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An increase in both audience numbers and in the engagement and enjoyment those audiences feel is being sought in the Republic of Ireland through a partnership between the Arts Council/An Chomhairle Ealaíon and Dublin City University. The Audience Project, which is part of the Council’s ‘Partnership for the Arts’ scheme, will be led by Una Carmody, Chief Executive Officer of the Helix Theatre, who has been seconded to the Arts Council. The theatre, which stands in the grounds of the university, has seen an increase in attendance to 69% of overall capacity through a range of audience expansion and development work since Carmody was appointed in 2005. Mary Cloake, the Director of the Arts Council, called the Audience Project “the Council’s most significant programme of work over the next three years”, and added that “in a climate of constrained public spending it is essential that organisations pay greater attention to audiences and look at ways of broadening their audience base”. Una Carmody said that the first step “will be to develop a framework for the project which addresses some of the issues facing both the Arts Council and its clients”.