The performing arts sector has called on the government to relax restrictions on children’s indoor dance, drama and music classes so they can resume next month.
In a letter to all public representatives in the country, Performing Arts Educators of Ireland (PAEI) demanded the government provide a plan for reopening the sector. “We urgently request a meeting with the appropriate ministers and officials; along with an official statement regarding our reopening to ensure our sector is ready to open in September,” it said.
All indoor classes, including in studios, stage schools, and academies, have been closed for almost 18 months.
Pamela Hughes, chairwoman of PAEI and owner of Take2 Performing Arts School in Foxrock, Dublin, said the sector had been “overlooked”. She said: “I have now got a full school of students booked for September, but I’m not taking deposits for fear I’ll have to refund. So, it’s just being in that limbo — not knowing when I can open or how I can open. Is it going to be one-metre social distancing, which would mean I’d have to reduce numbers? It’s just about having something solid in place that our members can work from.”
Gavin Quigley, who runs Born 2 Perform stage school in Monaghan, said that the delay to the reopening of the performing arts sector was taking a toll on young people’s mental health, as they had been deprived of “an outlet of expression that gives a social life and a sense of belonging”.
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The PAEI has started a social media campaign, which has recruited famous faces including Colin Farrell, Saoirse Ronan and Charlene Mckenna. The actors sent video messages of support for the campaign.
Hughes appealed to the government to recognise the role of stage schools and academies in developing Ireland’s theatrical talent. “Government is very quick to praise the likes of Saoirse Ronan, who gets an Academy nomination, but we are the people who create these stars. They’ve all gone through our schools,” she said.
A spokeswoman for the culture and arts department said that indoor activity was only open for individual training and that classes of any sort were not permitted. “For outdoor activity, underage non-contact training in pods of 15 or fewer is permitted, including dance and drama and music training,” she said. “The government continues to follow its plan to review and monitor the control of the virus and follow the prevailing public health advice in support of a safe and gradual reopening.”