After 10 years providing the best free show in Ireland, Spraoi is about to ask for a small payment in return.
The Waterford-based street theatre company is to move to a purpose-built headquarters on the outskirts of the city and has launched its first major fundraising campaign. Its new 10,000 sq-ft studios near Waterford Industrial Estate will be the first in Ireland to cater specifically for street theatre.
It will facilitate the continued expansion of an organisation which began in 1993 because of a desire, says director T.V. Honan, "to have a bit of craic on a Sunday afternoon".
Since then, Spraoi has grown into a three-day festival of free outdoor entertainment which attracts audiences of tens of thousands in Waterford each August holiday weekend.
In addition to the annual event which carries its name, Spraoi also participates in festivals in Ireland and abroad, including the Notting Hill Carnival in London, and has netted 14 awards including best overall contribution to the St Patrick's Festival parade in Dublin.
It is currently working on its first fixed-location show, the story of a doomed whaling exhibition which left Nantucket off the New England coast in 1820. It is also devising a special street performance to celebrate International Books Day in Ireland and has advised several local authorities on their arts plans.
While the company's current base at the Glen, near Waterford city centre, has served it well, it is particularly suitable for summer activities, says Mr Honan. The new complex will facilitate year-round activities including parade construction, costume-making, art classes, artists' residencies, international exchanges, seminars, workshops and exhibitions.
Sports stars John O'Shea, a Manchester United footballer, and Waterford hurler Fergal Hartley, have recorded advertisements for local radio urging people to support the project, which is expected to cost €900,000 (£709,000).
"The voluntary effort behind Spraoi is something I really respect, and wanted to support," said O'Shea, who comes from Ferrybank. He recently broke into the United first team but is currently injured.
Half of the overall cost of the project has been contributed by the Arts Council, the Waterford City Enterprise Board and the South Eastern Health Board, which received National Development Plan funding for the project.
Spraoi hopes to raise a further €104,000 (£81,900) through an innovative "euro-a-week-for-a- year" scheme, in which it is hoped 2002 members of the public will contribute €52 through a weekly standing order with their bank. Fundraising events and corporate donations will, if all goes to plan, provide the rest of the money required.
Construction, it is hoped, will begin in June and be completed by the end of the year.
