Mystery donor helps revive long vacant Inner City theatre with €4 million boost
A mystery contributor has donated €4 million to bring back St Anthony’s Theatre on Merchants Quay.
This refurbishment and reinstatement project aims to address the serious deficit of artist workspaces in Dublin and act as a community hub for all. With a total estimated cost of €9.5m, a private contributor, who wished to remain anonymous, donated the sum under the condition that Dublin City Council committed to revenue funding for the long vacant space for at least three years.
The project not only aims to revitalise and reinstate the former St Anthony’s Theatre beside Adam and Eve's Church, but also provide 20 new artist workspaces with the majority of the residence-in-residence being community facing. The Department of Culture, Communications and Sport are contributing an additional €1.5m from their ‘Space to Create’ fund, and the council will make up the remaining costs.
Considering the recent hits to Dublin culture, such as the closure of The Complex arts centre , this cultural development will help accommodate the 3,000 artists in the administrative area, 50% of which are in need of a workspace. The overall aim of the centre is to act as a space for both artists and the community.
“Up to half of the 20 artists-in-residence should be community facing, meaning they’re working with local schools, living in the area, or whose practice is devoted to the geographical area,” City Arts Officer Ray Yeates said at the most recent South Central Area Committee meeting.
“The theatre would be the main point of entry for the public and the community. The vision behind the theatre is that you could have a yoga class at 11am, a community meeting in the afternoon, and a professional production or community production in the evening.”
This renovation project has been in development since 2019 when a feasibility study was carried out. Now the project is at the pre-Part 8 planning stage and architect Ruth O'Herlihy outlined for local representatives the proposal to upgrade the existing building at 7 and 8–9 Merchant’s Quay through “carefully selected interventions” that focus on sustainability.
She stated the aim is to “enliven and re-energise” the space while retaining its “1950s façade” and upgrading it to modern standards. While the plan will preserve the theatre, it will turn the stage around allowing for a set of rigged seats that can be pushed back and accommodate more flexible use.
With the potential for yoga classes, choir projects, and community meetings during the day, the design will allow the space to transform itself for theatrical productions with a capacity of around 80 seats in the evenings. Discrete interventions, such as an elevator to the artists' workshops and sanitary facilities will merely add to what’s already there.
“These are protected structures so we are acting as guardians of their heritages and conservation architects in this project,” Ms O'Herlihy said.” “We’re very keen to reinforce and enhance that 1950s sense that is held dearly in the hearts of the people.”
She described the ethos of the project as to “do as little as we can to achieve as much as we can” and that they are reinforcing the “fabric of the buildings” while adding essential works, such as fire upgrades. The 20 artist workspaces will also utilise the potential of existing rooms, with those in No 8 being more modern with concrete floors to withstand artists “knocking around,” while those in No 9 are “more delicate”, which will influence their assigned uses.
“We’re not planning to change the layout of these buildings, we’re working with the existing rooms, the existing stairs, and fire consultants are helping us to make this with the least possible impact on the buildings. A light touch is our plan,” she said.
Even the outside of the buildings will serve as cultural spaces, as outdoor terraces will provide artists with a location to meet and work. “It’s nice to give them some space that’s outside and it’s nice from a public realm and active use point of view as people will see activity on the roof,” Ms O'Herlihy said.
“It puts out an invitation to Skipper’s Alley to say, ‘Here we are. We are back. This is a great public facility that can be used by everybody.’”
Social Democrats Councillor Lesley Byrne commended the project and said that its location at Merchants Quay offers a unique chance to co-exist with addiction services in the area, as services like the Medically Supervised Injecting Facility are nearby. She highlighted how creativity and recovery can often go hand-in-hand and this should be considered in the development of this space.
“There are great examples internationally where people in addictions have taken part in creative projects that help build recovery, social skills, and a sense of belonging,” Cllr Byrne said. “At the same time, I think it’s important to recognise if it wasn’t managed correctly there would be tensions between the different uses and we must consider how these spaces will interact.”
“Done well it could be a progressive support model for creative-led regeneration. I would hate it to get to the stage where a certain cohort of theatre goers would find it difficult to co-exist beside people who need the support that’s happening in Merchants Quay.”
Sinn Fein Cllr Daithi Doolan agreed that the theatre and workspaces offer a fantastic opportunity to develop an artist’s quarter in the inner city. He said the council has had a production relationship with RADE (Recovery Through Arts and Drama Education) in the area already and that it would be important to consider how they could contribute to its use.
Mr Yeates agreed that RADE would “seem a natural match,” although the workspaces will be highly sought after and there will be an official selection process for artists to put themselves forward to avail of them. He said ultimately the success of the space comes down to “effective management” and there will be an open call to find the best company who can run in it a way that can “balance community needs and artist practice.”
While the identity of the mystery donor who helped make all of this possible is not publicly known, a progress report from February 2024 stated that they will be working with city officials and external contractors on its project oversight group.
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