Minister Catherine Martin TD announced ‘the approval of a special support allocation of €23,000 towards the International Dublin Gay Theatre Festival (IDGTF) on June 23rd. This will help strengthen the organisational capabilities of the project, help in promoting the Festival internationally and enhance overall programming, booking and commissioning for future years‘.
Minister Martin said: “The IDGTF has been a great success over many years. This has been achieved through community effort. The commitment and support from performers, producers, venue operators, and a range of service providers has also been of utmost importance in providing artwork, printing and production skills. I am pleased to assist the organisers in securing a bright future and enabling them to take the necessary steps to grow and engage a wider audience in the years ahead“.
IDGTF Founder and Artistic Director, Brian Merriman, said:
“The Minister’s significant and fulsome endorsement is a vital shot in the arm for the incredible voluntary work that has created and sustained our first two decades of unique identity theatre. After a very difficult period to keep our inclusive LGBT+ theatre viable, this crucial level of support will greatly assist us in reaching our 20th anniversary in 2023.
It will finally allow us to develop and innovate and hopefully will encourage more private sponsorship, so that this unique theatre event can reach its full potential.
In addition to our exciting, curated programme, we will now share this vital support with artistic partners through a new production Bursary opportunity. An Irish and international panel of qualified assessors will select three successful Bursary applicants for an additional direct financial support to bring their work ‘from page to stage’ in our 2023 Festival programme. Thanks to this affirming support by the Minister and her Department today, we can finally look forward to our next decade of enabling writers and artists to have their LGBT+ stories seen and heard by all in Dublin next May”.
“The goal is to assist the IDGTF to become a stronger platform for their future programmes, providing opportunities for writers, performers and all those involved in theatrical production. The Festival intends to re-establish its international connections and networking in the aftermath of COVID, to strengthen marketing and advertising strategies to engage wider audiences and to enhance visibility online with information about programmes and activities.”
Please give your support for this great support by sending a message to the Department via
Twitter: @DeptCultureIrl,
Facebook: Department of Tourism Culture Arts Gaeltacht Sport and Media.
Instagram: Tourism.Culture.Gaeltacht
