Financing Needed For NI Arts Sector

Long-term funds should be secured to ensure that NI's creative sector is secured.

The Alliance party's Culture Spokesperson, Kieran McCarthy, has called for a system of long term funding for the arts sector, to move away from year-on-year allocations and help organisations plan more strategically for the future.

He also called for Government to give consideration to a tax credit for TV companies similar to that used to attract the film industry.

The Strangford Alliance candidate said: "The arts sector has a very positive impact on our community and it brings money into our economy from tourism and film and TV opportunities.

"We can not allow this sector to be seen as an easy target for cuts. It should, just like all sectors have to look to make efficiency savings, but we need to protect the massive creative talent we have here.

"We need to ensure funding for arts projects is put on a long term basis and to move away from the year on year allocation system to enable more strategic planning and reduce the administrative burden on both funders and recipients," he said.

"We must make sure that there is enough money invested at grass roots level to ensure that the next 'Liam Neeson' or 'James Nesbitt' is discovered.

"We have also seen the benefits of films and TV shows being recorded here.

"High returns are possible for regions that work hard to attract the film industry," he continued, noting that, in the past four years films such as City of Ember, Closing the Ring and Your Highness have been filmed here, and more recently the HBO series Game of Thrones choose Northern Ireland as a location.

"Government must give serious consideration to providing a tax credit for TV companies similar to that used to attract the film industry," he suggested.

"It is also very important that we promote our unique cultural heritage by having an integrated strategy for cultural tourism.

"We have beautiful countryside, amazing architecture and a vibrant arts and cultural scene. We need a strong, coherent and integrated strategy to ensure that we can reach our tourism potential.

"We have a brilliant arts sector and we must help it to grow by being radical and displaying vision. We need to support the arts to help grow our economy and continue to attract large numbers of tourists to Northern Ireland," he concluded.

Meanwhile, the newly built Lyric Theatre - which officially opens on Sunday 1 May - is pulling out all the stops with a festival of events to welcome the iconic name back into production.

Opening with a gala performance of its first production The Crucible by Arthur Miller, rehearsals will also be under way for Brendan at the Chelsea, the opening production of the theatre's second main space in the Naughton Studio. Adrian Dunbar returns to the Lyric to direct and play the leading role in the play, which runs in the Naughton Studio, from 21 May to 19 June.

As The Crucible plays out in the main auditorium, with the hellish Salem witchcraft trials as an allegory to McCarthyism in the USA, the rest of the theatre will open up with a series of unique and taster events.

See: Lyric Theatre Stages Opening Festival

(BMcC/GK)