Corcadorca manager leaves position after 17 years and urges government to support the arts
The producing powerhouse behind Cork's award-winning theatre company, Corcadorca, is leaving to explore new opportunities.
Fin Flynn, who has been Corcadorca’s manager for 17 years, said her decision is not linked to uncertainty in the arts sector arising out of the Covid-19 crisis but she stressed the government must provide long-term financial support to the arts sector.
“The lockdown gave us all time to reflect and reassess and I just felt it was time for a change,” she said.
“I have spent most of my working life with the company, and I suppose I’m looking for a new experience.
I would love to stay in the arts and cultural sector. Obviously, I will have to be flexible given the current situation, but I will explore any opportunity that comes my way.
She urged the government to support and underpin the arts sector to ensure its survival over the coming years.
“A lot of people drew on the arts to get them through the pandemic and I hope there is a sense of that when it comes to sustaining the sector," she said.
Working alongside Corcadorca’s artistic director Pat Kiernan, Ms Flynn helped build the company’s national and international reputation for quality and innovation, pioneering the staging of site-specific shows including A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Fitzgerald’s Park, Woyzeck at the Irish naval base at Haulbowline, The Same at the city’s decommissioned prison, and Far Away on Spike Island.
Their production of The Merchant of Venice, which moved through several locations in Cork city, as part of the Cork Capital of Culture in 2005, was a personal highlight, she said.
The company also found a way to safely stage its pandemic-influenced show, Contact, in parks across the city during last month's Cork Midsummer Festival to ensure theatre remained alive during lockdown.
The company promoted new Irish writing, including Enda Walsh’s award-winning Disco Pigs, which launched the career of actors Cillian Murphy and Eileen Walsh, and more recently, Walsh’s The Same. It premiered original and ground-breaking plays by writers including Conal Creedon, Raymond Scannell and Pat McCabe.
Mr Kiernan said Ms Flynn will be missed by all who worked with her.
The company will start recruitment to fill the position soon. Until then, production will be overseen by independent producer, Maura O’Keeffe.
