Ireland’s Mental Health Arts Festival Jan 2-11 2014
Ireland’s Mental Health Arts Festival | Jan 2-11 2014
www.firstfortnight.ie
Who We Are
F
irst Fortnight is a charity-based organisation with the expressed aim of challenging mental health prejudice through the creative arts.
We believe the arts allow us to create a space where people can talk about mental health issues in a non-scripted manner. Once that conversation has begun, we hope this will then help to change people’s perceptions about an issue that affects us all with one in four of us set to experience a mental health problem at some point in our lives. With that in mind, we hope to make the First Fortnight of each year synonymous with mental health awareness, challenging prejudice and ending stigma. Founded in 2009, First Fortnight staged its first two-week arts festival in 2012. The charity has since become a mental health service provider with the establishment last year of the First Fortnight Centre for Creative Therapies. The centre currently employs two psychotherapists providing art-therapy for individuals experiencing homelessness and mental ill health in Dublin. The First Fortnight charity is run entirely by a core group of eight volunteers. We hope you enjoy the 2014 programme of excellent music, film, theatre, spoken word, debate and visual art events, and to see you over January 2-11.
Volunteers At the heart of First Fortnight is a small group of people who dedicate their spare time to making this happen. But when it comes to the running of the festival we are going to need a hand. If you would like to volunteer and be a part of First Fortnight 2014 we’d love to hear from you. We need people from all backgrounds, so please get in touch if you can help at all. Visit www.firstfortnight.ie/volunteer for more info. fb.com/firstfortnight @firstfortnight #FFfest14
Happy Clouds
visual art
The goal? To make “a positive contribution to desperate times,” as he says himself, as well as “to cheer people up a little bit”. Jan Jan Jan Jan Jan Jan
2 @1pm | Grafton St, Dublin 3 @12pm | People’s Park, Dún Laoghaire 4 @12pm | North Earl St, Dublin 6 @12pm | C.H.Q, Dublin 7 @12pm | Cavan Town Centre 11 @12pm | Temple Bar, Dublin
Various Dates & Times | Various Locations
I
t’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s a giant happy face cloud! Expect to spot some puzzled, but delighted, faces across the country when contemporary British artist Stuart Semple brings his world-renowned Happy Clouds to Ireland for the first time. Having enthralled audiences in London, Milan, Holland and Australia, Semple will unleash these smiley-faced helium clouds in seven select locations across Dublin and Cavan - a county particularly affected by growing suicide rates. The Bournemouth artist is renowned for his fresh take on the pop-art style and has collaborated with artists such as Lady Ga-Ga and The Prodigy.
for tickets & more info visit firstfortnight.ie
www.firstfortnight.ie
Jan 2-4 & 7-11 @7.30pm | The New Theatre | €12
Confusion Boats
“
You must have a dragon hidden inside you. When you need to, you let the dragon out.” (Anderson Silva, UFC World Champion). Why do some boys not cry? Gerard Kelly wants to find out. He’ll revisit old influences, heroes and enemies to uncover what shaped him into the man he is today. From his own father to Daniel Laruso to Tupac Shakur, join him as he tries to shake off his own unwanted traits of masculinity. You might even meet a couple of your old heroes along the way. Written by Gerard Kelly and directed by Grace Dyas, Confusion Boats is an in-depth look into masculinity and the role of the male in society, what we think it is and how we have made it that way. Not to be missed. *** “Hilarious… thigh-slapping stuff” - The Irish Times
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Therapy Sessions
music/poetry
On the musical front the ever-brilliant Mark Geary returns to First Fortnight; rising songstress Laura Elizabeth Hughes showcases the stunning voice that has generated 750,000 hits on YouTube; and McGloughlin & Justin Grounds will bring their project Idiot Songs to the festival.
Jan 3, 10 @8pm | The Workman’s Club | €5
O
ne of the core components of First Fortnight, the Therapy Sessions have once again attracted some of Ireland’s brightest musicians, poets and writers. This year the festival extends its arm to Britain to draw in Birmingham poet Polarbear (Steven Camden), whose filmic style and musical flow have led to gigs from Kuala Lumpur to Glastonbury and seen him become one of the most well respected spoken word artists in Britain. He’ll be joined by a batch of wordsmiths curated by the acclaimed Stephen James Smith. Hailing from Derry, Dublin and Tyrone they include Electric Picnic favourite Marty Mulligan, Colin Hassard and Strabane’s Christopher McLaughlin.
Many more special guests are to be added over two unmissable nights so keep an eye on FirstFortnight.ie for details. for tickets & more info visit firstfortnight.ie
www.firstfortnight.ie
Point & Click
Jan 5 @11am | Grantham St (@ Maser mural) | Free
workshops
W
hy not develop your own creative skills and join photographer Sinead McDonald on a walking photography tour of Dublin? Whether you know little about photography, you just got a brand new camera for Christmas and want to use it properly, or you know how to use your camera but you just want to know more, Sinead will cater to you. Look at our capital’s streets, architecture and people though a new lens and perhaps even check out some of the remaining First Fortnight-commissioned street art created over the past four years. Sinead McDonald is a Dublin based visual artist, working predominantly in video, photography and physical computing. She is a close friend of the project having created some iconic artwork including ‘Facing’, 2012 and ‘Pale Glass Star’, 2013. Places are strictly limited, please visit www.firstfortnight.ie for booking information.
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Snapshot Of Us In Partnership With:
workshops
Young people will create temporary art installation pieces, a viral public photography expo and a crowd-sourced music video to engage the people of Dublin around positive mental health. It will ask them to take selfies and share them on social media with the hashtags #spunoutselfie and #firstfortnight. A crowd-sourced music video will also be created and screened at the First Fortnight finale concert. To get involved: get your selfies going from the 4th of January and tweet/Facebook @SpunOut and www.facebook.com/ SpunOut.ie.
Jan 4 @10am | Exchange, Temple Bar
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workshop that will bring together young people from across Dublin to work with SpunOut.ie and artist/ filmmaker Niamh Heery.
You can find out more about SpunOut.ie’s work at www.spunout.ie. If you are interested in supporting and getting involved in the workshop please email john@spunout.ie. for tickets & more info visit firstfortnight.ie
www.firstfortnight.ie
Silver Linings Playbook In Partnership With:
Various Dates & Times | Various Locations
film
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ominated for eight Oscars, including Best Picture, Silver Linings Playbook has been praised as the film that finally saw Hollywood understand mental health problems. Bradley Cooper stars as Pat, a man struggling to cope with daily life following his release from a psychiatric facility. He meets a troubled young widow, Tiffany, played by Jennifer Lawrence, and the film documents their developing relationship. Robert De Niro and Jacki Weaver co-star in an incredibly moving movie that sheds light on bipolar disorder. A post-show discussion will follow all seven screenings as First Fortnight travels to regional towns and cities for the first time. The topic up for discussion is: ‘How has film shaped your attitude to mental health?’ If Silver Linings Playbook was the film that got mental health problems right, then what has been the effect of all those that got it wrong? Silver Linings Playbook is being screened in association with Access Cinema and See Change, the national mental health stigma reduction partnership.
fb.com/firstfortnight @firstfortnight #FFfest14
First Fortnight is delighted to once again partner with See Change who contributed greatly to the success of First Fortnight 2012 and 2013. See Change’s tireless work in reducing the stigma around mental health gained national attention last May as the partnership of over 80 organisations rolled out a month long national green ribbon campaign to get people talking openly about mental health problems. More than 150,000 green ribbons were distributed nationwide to spark a national conversation about mental health with the aim of making the month of May synonymous with promoting open conversation on mental health and challenging the stigma of mental health problems. First Fortnight is also delighted to have teamed up with Access Cinema, a resource organisation for regional cultural cinema exhibition in Ireland. Along with See Change they are helping to bring the festival’s aim of challenging mental health prejudice through the arts nationwide for the very first time.
Jan 4, 3.30pm Irish Film Institute, Dublin www.ifi.ie (01) 679 5744
Jan 14, 7.30pm Mermaid Arts Centre, Bray www.mermaidartscentre.ie (01) 272 4030
Jan 8, 7.30pm Limerick Arts Encounter, Limerick City www.limetreetheatre.ie (061) 774774
Jan 16, 7.30pm Riverbank Arts Centre, Newbridge www.riverbank.ie (045) 448 330
Jan 12, 7.00pm Garter Lane Arts Centre, Waterford www.garterlane.ie (051) 855 038
Date TBC. Check website for updates Triskel Christchurch, Cork www.triskelartscentre.ie (021) 427 2022
Jan 14, 11.00am Dunamaise Arts Centre, Portlaoise www.dunamaise.ie (057) 866 3355
for tickets & more info visit firstfortnight.ie
www.firstfortnight.ie
Jan 5 @7pm | Accents Café | Free
Slam Sunday
Q
uick-fire poetry is the perfect mind food to tune up the brain for the coming working week. Each month spoken word poetry competition Slam Sunday brings some of the city’s finest poets to Accents Coffee and Tea Lounge in Dublin on the last night of the weekend. Open to all to take part, twelve contestants and five judges are drawn at random from the audience for a quick-fire competition that sees poems recited from memory. With cash prizes awarded on the night, it makes sense to have your say at this First Fortnight special event. If you want to participate sign-up is from 6:45 to 7pm. Show starts at 7pm.
poetry storytelling
Jan 7 @6.30pm | Masonic Lodge | Free
Milk & Cookies - featuring Peter Sheridan
M
ixing home-baked treats with home spun yarns, the Milk and Cookies collective bring their storytelling and baking magic to First Fortnight.
As part of a one-off event, they’ve invited award-winning playwright and director Peter Sheridan to lead them on a night of storytelling centered around the theme, ‘Behind the Mask’. Inspired by The Painted Veil novelist W. Somerset Maugham’s quote, “Sometimes people carry to such perfection the mask they have assumed that in due course they actually become the person they seem,” the night is open to anyone who has a story to tell, or wants to hear a tale told well. So come and join us in a relaxed, friendly environment with tea, cushions, cookies and some new friends waiting to welcome you.
fb.com/firstfortnight @firstfortnight #FFfest14
for tickets & more info visit firstfortnight.ie
www.firstfortnight.ie
Over The Bar - Sports stars, athletes and mental health
Jan 7 @8pm | Twisted Pepper | â‚Ź5
discussion
I
njuries are occupational hazards in professional sport. Every athlete gets them and all have to get over them. But what if this is an injury you cannot see? What if the pain is in your head and you cannot tell anybody about it? Professional sports stars are no more likely to suffer from depression than any of us; they might, though, be slower to ask for help given the pressures to perform in public and rivals looking for an edge over them. Hosted by Irish Times journalist Jim Carroll, the Banter panel will discuss this and more as they explore the issue of mental health in the context of the sports world. The panel will include former Irish soccer international & current RTE pundit Richie Sadlier, whose own sports career was cut short due to injury and who has spoken openly of the demons he faced after his career ended.
fb.com/firstfortnight @firstfortnight #FFfest14
No Room At The Inn In Partnership With:
discussion
Free entry. RSVP to info@mentalhealthreform.ie Mental Health Reform promotes improved and prioritised mental health services in Ireland.
Jan 9 @6.30pm | Wood Quay Venue | Free
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roadcaster Marian Finucane will chair a lively discussion on mental health services, hosted by Mental Health Reform. Entitled No Room at the Inn, a panel will discuss current access to mental health services for people in crisis. The panel will include June Shannon, journalist with Irish Medical News; Marie Duffy, mental health blogger and advocate; and Dr. Pat Gibbons of Kildare/West Wicklow Mental Health Service. Audience participation will also be encouraged with a Q&A session and discussion to take place following the panel’s debate.
for tickets & more info visit firstfortnight.ie
www.firstfortnight.ie
Dolls
Jan 9-11 @7pm | Project Arts Centre | €12
theatre
A
fter a sell-out run at the Dublin Fringe Festival, DOLLS returns to the stage as the inaugural winner of the Fringe’s First Fortnight Award - a prize given to a show that challenges prejudice about mental-health issues. For the duration of the experience a group of female performers are owned by you. From every angle they look convincingly life like. Their movements have been strategically choreographed and set to a soundtrack of appropriated voices that will aim to manipulate you, the audience, to feel and to think. At the end of the performance you are free to leave with or without these thoughts and feelings. A show that promises to thrill and ignite. **** “Hard-hitting… turns the gut and lights the mind” - The Irish Times
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The Anti Room Presents - Women and Mental Health in Popular Culture
discussion
The Anti Room was founded in 2008 by four Dublin-based journalists and has been the home of Irish women writing about everything from fashion to feminism, from pop culture to politics. Anna Carey, an acclaimed author and Irish Times journalist, along with fellow journalist and broadcaster Sinead Gleeson, began hosting regular Anti Room podcasts in 2012 with guests including broadcaster Miriam O’Callaghan and comedian Maeve Higgins. Expect lively, inspiring and thoughtful discussion. Tickets are €5 but entry is free if you present your ticket from that evening’s performance of Dolls (subject to availability).
Jan 9 @8.30pm | Smock Alley Theatre | Free/€5
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ental health has always been a feminist issue. As part of First Fortnight, The Anti Room’s Anna Carey and Sinead Gleeson will lead a panel, including Dolls director Sorcha Kenny (see opposite), in a discussion about women and mental illness and how these issues are depicted in the media and popular culture.
for tickets & more info visit firstfortnight.ie
www.firstfortnight.ie
Jan 9-11 @9pm | Project Arts Centre | €12
The Year Of Magical Wanking
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eil Watkins has wanked more than is healthy, allegedly. One of Ireland’s most exciting artists and incendiary performers, Watkins is a force of nature, a maverick, a 34-year old homosexual with a Jesus complex. The Year of Magical Wanking tells his profound personal journey as it delves into internet porn addiction, destructive sexual behaviour and social isolation. Written and performed in hypnotic verse, this powerful piece of theatre has been described by one reviewer as “a heartbreaking prayer for mental health and love”. A brave work not to be missed, Watkins previously performed The Year of Magical Wanking to huge acclaim at the Dublin Fringe Festival in 2011 and also took the work on-tour in Australia in 2012 to rave reviews. **** “Truthful, heartfelt and immediately identifiable… astonishingly brave.” - The Irish Times
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Come on Live Long Vann Music ‌and very special guests
In Partnership With:
music
The First Fortnight finale gig is held in association with SpunOut.ie, a not-for-profit website created by young people for young people, aiming to promote general wellbeing and healthy living. More acts to be announced via FirstFortnight.ie
Jan 11 @8.30pm | The Button Factory | â‚Ź12
T
he first unmissable gig of the year, First Fortnight closes with another typically diverse bill of musical talent. One of the best live bands in the country, Come On Live Long last year complemented their stunning sets in dingy Dublin venues with the release of one of the debut albums of the year. Bridging the gap between folk and electronica, Everything Fall is laced with fast-paced summer-tinged rock amid slow burning atmospherics that must be heard in a live setting to truly be believed. If Come on Live Long were one of the bands of 2013, then Vann Music look poised to occupy a similar position in 2014. Having released their debut EP last June, the four-piece have sold out headline shows and rocked Longitude and Electric Picnic with their pulsating and melodic electro-rock. A muchanticipated debut album is expected in the coming 12 months.
for tickets & more info visit firstfortnight.ie
www.firstfortnight.ie
Event Calendar Visual Art
Theatre
Spoken Word
Workshops
Film
Discussion
Music
Thursday Jan 2 ______________________________ Happy Clouds Confusion Boats
Grafton St. The New Theatre
1.00pm 7.30pm
Friday Jan 3 ________________________________ Happy Clouds Confusion Boats Therapy Sessions
Dún Laoghaire The New Theatre Workman’s Club
12.00pm 7.30pm 8.00pm
Saturday Jan 4 ______________________________ Snapshot Of Us Happy Clouds Silver Linings Playbook + nationwide screenings. Confusion Boats
Exchange Dublin North Earl St. Irish Film Institute See page 8 for full details. The New Theatre
10.00am 12.00pm 3.30pm 7.30pm
Sunday Jan 5 _______________________________ Photography W/shop Sunday Slam
Grantham St. Accents Cafe
11.00am 7.00pm
Monday Jan 6 _______________________________ Happy Clouds
CHQ, Dublin
12.00pm
Tuesday Jan 7 ______________________________ Happy Clouds Milk & Cookies Confusion Boats Over The Bar
Cavan Town Centre Masonic Lodge The New Theatre Twisted Pepper
fb.com/firstfortnight @firstfortnight #FFfest14
12.00pm 6.30pm 7.30pm 8.00pm
Wednesday Jan 8 ___________________________ Confusion Boats
The New Theatre
7.30pm
Thursday Jan 9 ______________________________ No Room At The Inn Dolls Confusion Boats The Anti Room The Year Of Magical...
Wood Quay Venue Project Arts Centre The New Theatre Smock Allley Theatre Project Arts Centre
6.30pm 7.00pm 7.30pm 8.30pm 9.00pm
Friday Jan 10 _______________________________ Dolls Confusion Boats Therapy Sessions The Year Of Magical...
Project Arts Centre The New Theatre Workman’s Club Project Arts Centre
7.00pm 7.30pm 8.00pm 9.00pm
Saturday Jan 11 _____________________________ Happy Clouds Dolls Confusion Boats The Big Gig The Year Of Magical...
Temple Bar Project Arts Centre The New Theatre Button Factory Project Arts Centre
12.00pm 7.00pm 7.30pm 8.30pm 9.00pm
Saturday Jan 12-16 __________________________ Silver Linings Playbook various venues, see P8 for info...
Need To Talk? MyMind - Mental Health Matters is a community based provider of mental health services that are accessible and affordable. They focus on early intervention and providing an alternative to the medical model, offering psychotherapy and counselling services to those experiencing mild to moderate mental health problems. If you need more info or want to talk to someone, go to www.mymind.org or call 076 680 1060.
www.mymind.org
MyMind
for tickets & more info visit firstfortnight.ie
Special Thanks To Presenting Partners:
Grant Aided By:
Official Media Partners:
Supported By: THE CLARENCE HOTEL Official Mental Health Service Provider:
For full details, up-todate info on ticketing, new additions to the festival and more visit
www.firstfortnight.ie