ONE OF Ireland’s leading street theatre companies is pondering its future after it was disclosed that it has had its entire Arts Council funding cut for 2013.
Bui Bolg, which was founded in 1994, and has been funded through the Arts Council since 1996, has suffered a 100% cut to its funding.
Speaking to The Echo, Lucy Medlycott, General Manager at Bui Bolg, said that the group was dismayed with the news: “It’s incredibly disappointing. We have worked so hard to try to make the company sustainable over the years, employing over seven people full time. So to have the rug pulled out from under you for no clear reason is absolutely devastating for the whole Bui Bolg team.”
The group, which was made aware of the Arts Council decision earlier last year, spent much of the year trying to get the decision reversed but is now waiting on news of a second funding programme which they were encouraged to apply for after they heard that they would be cut.
“They have a new fund this year called the Programme Activity Fund so we’re hoping that something comes through from that but it’ll be on a project basis and not for our annual programme. It won’t maintain the company the way it is structured at the moment.”
The board of directors of Bui Bolg is due to meet this week to discuss the future running of the company: “This is going to be very serious. We’re going to have to change our whole operation and the way that we work. Whatever we have to do to survive is going to affect a lot of people directly.”
[Full story in this week’s print edition of The Echo]
