Marie Lawlor
Head of Corporate Partnerships and Philanthropy, The Abbey Theatre – National Theatre of Ireland
The theatre is helping corporate Ireland to cement their business relationships, new and old, by driving more meaningful connections. Learn why business leaders are backing the Abbey Theatre.
In a world driven by complete digitisation, the theatre offers people the opportunity for a live, shared experience. Marie Lawlor, Head of Fundraising and Philanthropy at the Abbey Theatre, explains how their original mission 120 years ago is becoming more important than ever.
“Theatre makes us feel part of something bigger than ourselves. It helps us to reflect, shift perspectives and understand each other more deeply,” says Lawlor. “In an age dominated by screens, the unique live shared experience of theatre is more important than ever. We use theatre as a platform to not only bring joy and the human connection but also to talk about challenging topics, to drive meaningful change within society.”
Theatre makes us feel part of
something bigger than ourselves.
Influence beyond the stage
With an established community and education department within the theatre, outreach efforts extend far beyond the stage. The Abbey Theatre prides itself on working with children, adolescents and marginalised groups. “Theatre helps young people build confidence, communication skills and the ability to think critically, all of which are skills that they can carry into the working world,” explains Lawlor.
With the recent success of their patron-funded performance ‘In Real Life,’ they have helped to address the very topical subject of children’s online social media presence. In a project they hope to take nationwide, they have created not only a tailored performance for children aged 8–12 years old, but they have also created helpful resources for teachers to continue the conversation. “Children are under pressure to curate perfect online personas,” Lawlor says. “This piece helped them question those behaviours and feel less alone, and it was met with extremely positive feedback.”
Strategic partnerships with a purpose
Partnering with Abbey Theatre is about cultivating long-term, values-aligned relationships. They listen to a company’s ESG goals and co-create ideas which have a real social impact. From community outreach, staff workshops, education resources or artist development programmes, they are creating impactful partnerships, not transactions.
“We see a lot of business relationships shift to something more meaningful after a night at the theatre, discussing things from a new perspective drives more meaningful connections,” she adds. Now is the perfect time to be associated with a heritage arts company. Lawlor explains: “Irish artists are being recognised globally across film, literature and theatre. It’s an incredibly exciting time for companies looking to support Irish culture to make a real difference.”
