Below is from Dublin City Council who are attempting to identify , audit and map all Dublin city cultural assets, with the aim of developing a comprehensive knowledge based website for residents and visitors to the city.
More information and links below.
BE PART OF DUBLIN CITY’S CULTURAL AUDIT – TAKE OUR SURVEY NOW
Dublin City Cultural Audit is a Dublin City Council project to identify and promote Dublin’s culture. The project covers arts, heritage, community, sport, recreation, the environment, science, creative enterprise and more.
As an organization, group or individual working in these cultural sectors, we want to include you in the project. All you have to do is tell us about your work by taking our short survey now. It should take no longer than ten minutes to complete.
All the individuals, groups and organisations that complete the survey will be included in a comprehensive knowledge base about Dublin’s culture. This information will be used in two very important ways: – By Dublin City Council and other policy makers to plan how they will support culture in Dublin – To create a FREE website where residents and visitors can find things to do and places to go that are at the heart of city communities.
Please note you can opt out of the public website option during the survey process
The Cultural Audit project is part of the ‘Dublin’s Culture Connects’ programme (http://www.dublinscultureconnects.ie/category/cultural-audit-3/) and defines culture as broadly as possible. The idea is to catalogue both the ‘hard’ assets (buildings, public spaces, festivals, etc.) and the ‘soft’ cultural assets (informal networks, local information, stories and customs) that make Dublin such a great city.
We’re asking Venue Managers, Technical Managers, Producers, Directors, Performers, Makers, Designers, Production Managers, Technicians and organisation representatives to talk about touring in order to identify better ways to work and improve the touring model. We ask you to register for this event so we can cater for everyone. A light lunch will be served from 13.30, just let us know in advance if you’ve dietary requirements. This is an open forum so please pass this invitation on to interested colleagues and friends too.
13.30 Light lunch, coffee and tea. 14.15 Welcome and overview of touring in Ireland 14.30 Touring in an international context, the challenges and pressures with Maggie Page, Research Officer, Creative Scotland 15.00 Let’s talk about … touring experiences, expectations, successes and shortcomings 15.45 Coffee and tea break 16.00 Panel discussion – What’s works well for a producer, maker, performer, designer, production manager, technician, venue and network? 17.15 What’s essential to future success? Agree actions. 17.30 Close.
To air your views and broaden the Forum discussion, please complete this very short questionnaire in advance.
This event is generously supported by Draíocht and organised with the Association of Irish Stage Technicians (AIST).
The Gaiety Theatre are looking for a Technical Manager.
The Gaiety Theatre, one of Dublin’s much loved institutions, is a year-round commercial receiving house in the heart of the city. Built in 1871, this beautifully ornate Matcham style Theatre is host to a variety of genres. There have been extensive refurbishments carried out, with the most recent being in 2007 with a double purchase counterweight flying system amongst many other improvements to the Back of House and Stage. The Gaiety Theatre seeks a Technical Manager to oversee and manage the Technical team and department.
For a full job description and details of how to apply visit our job page here
Following on from the motion passed at the AIST AGM 2016, the AIST Board have been looking at the issues associated with the lack of appropriate technical staffing for touring productions commonly referred to as ‘Show In A Bag’.
Issues identified:
Venues do not receive the same quality product they have seen in a festival or production week setting. Even though the shows lighting will have already been hugely curtailed the touring company does not have the appropriate staff to implement this reduced version of the show on tour
The true cost of this touring model is hidden as venues who normally have staffing levels to receive shows have to supply their normal staff plus the extra technical staff that would in the past travelled with the company
No technical production staff in the touring company results in poor advance communication of the technical needs of the production with the venues. This makes it difficult for the venue to plan for the touring shows needs and plan for their get in day.
The touring show suffers from lack of quality and consistency as it tours from venue to venue with no one to oversee the quality of lighting, sound, staging or video used.
After the arrival of the company quite often rehanging or moving of equipment is needed due to lack of venue specific plans or poor communication of generic plans.
Longer focusing sessions as there is no one from the company present that can call the focus in the normal professionalfashion
Longer lighting plotting sessions and longer cue to cue sessions with actors creating longer working days for stage managers, actors and venue staff
Less opportunity for appropriate breaks as more time is needed to setup the show resulting in increased stress and poorer working conditions for all
Health and Safety is put at risk. The risks are most acute in relation to working at height where minimum staffing levels are required regardless of how simple or complicated the setup of a show is.
General decline in the professional standard of professional touring theatre
Aims of the AIST:
To communicate the concerns of its members and the issues associated with Show In A Bag style production to all parties involved
Encourage all venues to insist that touring productions they book have the appropriate level of technical staffing
Encourage the funders of touring productions to make appropriate technical staffing a normal part of the application process and a necessity in order to receive funding
Help organisations involved in the development of new work to fully understand the need for appropriate technical staffing
Encourage members of AIST who work in venues to really engage with their venue managers to ensure that they fully understand the costs and short comings associated with an understaffed Show In A Bag production
To promote safety and technical excellence in Irish Theatre.
What next:
We encourage all members to get involved. We would like to hear your feedback, experiences and suggestions
We plan to meet with Theatre Forum, Fishamble, Irish Theatre Institute and Dublin Fringe Festival to start the discussion on the issues outlined above.
