For the third time in just over a year, Druid is staging three productions on three stages on the same night. Thursday Nov 12th marks a busy day for Druid and for Irish theatre but not just on the island of Ireland. At home the Irish tour of The Gigli Concert by Tom Murphy kicks off in Letterkenny while overseas in New York The New Electric Ballroom by Enda Walsh continues to play to packed houses following on from its rave reviews. 2,500 miles west The Walworth Farce, also by Enda Walsh, touches down in Los Angeles on the 9th stop of its 16-stop world tour. The tour finishes in Sydney next April.

2009 has beaten even Druid’s mammoth 2008 touring schedule. This year Druid will have staged 6 productions in 6 countries, culminating in 360 performances as well as having opened their newly refurbished theatre on Druid Lane in Galway. The sheer breadth and spread of Druid’s work, right into the first half of 2010 with the current world tour of The Walworth Farce, is unrivalled by any other Irish arts organisation.

This far reaching programme of work would not be possible without the support of The Arts Council and Culture Ireland, the organisation which funds Druid’s extensive international touring programme. Earlier this year, Garry Hynes spoke out publicly during Galway Arts Festival opposing Bord Snip’s proposed cuts to the arts, highlighting the fundamental importance of the arts to communities all around the island of Ireland.

Commenting on Druid’s staging of 3 plays on 3 stages Artistic Director, Garry Hynes said,

“Druid playing on three stages with three different productions on the same night is a testament to the value for money the arts provide and the passion and commitment of the people who work with us. Our annual grant from the Arts Council is €915,000 and our full time staff is 6. I’d like to see any business beat that level of productivity”.

Eugene Downes, CEO of Culture Ireland which funds Druid’s international touring programme commented that,

“The international acclaim for Druid’s productions of Enda’s extraordinary pair of plays is a great Irish success story. I can’t think of a better way to convince global audiences that Ireland is a world leader in creativity”.

Druid look forward to welcoming their audiences on tour with these three productions and would like to thank them for supporting Irish theatre at home and abroad.