From top: Gate Theatre, Dublin and Arts Council logo

Further to the claims made against former artistic director of the Gate Theatre Michael Colgan…

And the fact The Gate Theatre receives funding from the Arts Council – the theatre received €860,000 from the council in 2016 and €860,000 in 2015…

Yesterday.

The Sunday Independent reported on a survey carried out last year by Irish Equity, which is part of the union SIPTU, and represents actors, theatre directors, stage and set designers in Ireland.

The survey involved people, mostly women, working in the arts and wasn’t limited to any one location.

It found that almost 60 per cent of those surveyed said they had been bullied but that almost 75 per cent had not reported it because they feared it might jeopardise future work opportunities.

Further to this.

Karan O’Loughlin, speaking to Keelin Shanley on RTE’s News At One this afternoon said:

“This is an open secret in the arts. We went to the Arts Council with this early in 2016 to ask them to help us to deal with it by connecting funding to robust anti-bullying procedures and they refused.

“They said it wasn’t their business.”

“It’s an absolute pre-requisite, in my view, that all of the funding bodies should insist that any organisation applying for funding, or being supported with State money, should have robust anti-bullying and anti-harrassment, including anti-sexual harassment procedures in place.”

Abuse in the arts: the shocking truth (Irish Independent) 

Previously: Barbarian At The Gate

“I Knew It Was Likely I Would Never Work In The Gate Again”