Speaking about his appointment, Bosco Hogan said: "Being appointed to serve on the Abbey Theatre Board is a very great honour. I am joining the Board at an especially exciting time, particularly as the building of a new home for The Abbey is in prospect.
"I hope I may be a conduit through which my fellow practitioners can have a meaningful input into its design.
"I consider the Abbey to be my theatrical alma mater, having been associated with it as an actor since 1967. I look forward to working with the Chair and my fellow Board members."
Bosco was appointed to the Board on a recommendation from the Selection Committee [Dr. Frances Ruane (Chair of the Abbey Theatre), Sheila Pratschke (Chair of the Arts Council) and Prof. Chris Morash (Vice-Provost of Trinity College Dublin)] and he will take up his appointment later this month.
Bosco has longstanding links with the Abbey Theatre. He joined the Abbey Company in 1970 as an actor, aged twenty-one. He remained with the Company for four years, after which time he left Ireland for the UK. He has since had a national and international career in theatre, radio, film and television.
Over his career he has retained close ties with the Abbey Theatre and has worked with almost every Abbey Artistic Director including Hugh Hunt on (Purgatory), Tomás MacAnna (Borstal Boy, Ulysses In Nighttown, Philadelphia Here I Come, Patrick Mason (Observe The Sons of Ulster Marching Towards the Somme, The Cherry Orchard), Garry Hynes (Famine) and Graham McLaren (Jimmy’s Hall).
In addition, he has played in the first productions of plays by Brian Friel, Hugh Leonard, Frank McGuinness, Tom Murphy, amongst others.
Commenting on the appointment, Chair of the Abbey Theatre, Dr. Frances Ruane said, "I am delighted to announce Bosco Hogan’s appointment to the Board of the Abbey Theatre.
"As well as being a distinguished actor on the national and international stage, Bosco has longstanding connections to the Abbey Theatre, dating back to his early career in the Abbey Theatre Company from 1967. His appointment reflects the Board’s stated wish to have its membership include a theatre practitioner."
The vacancy on the Abbey Board was as a result of the departure of Mark Ryan, who completed his two term tenure earlier this year. Bosco will join the current Abbey Board members: Dr. Frances Ruane (Chair), Dónall Curtin, Pádraig Cusack, Jane Daly, Loretta Dignam, Sarah Durcan, Kevin McFadden, James McNally, Sheelagh O’Neill and Michael Wall.
Dr. Frances Ruane added: "This is the first time that the Abbey Theatre Board Selection Committee has advertised a Board vacancy publicly, and we were delighted to have received excellent applications from an outstanding list of candidates. It is planned that all future vacancies will be similarly advertised."