500-Seat Venue, Dublin City Cultural Venue

Our Strategic Communications team was appointed by Dublin City Council in association with Arrow Architects and Theatre expert and producer Arthur Lappin to prepare a feasibility and concept report for a 500-seat venue.
The study also included the valuation of need, design typology, sustainability and site assessment criteria for mid-tier venues, which led to the development of a conceptual vision to inform future site identification.
We completed a spatial assessment of the city, considering existing cultural infrastructure, cultural hubs and venue locations (and closures), which alongside the policies review, informed an assessment matrix to identify the areas of the city centre where a venue may be most suited.
The project team engaged with key stakeholders in the city to build on the extensive engagement that had been undertaken during the development of the Cultural Infrastructure Study. For instance, a questionnaire was circulated to a broad spectrum of stakeholders to try to understand both present and future needs.

Our Cultural Infrastructure Study identified a gap in provision between 200-300 capacity venues, with no theatre available in Dublin between 180 and 1,100 seats.
The study recognised that the development of the 500-seater venue could host and open the door for several festivals in Dublin such as the Dublin International Film Festival, New Music Dublin and Dublin Fringe Festival.
Our survey report found that a notable majority of respondents believed that Dublin needs a 500-seat venue for performances, at 83% saying yes to only 4% saying no, with 13% saying it depends or they’re not sure.
Our study further identified that in order to deliver the creative, audience and financial impact of a venue of this scale, it will be required to be located in a sustainable and accessible location between the cities two canals.
The report was presented to Dublin City Council’s Arts and Culture Advisory committee in July 2023.

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Project sheet