merrion street

Jimmy Deenihan T.D., Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, will welcome delegates to the Spring Plenary Meeting of the International Network for Contemporary Performing Arts (IETM) at the official opening in Temple Bar this evening (6.15pm Thursday, 11 April 2013).

The IETM is a membership organisation that exists to stimulate networking among international performing arts professionals, to initiate the dynamic exchange of knowledge, and provoke the development of quality and good practice within the performing arts. The organisation has members from over 50 countries. This is the first time an IETM Plenary Meeting has been hosted in Dublin. The Plenary Meetings are held twice yearly in a different city each time, and the next meeting will take place in Athens in October 2013.

Speaking in advance Minister Deenihan said "this meeting’s core focus is on networking and relationship building between international performing arts professionals, as well as providing an opportunity for the host city to showcase local artists, local cultural organisations, and the city itself."

IETM Plenaries comprise a schedule of meetings, discussions, and working groups which are open to IETM members and local performing arts professionals. Alongside this is an artistic programme which is open to the public and which will give an introduction to local performance artists.

Among the artists and companies whose work will be included on the public artistic programme at IETM Dublin are: the Liz Roche Company, Pan Pan Theatre, Brokentalkers, John Scott Dance, Dublin Fringe Festival, and the theatre company The Company; there will also be a performance art programme supported by Dublin City Council. The theme of this year’s IETM Plenary Meeting is ‘Trust’.

There are an expected 600 delegates from 39 countries attending IETM Dublin, including approximately 150 delegates from Ireland. Project Arts Centre is the main hub for the meeting, and all events will be held within a short walking distance of this.

IETM Dublin 2013 is an initiative of the Arts Council of Ireland in partnership with the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht's Culture Ireland division, produced by Project Arts Centre and supported by Fáilte Ireland and Dublin City Council. It is part of Ireland’s Culture Programme to mark the Presidency of the Council of the European Union.