Irish Repertory Theatre Company Inc

Ever since the Irish Repertory Theatre bought its property on West 22nd Street in 2007 we have worked tirelessly to raise money to renovate our performance spaces and facilities, and to retire our mortgage on the theater's site. With the completion of these goals about to be realized we can fully focus on our core aim of bringing Irish theater and culture to an American audience.
Our primary mission is to continue to produce a significant number of Irish and Irish-American plays each year. We aim to bring a diverse selection of productions that explore all aspects of the Irish experience. This will involve not just productions of plays, but also musicals, dance, talks from artists and academics, and exhibitions.
This aim is complemented by our desire to discover and promote new writing in Irish theater. With the construction of our new studio and rehearsal space we hope to give a home to writers who wish to develop their work in a creative and exciting environment. This project also opens up the possibility that one of the writers will have the chance to have their work produced on our main-stage.
In the future we plan to continue our work in audience development through our Arts Engagement program. We aim to grow our audience through various outreach programs and to bring our work to a younger audience. The Internship/Work-Study Program will continue to be a major aspect of our outreach work. This provides invaluable experience for people who are interested in pursuing a career in the arts.
Finally, much of our work is supported through the donations and subscriptions of our members. In this area we hope to maintain our loyal membership base and to bring in new members who will support us in the future.

In order to produce a consistently vibrant and interesting program we will work with the existing creative team that we have built up over the years, but also draw on new talent from both America and Ireland. As a repertory company we have many artists and practitioners who work with us on a regular basis. However, we also bring in outside artists to make sure that our work is opened up to a broader audience. In the summer of 2016 Matthew Broderick will perform in our production of Conor McPherson's Shining City and earlier in the year we had Julian Sands perform his solo show, A Celebration of Harold Pinter. This sort of name recognition guarantees that our shows reach a much wider demographic than just the Irish communities of New York.
Nonetheless, we owe much of the success of our organization to our loyal membership base. This has created a sizable audience that provides us with an who lend a strong level of financial stability. Our annual subscriptions ensure we have a constant flow of donations throughout the year, whilst giving our members a variety of benefits. We also apply to various individuals, government bodies and corporations for one-off grants to support the running of our theater. Our major fundraising event of the year is the annual gala. This allows us to celebrate the contribution our members have made, but also to raise a large amount of capital through ticket sales, an online auction and raffle.
Our aim of growing and diversifying our audience will be achieved through a variety of strategies. We will continue to operate our Ticket Subsidy Program in order to ensure that students and seniors have access to our work. We also offer Green Seat Memberships to people who are under 35 years old. These memberships are free and offer a hugely reduced rate on the price of tickets as well as access to special events. This program has gone a long way in bringing in a new, younger audience to the Irish Rep and we will continue to grow it in the future. Above all we plan to create a sense of belonging and ownership for our audiences. We strive to build this feeling of inclusiveness for new and existing audience members through post-show talks, creating a strong neighborhood community program and industry events that promote theater.

From the end of Summer 2016 onward, the Irish Repertory Theatre will return to its home on West 22nd Street. With the newly renovated Francis J. Greenburger Main Stage and the smaller W. Scott McLucas Studio space fully equipped, our goal of producing a consistently high standard of artistic work will be much easier to achieve in the future. The construction of two motorized tracks on the stage will mean that backstage work will be significantly simpler and the installation of an LED lighting grid will make for more visually striking productions. Furthermore, the opening of our studio space gives us our own rehearsal area. This will encourage a sense of constant activity and community within the building. The studio will also act as a space for new writing to be developed and performed, thus granting us the ability to broaden the horizons of our programming.
As well as new theaters we will also see the opening of new disabled access facilities, including wheelchair access and assistive listening equipment for those audience members with hearing difficulties. A lot of work has also been done in improving our bar and bathroom facilities. All of this will further improve our audience's experience and ensure that we will continue to thrive in the coming years.
The administrative staff will likewise have their work space significantly improved. We will move into a modern open-plan office, which will encourage collaboration and creative dialogue between members of staff. This will centralize our archives and records and make for a more efficient and transparent working environment. We will also have access to better storage and computer facilities. As a result, fundraising, audience development, and creative programming will all benefit.
Much of this will be made possible through the continued support of our friends and members. To that end, the development staff will continue to strengthen and maintain our membership program and apply to individuals, government bodies and corporations for grants.

The Irish Rep's greatest accomplishment in recent years has been the punctual completion of our theater's renovation and the support we have received through our capital campaign. This has completely revolutionized what the Irish Rep will be able to achieve in the future. Moreover, it will grow its reputation both locally and abroad as a producer of Irish and Irish-American theater.
Many of our projects are ongoing and depend on a variety of factors to determine their success. Our most recent shows have all been met with approval from critics and audiences alike. Meanwhile rehearsals have already begun on our upcoming production of Conor McPherson's Shining City.
Our fundraising and development department continue to act as a source of stability for the organization. We continue to grow our membership and receive regular and significant donations from individuals, government bodies and corporate entities.
Audience development has continued to be a successful part of our company's output, in spite of the fact that we have been away from our theater for some time. We have continued to provide reduced prices for seniors and students and our Green Seats program has gained a healthy number of members. Likewise, our free readings and post-show discussions have garnered impressive audience numbers. The only regrettable impact of our absence from West 22nd Street has been our lack of work in the local community. However, this is to be expected, given our circumstances.