Tonight No Escape opens in The Peacock Theatre and there have been a number of developments since I wrote about the lack of access to The Peacock and the rights of people with disabilities to both access the venue and bare witness to the work of Mary Raftery and others.
After some further discussions and suggestions from myself and others the Abbey have tonight released a statement outlining their intentions both regarding future access to the venue and also the staging of a performance of No Escape in an accessible venue next week.
The Abbey Theatre regrets that the Peacock Theatre is not accessible to patrons who require wheelchair and disability access. The Abbey Theatre has already made contact with the Department of Tourism, Culture and Sport to highlight the
current shameful situation.
Director of the Abbey Theatre, Fiach Mac Conghail said, “An architect has been retained to design, cost and work out a schedule to implement the changes necessary to make the Peacock Theatre fully accessible. I also will be writing to
Minister for Tourism, Culture, and Sport, Mary Hanafin T.D. to seek a meeting on this issue and Paddy Doyle has agreed to join me.?
On Tuesday 20 April, there will be a performance of NO ESCAPE in the Liberty Hall Centre. This is a fully accessible space. The performance will take place at 8pm, for further information please contact the Abbey Theatre box office at (01) 8787 222 or visit www.abbeytheatre.ie
So if you know someone with a disability who would be interested in attending please let them know! People without disabilities might also consider attending on the night in support of accessible venues and the rights of people with disabilities to respect, dignity and protection from abuse in the future.
Well done and thank you
The wider community benefits from people like you lobbying for change.
Ah Lily I didn’t do very much at all but thanks – though I’ve a long list and the press release from the Abbey is not the end of it. Another post in the next few days on what needs to happen so that this stuff is not just about one play but brings real change to all venues.
Well done Maman – don’t hide that keyboard of yours under a bushel – from what I heard from someone inside your post and arguments and contact has been very effective. Looking forward to seeing your next move!
I’ve just been to see NO ESCAPE tonight, and I dont have words for what happened on stage or the response of the audience.
There have been numerous people involved in bringing access to this performance, quite a bit before and since the posts on here, all I can say is it is still massively importantly that people go to see this piece and the word is that ticket sales have not been great, because the great Irish public cant cope with the material.
So whether you intend to see it at the Peacock or at the accesiible venue of Liberty Hall, make bloody sure you tell as many people as possible to get there.
Can I just say, as a member of the privileged cast of this production, how glad I am that this management had the political will, and moral backbone, to commission this piece in the first place: god knows no one else was doing it.
The fact that lack of access to our National Theatre, and for that matter to the offices of the Arts Council itself, disables citizens is completely untenable. Every single person involved in the production from management to cast and crew agrees.
The current CEO of the Abbey Theatre was also the person responsible for the rebuild of the Project Arts Centre in Temple Bar, and presided over its reconstruction, ensuring, and prioritising, access.
That ‘The Darkest Corner’ season will provide the best opportunity we’ve had in years to address access to the Arts, at the highest level, is entirely appropriate; long overdue; and I know will be facilitated by this management.
The last thing the management of the Abbey Theatre is, is ‘stupid’, and I entirely disassociate myself and all the other cast members from that implication in Marie’s comment of April 11th. Also, the implication that my casual conversation with Donal Toolin, for twas he, is what brought the issue to the attention of management is entirely without foundation: they were already conscious, they don’t need me as their jiminy cricket. Prior negotiations between actors and management had nothing whatsoever to do with ‘No Escape’ per se, and are NOBODY ELSE’S BUSINESS.
I do hope that as many people as possible will attend the performances by Mannix and ourselves in the accessible venues. Let’s hope such events will soon be consigned to history, and that the Ryan Report will not be. Let’s also wish Paddy Doyle and Fiach MacConghail every success in their joint approach to government.
Alexia Golez » Blog Archive » Red Links 16/04/10 // Apr 16, 2010 at 08:59
[...] on the accessible performance of No Escape at the Abbey Theatre next [...]
I put my makeup on. Made sure my hair was decent. Met the girls for food. Nothing special in our plans. Going to see a show. Getting ready to draw up a list of complaints about the production. Feeling self righteous. We got the venue changed for access reasons.
Then the show began. The words got inside of me, in a way that I had not planned for. In my head and my heart there was no exit strategy. Any political statement I had was now redundant. My body started shaking . My lips began chattering. I cried and cried. The pain , my emotion it became too much for me. Those fucking memories had a hold on me again. The theatre is my space. Its safe. I can manage it on my own. No help needed.
Now my life, my childhood was being presented. “No escape “ was just brilliant . It was is a cog in the wheel of Irish Theatre. The power of the production gave me my pride back. I just want to say a warm thank you to Fiach Mac Conghail, Roisin McBrinn (Director) and all the cast.
I am going to see No Escape tomorrow and purposely picked the Sat matinee, because i thought the day light coming out might be needed. My wife was also a little hesitant when i enquired whether up for it, and also may have coped with the idea of getting inside this material, by knowing there would be light on emergence. It funny how the seasons can ‘enable’. I think it incredible powerful to read the comments i have read and feel the immediacy of this production already.