Since An Grianán Theatre opened in Letterkenny town, it has proven to be a catalyst for the arts, not just in the county of Donegal, but the whole of the northwest, explains the theatre’s director Patricia McBride.

“When the theatre opened in 1999, there would have been three main groups and a few other people in town doing drama, elocution lessons and that kind of thing. But since the theatre opened there has literally been an explosion of performing arts groups. There are musical theatre groups, there are dance groups and every school has a variety concert each year,” says Patricia.

The theatre came together under the Cultural Development Incentive Scheme (CDIS), which was initiated by Michael D Higgins when he was Minister for the Arts. Alongside that, An Grianán was joint-funded by Donegal County Council and an amateur theatre group called the North West Theatre Project.

This group raised £250,000 at the time and their legacy lives on, as community groups are truly at the centre of the theatre’s programming.

“We have always engaged very much so with the local amateur groups. They were the catalyst for making the theatre happen, from day one they have been a big part of the programme,” explains Patricia. The theatre is very spacious, with a capacity of 383 seats. The stage is also very large and Patricia points out that this is a big draw for groups to come and perform here, as you can always make a stage smaller, but you cannot make it bigger.

An Grianán has a very varied programme and regularly attracts professional performances, but Patricia does admit that sometimes it can be difficult to get groups to tour beyond Dublin.

“It is possible for companies to perform in central Dublin and then go out to the suburbs without actually having to tour properly. We are a four-hour drive from Dublin, so it costs more money to bring the companies out here,” she says.

The Nomad Theatre Group, of which An Grianán is a member, recently got a grant to take a production of Swan Lake on tour, and the performance was very well received.

“That required a really significant grant from the Arts Council to cover the cost of a big company out on the road,” says Patricia.

In July An Grianán will be central to the celebrations of the 30th Earagail Arts Festival, which promises to be a jam-packed two and a half weeks in Donegal. CL

For more information, see www.angrianan.com.