Participants
Melanie is a actress, writer and workshop facilitator. With a degree in Drama Studies and Modern Irish from Trinity College Dublin, she moved to London in the late nineties where she worked extensively in television and theatre. Theatre work in London included Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale (dir: NIcholas Hytner) and Moliere's Tartuffe (dir: Lyndsey Posner) both at the National Theatre. She also co-wrote and starred in Missing Stars (dir: Aoife Maguire), a one woman show about Irish women's experience in London, at the Finborough Theatre in Earl's Court. She lived in France for a time where she worked as a theatre workshop facilitator for the Princess Grace Irish Library in Monaco and the Euro American Institute in Sophia Antipolis. Since returning to Ireland she has written and directed the award-winning short film Marion agus an Banphrionsa and is currently working on another one woman play called Girl on a Blue Bicycle.
Aoife graduated with a B.A.in Drama Performance from the Conservatory of Music and Drama, D.I.T. in 2007. Since then her performances include: Heart of Darkness (Winner Spirit of the Fringe 2007), The Hourglass (Lyric Players), and Kat in Jet Lag Waltz (Ready Fire Aim). For TV she played Fammke in Fairly Balanced for RTÉ. In April she recorded a one-woman play for radio Waiting for Rain by Barry Casey and Malachi’s Madrigal Episode 2 both for NEAR FM. She has directed two episodes of Malachi’s Madrigal for NEAR FM to be aired in November. She also devised, directed and performed in What are you waiting for? a live show staged at Electric Picnic 2008.
Aoife is one of the founding members of Ready Fire Aim a company based in Dublin dedicated to making work that explores the contemporary world. The company’s first production Jet Lag Waltz was a commission for the company by John Grogan and was staged in April 2008. Ready Fire Aim also believe ongoing training for the actor-artist is essential; and have organised an extensive range of workshops for professional performers over the last year, including The Art of Presence which Aoife facilitated this August.
In August 2008 Aoife worked with Dance Art Group in Seattle where she performed as part of their Off the Cuff series and took part in the Seattle Festival of Dance Improvisation. She is currently working on a solo that began as part of that festival and staged it as a work in progress at Project Brand New Magic Moments.
Tom is Associate Director of Rough Magic, and a co-founder and joint Artistic Director of Playgroup. He studied English and Philosophy at UCC, and trained as a director on Rough Magic’s SEEDS programme and at the National Theatre Studio, London. He is a board member of the Dublin Fringe Festival and the Association of Theatre Directors Ireland, and Theatre and Dance Curator for Kilkenny Arts Festival.
Directing credits for Rough Magic include Life is a Dream , Attempts on her Life (for which he was nominated for Best Director at the 2007 Irish Times Irish Theatre Awards), Dream of Autumn , and 4.48 Psychosis as part of the SEEDS 2 showcase.
He has directed all of Playgroup’s work to date: Say Hi To The Rivers And The Mountains ; The Heights; The Art of Swimming; The Train Show ; Dark Week ; Soap! ; Crave and Integrity
Other directing credits include: The Coming World (Making Strange); Mr Kolpert (Once Off Productions Rep Experiment at Dublin Fringe Festival); Mimic (Raymond Scannell/Tobacco Factory Theatre, Bristol); Love’s Labour’s Lost and Vinegar Tom (Samuel Beckett Centre); The Ideal Homes Show (Activate Youth Theatre); Purple (Dublin Youth Theatre); Older People for Beginners (Cork 2005’s Culture and Health programme); Crystal (Meridian at the English Market, Cork); Last Call and Innocent (when you dream) (Granary Theatre and Edinburgh Fringe); Measure for Measure, La Ronde and Sexual Perversity in Chicago (Granary Theatre).
Clíona is an actor, writer and director for radio and stage. Currently she is in rehearsals with Branar Drámaíochta TIE theatre company. She has also worked as a stage manager on Cré na Cille produced by An Taibhdhearc and Branwen an international production between North Wales Stage and Project Theatre.
She has a BA in French and Irish from Trinity College, and started acting with DU Players and An Cumann Drámaíochta continuing with NUI Galway MA programme in Drama and Theatre Studies. She has acted, written, directed and devised pieces for Muscailt Arts Festival, Flirt FM and Project 06 including new works: The Ache, Meet the Woman of your Dreams, Cloud, Paloma, More Dears than Tears.
Trained in physical theatre in École Internationale de Theatre Jacques Lecoq she wishes to expand traditional Irish narrative through mime, mask work and object manipulation in theatre. Relatively new to professional theatre as a performer, she has gained a vast amount of experience by director’s sides, production teams and in theatres throughout Ireland, Wales and France. She has been involved in theatre in education and student theatre productions and also worked as a youth theatre facilitator for Na Crosáin (An Taibhdhearc Youth Theatre).
Excited to be back in Ireland and planning to embark on a full-time career in theatre Clíona eagerly awaits The Next Stage.
Simon studied English and Drama in Trinity College Dublin. He subsequently wrote and directed several plays which were staged in the Dublin Fringe Festival, including: Snooks! (1996; after Alfred Jarry’s Ubu Roi ); The Cave (1997); The Sandman (1998; after E.T.A. Hofmann’s short story); The Truth Of The Moon (2000); and There Where (2001). During this time he completed an M.Sc. in Multimedia and began to make multimedia for live performance. In this capacity he has made work for music and theatre groups including the Crash Ensemble and Pan Pan. With maverick music collective the Whispering Gallery he produced events as varied as a Lucha Libre wrestling match between bands in the Guinness Storehouse and a programme of young Irish composers in the National Concert Hall. He has written three opera libretti: Obegon (2000; score by Simon O'Connor); Thwaite (2003; score by Jürgen Simpson), produced by Almeida Opera and staged in London, Aldeburgh and Dublin; and Gas (forthcoming; score by Donnacha Dennehy). In 2006 he co-wrote Oedipus Loves You for Pan Pan, with director Gavin Quinn, which has toured extensively in Europe and North America and returns to Dublin in November. Works in progress include: Snakes , an adaptation of the works of Aristophanes for Pan Pan; Routines , an adaptation of Aeschylus’ Oresteia for Raw Theatre Company; and ¡ZAP! , a script about a North Korean Godzilla movie. He lives in Dublin.
Gary is originally from Donaghmede in North Dublin.
While studying media production at Dublin Institute of Technology, Gary befriended a number of students from the Conservatory of Music & Drama who shared the same building. His first experience of working in theatre grew out of a collaboration with these students: MANHATTAN WHISPERS , a series of monologues and video projections (based on Gary’s experiences while living in New York) which appeared in the Dublin Fringe Festival 2001. The positive experience of working on MANHATTAN WHISPERS kick-started Gary’s interest in theatre and he began writing his first full-length play.
That play, MONGED , was produced by Fishamble in 2005 and won the Stewart Parker Trust Award. It had a revival tour in 2006 and it’s first UK production at the Belgrade Theatre Coventry in Nov ’07. The success of MONGED encouraged Gary to make the leap to writing full-time.
Since then Gary has written DEDALUS LOUNGE (Pageant Wagon, 2006 Dublin Fringe, national tour ‘07/’08), STOP/OVER (part of Abbey Theatre’s 20:LOVE season, March ’08), MISSION (Part of an anthology show END OF LINES, Origin Theatre Company, New York, Sept ‘08) and the upcoming TRANS-EURO EXPRESS (Pageant Wagon, Nov ‘08). Both MONGED and DEDALUS LOUNGE have had public readings in New York and have also been translated into Romanian and produced in Bucharest in 2007/08.
In 2009, Gary will be writer-in-residence with Calypso Theatre Company’s intercultural youth drama project Tower of Babel, devising a new play with members of the group.
Jo has worked in theatre as a director, writer, and producer.
Most recently she was the Creative Producer with Kabosh. Additionally she ran Creative Writers Network and was the Director with Lyric Drama Studio.
In 1999 she was Artistic Director/Producer on the award winning production of The Wedding Play a site specific play set within an interface area in East Belfast.
Her play Coldharbour Lane has undergone development with Ransom Productions as part of the Write Now project.
Jen, originally from Ohio, received a BFA Magna Cum Laude in dance performance and choreography from The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She then moved to New York City and performed and toured regularly with Steeledance, Michael Foley Dance, and John Evans among others. Since moving to Ireland in 2001, Jen has performed with Daghdha Dance Company, Shakram Music and Dance Company, Fluxusdance, Catapult Dance Company and Opera Ireland as well as doing film and multi-media work with SmartLab Europe. The past few years Jen has worked mainly with CoisCéim Dance Theatre, performing in Hanging on By a Thread , Out of Harm’s Way , and most recently, Knots . In addition to performance, Jen has taught contemporary dance, hip-hop fusion, dance in a community context, and movement for theatre extensively throughout the US, France, Ireland and Japan.
With a background in media and publishing, Jenny moved to the arts world in 2003 to become Development Officer for The Corn Exchange, one of Ireland's most exciting theatre production companies. She is just wrapping up as Programme Director in the Dublin Fringe Festival where, over the past two years, she has co-curated the festival with Director Wolfgang Hoffmann, and launched a number of new support initiatives for emerging Irish artists.
Jenny is also a co-Director of thisispopbaby, a production company founded in 2006 dedicated to presenting inventive new work that rips up the space between counter culture, popular culture and high art. thisispopbaby has had considerable success with a number of sold-out shows and tours, including the award-winning Danny and Chantelle (still here), the critically acclaimed In these Shoes?, the award-nominated All Over Town and the hit show All Dolled Up. Upcoming projects include Love 2.0 presented in association with the Abbey Theatre for the 2008 Dublin Fringe. thisispopbaby’s boots are still muddy from presenting a new stage at this year's Electric Picnic music festival.
Jenny is also a member of the European Cultural Parliament, a forum for European personalities in the fields of arts, culture and letters for dialogue, discussions and debate about crucial and burning issues of importance for European co-operation, European democracy and European culture.
Gary is a graduate of the Central School of Speech and Drama in London where he received an MA in Directing. He co-founded Brokentalkers, a performance group based in Dublin. As a maker of performance he is concerned with liveness and the real time experience of the audience and the relationship between the audience and the performer. He is also interested in working with non actors as collaborators in making theatre, shaping their stories into performance. His work draws on influences from the word of live art and experimental performance rather that the literary tradition of the play. Recent directing credits include Drinking Dust (Dublin Fringe Festival 2008), Track (Chinese New Year Festival 2008), Silver Stars (Bealtine Festival 2008), In Real Time (Project Arts Centre 2008), Dublin Youth Theatre’s 30th Anniversary production This is Still Life (2007), On This One Night (Winner - Sexiest Show, Dublin Fringe 2006).
Megan trained at Alvin Ailey Dance Centre, NYC and received a BA Honours from Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh. She is Co-Artistic Director of junk ensemble, which is currently premiering Drinking Dust at Dublin Fringe Festival 2008. Megan is also performing in Gavin Kostick’s A Distinct Glimpse as part of DFF. She recently performed in The Abbey Theatre’s production of Romeo and Juliet (Dir: Jason Byrne) and has performed with Retina Dance Company (London), CoisCéim Dance Theatre (IRL), Bedrock Productions (IRL), and Brokentalkers (IRL). Also with Storytelling Unplugged (Romania), The Pavilion Theatre (IRL), Cat In A Cup Theatre (Scotland), Shakram Dance Company (IRL), The Ark (IRL), and This Torsion Dance Theatre (IRL). Choreography includes Tchaikovsky’s Queen of Spades Opera (Edinburgh Festival Theatre), Caucasion Chalk Circle (TCD), and eX Choral Ensemble (IRL).
Tony obtained a post-graduate degree in Performance Studies from Middlesex University in 1996 and an MA in Drama & Theatre Studies from UCC in 2004. He has been directing stage productions for approximately 15 years both in Ireland and the U.K. He was Technical Director of the Institute of Contemporary Arts, Director of the Barnet Drama Centre and Manager of the Man in The Moon Theatre; all in London during the 1980s and ‘90s.
He was Stage Production Officer with Aberdeen District Council in Scotland, covering all the Council’s venues and Assistant Director of St. Stephen’s Theatre in Cardiff. He is currently Artistic Director of the Granary Theatre in Cork. Tony is a member of the Association of Theatre Directors Ireland.
Recent lighting design credits include: There Are Litte Kingdoms, Offending The Audience, Frank Pig Says Hello, This Is A Chair, Conspiracy Theory, Fowl, Face To The Wall/Fewer Emergencies, Innocence, 4:48 Psychosis, A is for Everything, Crave, Misery, Cabaret. He has lit for many diverse artists including; The Chieftans, Dubliners, Brian Kennedy, Christy Moore, Loudon Wainwright III, Van Morrison, RSNO, Franko B, Jack Dee, Anthony Hopkins, Lee Evans, Eddie Izzard and Fatima Mansions as well as many dance and theatre companies.
Recent directing credits include; Beaten bt Ailis Ni Riain (2008) Disco Pigs by Enda Walsh (2007/8 Revival) Offending The Audience & Frank Pig Says Hello (Hanke / McCabe 2006/7) Conspiracy Theory & Fowl (Both devised for Cork 2005) Face To The Wall/Fewer Emergencies by Martin Crimp (2004 Irish Premiere) Innocence by Frank McGuinness (2004 Revival) 4:48 Psychosis by Sarah Kane (2003 Irish Premiere) A is for Everything by Caitlin Murphy (2002 World Premiere)
Tony has also directed for Youth Theatre’s and Community Groups and is current Artistic Director and co-founder of Bare Cheek Theatre Company and County Wexford Youth Theatre. He is currently curating ‘Bodily Functions 2009’- a festival of Live Art in Cork and producing a New Director’s Festival.
Ciarán studied at the Samuel Beckett Centre, Trinity College Dublin. In the past two years he has focused on design for theatre, including stage, lighting and costume, culminating with his design in November 2007 for a School of Drama Debut Festival production of Oh What A Lovely War! at the Samuel Beckett Theatre which formed part of the Advanced Stage Design course led by Chisato Yoshimi. This show was revived at the Samuel Beckett Theatre in May and toured to Newry Town Hall. In June 2007, he participated in the Prague Quadrennial, an international exhibition of scenography and theatre architecture, where his designs were exhibited as part of the first Irish Student exhibit. He has worked in many capacities in many theatres both in Ireland and abroad and, during his time at Trinity, has been heavily involved with DU Players (Trinity's Student Drama Society) serving as Chairperson for the 2007 - 2008 academic year. Recent designs include All in the Timing [Inis Theatre] at Bewleys Café Theatre during Fringe 2008; Invisible Atom [Shiny Red Chocolate Paper] at Players Theatre; Black Snow [TCD School of Drama (BAS)] at the Samuel Beckett Theatre; and Loose Canon Theatre Company's critically acclaimed production of Sarah Kane's Phaedra's Love at the Project Arts Centre.
Born in London and brought up in Listowel, Christian O’Reilly writes for theatre, film, television and radio. His one-act play, It Just Came Out , was staged by Druid as part of its Debut series (2001). His first full-length play, The Good Father, produced by Druid and directed by Garry Hynes (Galway Arts Festival 2002, national tour 2003), was the joint winner of the 2002 Stewart Parker Trust New Playwright Bursary. His most recent play, Is this about Sex? , was produced by Rough Magic and directed by Lynne Parker for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and the 50th Dublin Theatre Festival (2007). Other plays include The Avenue (St. John’s Theatre, Listowel 2005), Problem Solvers Anonymous and It Won’t Be Great When I’m Not Here (Dublin Fringe Festival 2004). For youth theatre he has written Treble , commissioned by Abbey Outreach, and Teacher for Galway Youth Theatre (Galway Arts Festival 2005).
For radio (RTÉ, Lyric FM, BBC) he has written The Play , Chapatti , My Spanish Countess Granny and an adaptation of The Good Father. His screen credits include On Home Ground (RTÉ), three short films ( The Birthday , The Kiss of Life and The Ring) and Inside I’m Dancing , a feature film based on his original story. Inside I’m Dancing won the Audience Award for Best Film at the Edinburgh Film Festival (2004) and two Irish Film and Television Awards - Best Script (2004) and Best Irish Film (2005). Christian lives in Galway with his wife, Ailbhe Slevin, and plays soccer for West United.
Ray’s first play Breathing Water ( written while still at college) toured to both The Edinburgh and Dublin Fringe Festivals and received a Judges Discretionary Award for Innovation at the ISDA (Irish Student Drama Awards) 2000. Since then Ray’s plays have included: Losing Steam, Mix It Up (Corcadorca), Striking Distance , A Day In The Life Of A Pencil, Closed Circuit (Graffiti), Red Sun (Civic Reception- Opening Ceremony of City Of Culture 2005 ), & Combination (I.W.U- Cork 2005/Credit Union Residencies Scheme).
Chosen as one of six writers for the Rough Magic/ Dublin Fringe incentive ‘SEEDS’ in 2002, (a project designed to nurture new Irish Writing) Ray was commissioned to write ‘Beats ‘n’ Pieces’. A rehearsed reading of which was performed at the Project Arts Centre, Dublin. The play was subsequently produced by Meridian Theatre Co.
In 2004 Ray graduated from the Institute of Art, Design, and Technology, Dun Laoghaire with an MA in Screenwriting. Ray is currently commissioned by the NAYD to write a piece for their New-Stage 2008 project, entitled ‘Two For Joy’. His most recent play Mimic performed at the Cork Midsummer Festival 2007 received wide acclaim and will be touring nationally and internationally in 2008/2009.
Some of Ray’s Acting Credits include: Macca in Ursula Rani Sarma’s, …touched… with Granary Theatre Productions, ' B’ in Sarah Kane’s Crave (Playgroup), Liam’ in Mind That ‘tis my Brother by Gaye Shortland , Meridian Theatre Co.), Heathcliff in The Heights (Playgroup). And Player in his own play Mimic, (Directed by Tom Creed).
Ciarán Taylor completed a BA in directing at the University of Kent at Canterbury, before training in performance and devising at Ecole Jacques Lecoq, Paris. In 2002 Ciarán established Carpet Theatre (formerly BDNC Theatre) to create new and devised work. He has directed nine productions for Carpet, which have toured Ireland and abroad.
His Two for Dinner for Two which premiered at Project Arts Centre and toured in Ireland, Bulgaria and Romania in 2007was devised in collaboration with Concorde Contemporary Music Ensemble, and featured live cooking and live music in a domestic kitchen.His most recent work is a direct response to places and also integrates live devised music. His current project The Blanch , commissioned by Fingal County Council, takes inspiration from the giant shopping centre for a performance in Draíocht (Nov 2008). 50 Ways to Leave Dún Laoghaire (July 2008)was a site-specific promenade performance based on observations and the national significance of the place, which took over Dún Laoghaire Ferry Terminal after hours. Wexford Firestation Tour (Feb 2008) used the station to explore the experience of fire fighters through movement and music. Other site-specific commissions were the mask performances Bridie and Violet for City Arts Centre, and Visiting Hour for Junction Festival and BronglaisHospital, Wales.
Theatre-based devised work includes Wheel (Project Arts Centre 2003) a mask play; and Hyde and Jekyll , which toured to Prague in 2004 as part of the Irish EU Presidency Cultural Programme. In 2006 Ciarán directed Hang-Gliding a co-production of two new Welsh plays which toured Wales and Ireland. He also premièred Melty Mack by Shane O’Neil, and the first Irish production of A Family Affair .
Ciarán’s acting credits include A Cry from Heaven by Vincent Woods at the Abbey Theatre, and national tours of Leonce and Lena and Prime Location for Galloglass Theatre Co. TV roles include Rí Rá , (TG4), Fair City , The Clinic and Foreign Exchange for RTÉ. He is currently appearing in Ros na Rún (TG4).
Neil trained in Drama Centre London.
Gentle Giant Theatre Company in Dubh Linn has grown under his artistic direction since 2001. He has written, directed and performed within the company. Productions include Love In a Time of Affluence , A Cure for Homosexuality and Dublin City Councilling .
Gentle Giant's The Dark Room directed by Karl Shiels, written and performed by Neil premiers in this year's Fringe in Trinity Players.
In 2005 Neil was awarded the Title of Alternative Miss Ireland as Heidi Konnt in The Olympia Theatre.
Heidi's done a number of nixers in a lot of shady places. The Pod, The Electric Picnic, The George and RTÉ.
Neil was awarded a mentorship scheme by the British Council in 2007.
Neil has acted in theatre ,tv, radio and film. Recent credits include Gerard Stembridge's Alarm , Gently's Last Case (BBC) and Silver Stars for Broken Talkers Theatre Company.
A former member of Dublin Youth Theatre, Neil is a frequent guest writer, director and workshop facilitator there.
Aideen is a graduate of IADT, where she received a Masters in Visual Arts Practices as a curator.
In one of her former lives Aideen was a land surveyor and developed an intrigue with site and its occurrences in time with its inhabitants/participants. Aideen's love of her native Dublin has driven her to investigate the nature of audience across various artforms. She founded thisisnotashop in 2006 and is co-director/curator of the gallery/project space, where she programs experimental film, installation, performance and visual art.
Aideen works with a number of art festivals on an ongoing basis, Dublin International Film Festival, DEAF, Dublin Fringe Festival (visual art curator 2007).
Latest projects include production manager for thisispopbaby at the electric picnic and she also programmed and produced the Equilibre Event, at the Dublin Docklands, Dublin Fringe Festival 2008.
Aideen is an optimist. Her hobbies include watching people.
