Mission Critical: Supporting an Ecology of Theatre Criticism in Ireland. A Report from the Mission Critical Symposium

The content of the report centres on discussions which took place during and after Mission Critical, a day-long, international symposium hosted by the National Theatre of Ireland, with the support of The Irish Times, which brought together critics, artists, audiences and readers, in November 2025. It is supported by the findings of an audience survey carried out by the Abbey Theatre and follow-up interviews between Dr. Dean and a range of professionals from the theatre sector.

The report makes clear the many important functions of criticism, underpinning the need for urgent attention to be paid to its long-term sustainability. It demonstrates that theatre criticism completes the link between artists and audiences; acts as a necessary document of an ephemeral art form; situates works within a wider cultural, social and political context; creates an important civic and cultural dialogue around a production; and aids the visibility and promotion of work which, in turn, has a role in future funding applications for theatre-makers.