Scene + Heard 2023 is cancelled due to lack of funding

The Scene + Heard festival has announced it will not return in 2023 due to lack of Arts and Council funding. Aspiring newcomers to Irish theatre have been able to submit and receive feedback on their work at Scene + Heard, and was home to a mass amount of mentoring, workshopping and networking.

"We gave all our energy, sweat and christmases to six years mentoring, training, workshopping, advising, providing industry supports, funding and networking opportunities to more than 3000 writers, directors, designers, dancers, comedians, performers, poets, producers, puppeteers, musicians and makers who came to us, and trusted us with their work.

"This decision is simply down to Arts Council funding. Like you, we also needed support to continue and we have been denied," explained festival directors Caoimhe Conolly and Cliona Dukes.

The festival has been a space for artists developing new work for 6 years, and many are devastated by this news. Some have expressed their disappointment on Twitter:

This is such a blow, especially to young artists for whom @SceneAgusHeard is often the first time they get to stretch their wings outside of youth theatres/college productions. So sad to hear💔 https://t.co/CT8G5YMDtp

— CountyLimerickYT (@CoLimkYT) September 8, 2022

Others are rallying for Scene + Heard to find a new funder so it can live on:

Dare I say some other funder must see how cherished Scene and Heard is? https://t.co/HO9XOg3mAQ

— Jonathan Victory (@VictoryFound) September 9, 2022

Some are pointing this out as a pattern of Dublin's cultural losses:

This is another big cultural loss for Dublin :( https://t.co/YyUBIbxYh9

— Ellen Kruger (@LNkruger) September 8, 2022

Absolute tragedy. Another rusty nail in the coffin of Irish Theatre/Arts despite the hoopla in glam rags. Disgusting. https://t.co/D6igX8JhyH

— Andrew Kenny (@Andrewkdublin) September 9, 2022