Their partnership with thisorganisation has done much tostrengthen the audience for dance, bothcontemporary and ballet, in the region.Fidget Feet Aerial Dance Theatrebecame the venue’s resident companyin 2011 and regularly rehearse andtech their work before national andinternational tours.Two-time Olivier Award nominatedFabulous Beast Dance Company, whohave toured to the Barbican in Londonand Sydney Opera House, took up shortterm residency in the venue inDecember 2010 to produce a newpiece of work entitled Helen and Hell.The programme of dance has alsoincluded companies such as CoísCéimDance Theatre and Diversions DanceCompany in Wales.In recent years, the programme ofmusic at Backstage diversified toinclude more contemporary andmainstream artists such as Rodrigo yGabriella, Mick Flannery, Duke Special,Lisa Hannigan, Gemma Hayes and PaulBrady.TouringIn 2006 Backstage joined forces with anumber of other venues to become partof two touring networks; Nomad aregional network based in the northmidlands and Nasc a network of sevenvenues with a wider geographicalspread nationally. These were the firstnetworks of their kind and Backstagewas the only venue on both networks.In 2008 Backstage was the lead venueof the Nomad network and a productionin association with Livin Dred of TheDead School by Pat Mc Cabe opened inthe venue before touring to all venues inthe network and subsequently to theDublin Theatre Festival and the Tricyclein London. The Dead School was a hugesuccess with audiences and criticsalike, garnering three Irish Timestheatre Awards nominations.Community-focusedA strong programme of touring theatredance and music is complimented by asteadfast community focussedprogramme. The theatre provides aplatform for local community groups,schools and festivals to develop performand present work encouragingparticipation in the arts.Organisations such as Aisling Children’sArts Festival, an annual week longfestival which has been in existencesince 1998. Then there is StChristopher’s Services, a service forpeople with intellectual disabilities.Backstage Youth Theatre has gone fromstrength to strength since it’s inception.And, of course, Backstage TheatreGroup, the founding members ofBackstage Theatre utilise every aspectof the theatre from advice and supportand access to professional touringtheatre to performance and workshopfacilities in the Auditorium, The AtriumGallery and Canal Studio.The addition of the Canal Studio spaceat the theatre in 2010 allowedBackstage to further enhance itscommunity focus and ability to meet theneeds of a growing number of artsparticipants.New theatreTo coincide with the launch of thisstudio, Backstage introduced a newtheatre project to produce and stage inhouse productions at the theatre.In the two short years since the projectwas introduced three productions havebeen devised and developed out of theCanal Studio at Backstage beforetransferring to the 212 seaterauditorium for three to five night runs. The productions are cast through anopen audition and have attracted manyexperienced and talented amateuractors living and working in the area.The production process involves aseries of rehearsals and workshops withwell-known figures from the world oftheatre giving these local actors thechance to work with professionaldirectors, choreographers, lightingdesigners and theatre staff.The first production Philadelphia Here ICome was directed by Noel Strangefrom Longford in October 2010, as wasthe third production of The Hostagewhich toured to Ramor Theatre inVirginia after its run in Backstage inOctober 2011.In August 2011 a production of TheCarnival at Glenaduff, written anddirected by Padraic Mc Intyre of LivinDred Theatre Company ran for fivenights.All three in house productions played tofull houses.Funding cutsBackstage has suffered significant cutsto its Arts Council funding in recentyears, which almost certainly threatensthe future of what has become alandmark venue in the national artsscene.Those invloved told the Midlands Artsand Culture Magazine: “We can onlyhope that the experience and expertisegained over almost two decades ofconsistent and commendable artsprovision will provide this venue with themeans and the resolve to survive andeven continue to flourish.” M31