The Lyric Theatre has received one of eleven Arts Council of Northern Ireland Sustainability Fund awards granted to annually funded arts groups to make permanent, significant change to their organisations and improve their ability to bring great art to as many people in Northern Ireland as possible.
The award will go towards creating a Literary Director role at the Lyric to develop new writing for the wider theatre sector. The Literary Director will be responsible for developing and implementing a policy of new writing, contemporary classics, and translations for the Lyric Theatre. They will be at the core of the artistic activity of the Lyric and will act as the principal interface between the Lyric and writers, identifying and evaluating dramatic material for the Lyric and the wider drama sector in Northern Ireland.
Roisin McDonough, Chief Executive of the Arts Council of Northern Ireland said,
“The Arts Council has responded to the pressures facing our core arts organisations, many of which are struggling to survive after a succession of cuts to government funding. The Arts Council’s Sustainability Fund, worth £261,207, will help annually funded arts organisations take appropriate action to implement permanent, significant change measures in these difficult financial times.
Whether through collaboration, mergers, new partnerships or new business models, we hope the National Lottery funding we have awarded, can help these core arts organisations to sustain the important work they deliver for the benefit of many in our society.”
Jimmy Fay, Executive Producer of the Lyric added,
“We’re delighted to receive the grant from the Arts Council and we’re extremely excited about recruiting a Literary Director for the Lyric. The successful candidate will be a great asset to both the Lyric and the wider drama sector in Northern Ireland. This shows our commitment to writers, new writing and new ways of creating new work for theatre.”