Graham McLaren
WITH THE arrival at the Abbey theatre during the summer of Catríona McLaughlin (artistic director) and Mark O’Brien (executive director), the stage was set for a new era. The manner in which the departure of their predecessors, Graham McLaren and Neil Murray, was handled by the board has, however, caused consternation at the theatre’s funding provider, the Arts Council. It turns out that this off-stage farce is set to cost the Abbey a whopping €700,000.
The five-year reign of McLaren and Murray is probably best remembered for a letter signed by no less than 312 theatre practitioners that was sent to the Arts Council, the culture minister at the time, Josepha Madigan, and Abbey chairwoman Frances Ruane, complaining about the lack of opportunities at the national theatre. The “quality of the Abbey’s employment opportunities for Irish-based artists” was also raised by the Arts Council in its panicked response to the missive from the gang of 312.
It is perhaps not surprising that the exit stage left of McLaren and Murray should end up being handled in a cack-handed fashion by the Abbey board, given the sense of turmoil at the theatre in recent times. There have also been questions raised about standards of corporate governance.
Of most concern to the Arts Council, however, is the huge cost associated with the recent departure of McLaren and Murray at the end of their five-year contracts. Given that the terms of their contracts had concluded, the departure by the two boys should have been less than theatrical.
There are various aspects of the unfolding drama that remain behind the curtain but what Goldhawk can reveal is that there has been voluminous correspondence between the Arts Council and the Abbey about the decision by Ruane’s board to sanction agreements that could cost nearly €700,000. Although the hiring of the new artistic/executive director team appeared to have been a straightforward exercise, it turns out that McLaren and Murray were far from happy with the manner in which they were treated, given their status as the incumbents.
As tends to be the case when boards and executives fall out, it didn’t take long for things to turn legal and a payout of more than €100,000 to McLaren was duly agreed by the Abbey to settle this matter.
Taking into account the settlement and redundancy payments and what are understood to be substantial legal fees, the Abbey finds itself having to stump up big bucks despite having little financial room for manoeuvre. Arts Council chief executive Maureen Kennelly and chairman Kevin Rafter have been anxious to get confirmation from Ruane that none of the taxpayers’ funds provided by it (€7.5m this year) are used to settle any of these Abbey bills. Neither the Arts Council nor the theatre would tell Goldhawk if any such confirmation has been provided.
With a decision due this month on the Abbey’s funding for 2022, it will be interesting to see if Kennelly et al apply any specific conditions to the national theatre’s allocation in light of the latest (expensive) drama. They could surely sell tickets to the showdown.
