Longford County Council praises the "treasure" that is the Backstage Theatre

There was glowing praise for the cultural impact that Backstage Theatre has had on Longford during the past three decades at the recent monthly meeting of the local authority.

Mona Considine, the Artistic Director of Backstage Theatre, thanked councillors and executive members for being invited to speak at last week's monthly meeting of Longford County Council.

"I am delighted to be here today, it feels great, we are 30 years old this month at Backstage so it is a great sense of achievement to have got this far and achieved and grown in that 30 years."

Mona said Backstage Theatre helps to deliver artist supports, job opportunities, a strong community focus and they have positive support from stakeholders including Longford County Council and the Arts Council.

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"In 1995 the representatives from Slashers and Backstage Theatre Group with the support of the community, we had a dream of making a Longford theatre a reality and that took many years of planning and developing.

"But finally in April 1995 the theatre opened its doors and it was the first theatre in the Midlands and it was only a handful of theatres in the country at that time."

Mona said it was a big achievement for the town and county.

"It's a 30 year success story we would like to think and for those 30 years Backstage has provided cultural experiences of the highest calibre for the people of Longford and beyond.

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"In the three decades the organisation survived crippling economic recession, a global pandemic and despite often having very limited financial resources we have grown from strength to strength."

Mona outlined how Druid, one of the most prestigious theatre companies, regularly perform with them and activate their short-term artists residency programme.

She insisted none of the supports or residency programmes would be possible without the annual funding support they receive.

Mona said in 2025 they will receive €275,000 from the Arts Council and just over €21,200 from Longford County Council.

She stated they receive multi-annual funding programmes from both organisations which gives them real security to plan and they are one of only eight organisations and venues in the country to receive multi-annual funding.

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Mona said they have begun the process of integrating new communities into the future plans of Backstage and they continue to support existing actors and artists and nurture new talent into the future.

Backstage Theatre contains a 214 seater auditorium and the adjacent Atrium Gallery and it has developed into a hugely popular and appreciated cultural hub in the region.

Mona said a total of 30% of the audience travel from outside the county and since 2020 they have welcomed active residency for 51 artists.

"These artists bring other collaborators with them and there is often three-to-four artists in each residency,” she added.

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There was unanimous praise from all of the councillors for Backstage Theatre and congratulations Councillor Seamus Butler described Backstage as being one of the 'treasures" of Longford.

He said it is notable the large numbers who travel from outside the county to enjoy the incredible variety of shows and he wished them continued success.

"We encourage you and in the next six years I am sure that Longford County Council will step up to the plate again because this is an invaluable resource for the county."

Cllr Niall Gannon said he is about 30 years living in Longford.

"From the very beginning I have been involved in some way, shape or form in plays and musicals over the years.

"It is a fantastic place for meeting people and a fantastic group of people involved, my kids are involved now and there is a youth group.

"For someone coming from the outside it's great and all the shows over the years have been fantastic.