Northern Ireland Theatre Association (NITA) and Theatre Forum present
All-Ireland Performing Arts Conference Millennium Forum, Derry-Londonderry, June 11–12, 2013
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CONTENTS
Table of Contents Welcomes
2
Programme at a Glance Day 1 & 2
6
Day 1: About the Sessions
8
Day 2: About the Sessions
10
Drop-in Clinics
13
Speaker Biographies
14
Map of Derry & Booking Information
22
Funders & Sponsors
29
Partner Details
30
Partner Thank Yous
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WELCOME
You’re Very Welcome As Chairman of the City of Culture Company 2013 as well as the Millennium Forum, I’m looking forward to welcoming delegates to the All-Ireland Performing Arts Conference taking place in DerryLondonderry during our City of Culture year. As you’d expect, with rich cultural traditions and in a City of Culture year, our city and this venue are very apt locations for a performing arts conference. The City of Culture 2013 programme showcases the heritage as well as the art and artists that have come from this city. We invite all of you to take every opportunity to experience all that our city has to offer and to visit us again soon. Enjoy your conference and our great city. Martin Bradley, MBE Chair of City of Culture Company & Millennium Forum
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Change is the Theme Winston Churchill is credited as saying ‘To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often’. In adopting change as our theme, we intend to explore what new ways of thinking are required to move us towards a more viable and imaginative way of working. Change is a good thing and is an essential ingredient for any creative project and as many old certainties dissolve, we find ourselves coming under increasing pressure to change. We’re delighted to have assembled some leading artists and arts professionals to inspire us towards embracing rather than resisting change. As always we hope to pose many questions and maybe even to arrive at some helpful answers. How has technology changed the way in which work is made and has it changed audience expectations? And how do we need to change ourselves in response to the significantly transformed cultural landscape in which we find ourselves? Heartened by the great energy summoned in Belfast last year, we will continue our investigation into how to strengthen links north and south. We hope that this monster meeting of creative forces and minds will spark ideas, animate discussions and ignite partnerships. It’s a great delight to introduce this conference programme to you. Thanks to all the many wonderful people and organisations that have helped along the way and for the great welcome that I know awaits us all in Derry-Londonderry. Maureen Kennelly Conference Curator
WELCOME
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Collaboration, Innovation, Communication In our rapidly transitioning world the importance of change cannot be underestimated. Change is essential for the continued creative evolution and flourishing of the performing arts. It opens up new avenues of potential in the way we work and the way we create. It challenges us to ensure our continued relevance to the ever-changing societies in which we operate. It forces us to work in new ways, responding to external pressures and demands. The performing arts are also a vehicle for change. As a sector, our creative energy and ideas move us to take risks, push boundaries, successfully collaborate, drive innovation, and communicate new ways of thinking and doing. Our 2013 All-Ireland Performing Arts Conference takes our theme of change and asks delegates to consider how we create, manage, harness and react to change. These discussions are facilitated by an inspiring line-up of speakers, carefully selected by our wonderful returning conference curator Maureen Kennelly. We are thrilled to be able to welcome conference delegates from across NI, ROI and beyond to Derry-Londonderry, a city whose vibrant cultural offerings and talented artists have reached far beyond its magnificent walls. In a year which has brought with it the title of UK City of Culture, we are delighted to be able to showcase this city to delegates and give them an opportunity to see some of what it has to offer. We’d very much like to thank our conference partners Theatre Forum, our funders and sponsors, and most importantly our membership without whom any of this would be possible. Louise Rossington Chair of Northern Irish Theatre Association
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WELCOME
Familiar faces and new places I’d like to welcome you to the All-Ireland Performing Arts Conference in the City of Culture 2013. Derry-Londonderry has always been the obvious location for this year’s conference and one that’s always been supported by you, the members. Every spring, planning the conference with all its practicalities takes a lot of Theatre Forum’s attention. In the past few months, the board and team have worked with conference partner NITA, curator Maureen Kennelly, funders, councils, speakers, sponsors and members to bring you a programme that should provoke each of us to change some of what we think and do. Yet the arts are about so much more than pragmatism. That’s why we also seek to engage wholeheartedly with communities and places, the familiar as well as the unfamiliar ones. Through that engagement, we come to know ourselves and others that bit better. For two days in June at the Millennium Forum, you’ll hear a lot from people who’ll put change in perspective and identify ways through for artists and arts organisations. There’ll be professional services advisers and arts resource organisations there offering you advice too. But most of all, you’ll spend time with colleagues who, through their generosity with time, resources and friendship, provide the most valuable support of all. As a delegate, I am looking forward to being amongst old friends but I’m equally enthusiastic about being a welcome visitor in a city that’s new to me. Loughlin Deegan Chair of Theatre Forum
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THE PROGRAMME
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Day 1
Tuesday 11 June
Time
Session All sessions take place in the Millennium Forum
Location
10.30–12.00
City walking tour option
with award-winning guide, Martin McCrossan
Meet & return to M. Forum
12.00–14.00
Registration and lunch
Piazza
14.00–14.15
Welcome
Main Auditorium
Martin Bradley, Chair of City of Culture Company 2013; Louise Rossington, Chair of NITA; and Loughlin Deegan, Chair of Theatre Forum 14.15–15.15
Keynote: Meet a changemaker
Main Auditorium
Sean Doran, Founder and Artistic Director of the Happy Days Enniskillen International Beckett Festival, in conversation with Marie-Louise Muir 15.15–16.30
Parallel sessions
Option 1: Putting the imagination back into funding Anita Walker, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Cultural Council in conversation with Vincent McCann Option 2: Culture—How does it make and change a place? Lia Ghilardi, Cultural Planner, Graeme Farrow, Derry City of Culture and James McVeigh, Festivals Edinburgh. Chaired by Caoimhín Corrigan of ILEX Option 3: Embracing changes in technology Philip King, Musician, Film-maker and Producer, Other Voices; Mark Nagurski, Director, CultureTECH; and Anna Newell, Artistic Director, Replay Theatre Company
Main Auditorium
16.30–16.45
Coffee break
Piazza
16.45–17.45
In Conversation: Thomas Kilroy, novelist and playwright, with Wayne Jordan
Main Auditorium
17.45–18.45
Open mic session: Talking About …
Main Auditorium
Northern Bank Studio East Wall Room
Pitch your show, your idea or your company in 2 minutes 19.00–late
Evening programme
Dinner Civic Reception hosted by Derry Visitor and Convention Bureau Bronagh Gallagher and band
Piazza The Guildhall Sandinos
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THE PROGRAMME
Day 2
Wednesday 12 June
Time
Session All sessions take place in the Millennium Forum
Location
8.30–10.30
Breakfast
Piazza
9.00–15.30
Clinics: Drop-in clinics throughout the day where you can book a half-hour
Mezzanine
session with experts in various fields including tax, insurance, employment issues, copyright and governance 9.15–10.15
10.15–11.15
Parallel sessions
Option 1: North-South touring—a co-ordinated approach A panel of producers and representatives from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland and the Arts Council /An Chomhairle Ealaíon will discuss the essential elements of a co-ordinated approach to North-South touring Option 2: Audience benchmarking: an overview of arts attendance trends A look at how ticket sales are holding up across the performing arts sector in Ireland according to Heather Maitland’s analysis of 2012 box office data in Ireland Option 3: Alexander Technique Workshop Tomás Hardiman: ‘Change your posture, change your life’
East Wall Room
Keynote: Change as an opportunity for creative reinvention
Main Auditorium
Conference Room
Northern Bank Studio
Richard Gerver, author and change leader 11.15–11.45
Coffee break
11.45–12.45
Parallel sessions
Piazza
Option 1: Dance—leading the way Morag Deyes, Dance Base, Edinburgh with Paul Johnson, Dance Ireland and Kelly-Anne Collins, Dance Resource Base, Belfast. Chaired by Eugene Downes Option 2: Changing models of production and presentation Meet some makers Rachel Clare, Crying Out Loud and Karl Shiels, Theatre Upstairs, who are breaking the mould by creating ground-breaking work outside traditional structures. Chaired by Maria Fleming Option 3: Give change a chance—just what emerging means in the current climate Cat Harrison, artist and producer, Artsadmin with Gill Robertson, Catherine Wheels. Chaired by Richard Wakely
East Wall Room
12.45–13.45
Lunch: Intervention Echo Echo Dance Theatre Company
Piazza
13.45–14.45
Keynote: Changes in how theatre-makers engage with new audiences
Main Auditorium
Northern Bank Studio
Main Auditorium
Marcus Davey, Chief Executive and Artistic Director, The Roundhouse 14.45–15.30
In Conversation: Declan McGonagle with Anne McReynolds
Main Auditorium
Do the arts change anything at all? 15.30–16.00
Close proceedings
Main Auditorium
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ABOUT THE SESSIONS
Day 1: About the sessions Meet a changemaker Main Auditorium, 14.15–15.15 Sean Doran has led some of the most exciting festivals and organisations. He began his musical life as an Irish traditional musician. He subsequently studied classical music, working as a clarinettist and conductor in London. From 1991–2003, he directed international festivals, including the Belfast Festival at Queen’s. At the Perth Festival, he commissioned Antony Gormley’s Inside Australia, an installation of 51 sculptures in the desert and the country’s first home-grown production of a Wagner Ring opera, Götterdämmerung. In 2003, he was appointed to lead the English National Opera taking the ENO to the Glastonbury Festival. In 2005, the ENO was awarded an unprecedented 8 nominations at the London Olivier Awards. In 2012, he founded the Happy Days Enniskillen International Beckett Festival. In a career characterised by change and innovation, moving between artforms and continents, he has worked with many leading artists including Robert Wilson, Deborah Warner, Juliet Stevenson and Anthony Minghella. Speaker: Sean Doran In conversation with: Marie-Louise Muir Parallel Sessions × 3 Option 1: Putting the imagination back into funding Main Auditorium, 15.15–16.30 As Executive Director of the Massachusetts Cultural Council, Anita Walker is the state’s highest ranking
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cultural official. During her leadership, the Cultural Facilities Fund has invested more than $50 million in arts and cultural building. Her Cultural District Initiative has helped cities and towns attract new visitors and commercial activity by focusing on arts and culture. Her Cultural Investment Portfolio simplified the state’s operating support system for more than 400 outstanding nonprofit arts, humanities and science organisations. She has encouraged a new emphasis on the role that creativity and arts education play in student achievement by innovative programs that provide arts education to more children by going outside the traditional school day. Walker is a native Californian, a graduate of Arizona University, and resides in Boston. Speaker: Anita Walker In conversation with: Vincent McCann Option 2: Culture — How does it make and change a place? Northern Bank Studio, 15.15–16.30 In recent times, we have been witness to a host of major blockbuster cultural events. As we sit at the heart of the UK’s first City of Culture, it feels fitting to explore just what impact these major events exert on their host environments. And what is their legacy? This session brings together two international speakers who have been deeply engaged in differing ways in the exploration of the impact of culture on its host landscape with Graeme Farrow who is currently Executive Programmer with City of Culture. Speakers: Lia Ghilardi, Graeme Farrow & James McVeigh Chair: Caoimhín Corrigan
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Option 3: Embracing changes in technology East Wall Room, 15.15–16.30 The way that we consume culture is radically changing, but rather than see that as a threat, a number of thrilling pioneers have welcomed this change and are turning it to their advantage. In this session we meet three such pioneers who have embraced these changes and have delivered events to enormous audiences. Speakers: Mark Nagurski & Anna Newell Chair: Philip King In Conversation: Thomas Kilroy Main Auditorium, 16.45–17.45 In this session Tom will discuss his work, including his experiences with Field Day Theatre Company. A novelist and playwright, Thomas Kilroy has had a long, illustrious career. The Big Chapel was nominated for the Booker Prize and won the Guardian Fiction Prize and the Heinemann Prize. In February 2008, he was presented with the PEN Ireland Cross Award for his contribution to literature. Thomas was a board member of the Field Day Theatre Company founded by Brian Friel and Stephen Rea. Speaker: Thomas Kilroy In conversation with: Wayne Jordan Open mic session: Talking About … Main Auditorium, 17.45–18.45 Roll up, roll up and tell us your news. In this session, delegates are invited to pre-register to offer their thoughts to the conference on their own burning issue; alternatively you can use your allotted two
ABOUT THE SESSIONS
minutes (which will be strictly enforced!) to pitch your show, idea, company or indeed, yourself. To register, please email info@theatreforum.ie with your details and a couple of lines about what you’d like to talk about. Evening programme Piazza, The Guildhall and Sandinos, 19.00–late 2012 saw Derry born actress /singer Bronagh Gallagher release her second album. The self-titled, long-awaited follow up to 2004’s Precious Soul launches Bronagh back on the music scene after an eight-year absence from the studio. On Precious Soul, Bronagh teamed up with producer, John Reynolds who has worked with the likes of The Cranberries, Bob Geldof and Brian Eno. In 2012 Eno, who collaborated with Bronagh on her tracks He Don’t Love You and Hooks, referred to Bronagh as ‘One of the purest, clearest talents I know—a fabulous singer, bursting with raw Irish soul. Striking and original songs and an effortlessly brilliant band. The whole Bronagh picture has come into focus.’ As an actor, Bronagh is widely acclaimed for her roles in The Commitments and Pulp Fiction and for her appearances in the West End, the National Theatre London and with Complicité. Dinner in the Millennium Forum followed by a Civic Reception hosted by Derry Visitor and Convention Bureau and then on to Sandinos for Bronagh Gallagher and band and dancing till late.
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ABOUT THE SESSIONS
Day 2: About the sessions Clinics Mezzanine, 9.00–15.30
Option 2: Audience benchmarking: an overview of arts attendance trends Conference Room, 9.15–10.15
One of the new elements of the conference this year will be drop-in clinics where we encourage you to go for individual half-hour sessions with experts in various fields such as tax, insurance, employment issues and governance. Book your sessions at registration on arrival.
Each year, Heather Maitland collects and analyses box-office data from venues and festivals right across Ireland. At this session, Heather will present the headline findings of her 2012 research looking at audience trends in general as well as those for cultural cinema, taking a close look at how ticket sales are holding up across the sector.
See page 13 for full details of all clinics
Speaker: Heather Maitland
Parallel Sessions × 3
Option 3: Alexander Technique Workshop Northern Bank Studio, 9.15–10.15
Option 1: North-South touring — a co-ordinated approach East Wall Room, 9.15–10.15 This is a topic of perennial interest to production companies as well as their funders. Yet North-South touring is not as prevalent as it once was. In this session, producers as well as representatives from venues and both Councils discuss how a fresh, more co-ordinated approach combined with some practical changes might rejuvenate NorthSouth touring. Speakers: A panel of producers & representatives from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland and the Arts Council / An Chomhairle Ealaíon
‘Change your posture, change your life.’ Releasing unnecessary tension and rediscovering natural poise can change everything in a busy working life. Since 1981, Tomás has worked in arts management across all artforms. He has just completed three years training to become a teacher of the Alexander Technique, in the course of which he gained many new insights into how bringing ease into his own body improves his effectiveness and wellbeing. The fact that arts managers typically are desk-bound and ‘time poor’ has an adverse impact on their posture and causes harmful tension throughout the body. In this workshop, he will convey how the Alexander Principles can bring about personal change leading to good posture, free movement and physical and mental ease in a challenging environment. Led by: Tomás Hardiman
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Change as an opportunity for creative reinvention Main Auditorium, 10.15–11.15 Richard Gerver began his working life as an actor who also worked as an advertising copywriter to make ends meet. He is regarded as one of the world’s foremost thinkers on education, leadership and change. In 2005, he was judged the best head teacher in the UK, after turning a failing school into a global innovation success story. Since then, he has become one of the world’s most celebrated speakers and a best-selling author, helping governments around the world to shape education policy and major organisations to make the most of their talent. Join him as he shares his lessons for leading change. With many of us facing an ever greater pace of change in our personal and working lives, Richard Gerver reveals how to adapt and thrive—not to fear change but to see it as an opportunity for creative reinvention. ‘The ability to embrace change; to lead it and to love it, is at the very heart of human development. The arts have always been a celebration of that ability. In times of such rapid global transformations and challenges, that ability has never been more vital and with it, the role the arts must play as a beacon for it.’ Speaker: Richard Gerver Parallel Sessions × 3 Option 1: Dance — leading the way East Wall Room, 11.45–12.45 While there are differences in the dance sectors north and south of the border, the vibrancy of the diverse range of dance activity on offer is proving inspirational.
ABOUT THE SESSIONS
Recent years have seen unprecedented growth in participation, dance organisations have embraced new practices and the development of new infrastructure is providing a platform for current and future growth. In this session, hosted by the two key dance resource organisations on the island, Dance Ireland and Dance Resource Base NI, organisation representatives and their special guest, Morag Deyes, will explore how to continue to capitalise on these new developments by focusing on collaboration and partnership. Speakers: Morag Deyes, Paul Johnson, Kelly-Anne Collins Chair: Eugene Downes Option 2: Changing models of production and presentation Northern Bank Studio, 11.45–12.45 The traditional company structure model of making theatre is being somewhat abandoned, partly in response to changes in funding. Join two creative forces who continue to make and present thrilling work outside these parameters. Our panel will outline ways in which they have created successful shows through their work with diverse partners and will focus on key challenges and opportunities. They will explore the implications that this way of working has for the sector. Speakers: Rachel Clare & Karl Shiels Chair: Maria Fleming
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Option 3: Give change a chance — just what emerging means in the current climate Main Auditorium, 11.45–12.45 As funding contracts, the challenges facing those new to the sector become all the greater. In this session, we explore what we mean by emerging and how newer artists can and must be supported and encouraged. Cat Harrison of interactive performance company non zero one talks about the crisis sweeping the arts and creative industries, what ‘emerging’ means to her in the current climate, and how organisations and individuals in the sector should give change a chance. Gill Robertson will reflect on how existing company structures can be stretched to represent and support solo artists’ work. How can the company model adapt in response to younger artists’ needs? Speakers: Cat Harrison & Gill Robertson Chair: Richard Wakely Changes in how theatre-makers engage with new audiences Main Auditorium, 13.45–14.45 Marcus Davey leads one of the most exciting presenting, producing and receiving venues in London. The Roundhouse has been a focal point of social and artistic development ever since the 60s. Marcus, Chief Executive and Artistic Director of the Roundhouse has suggested that none purpose built arts centres offer society, artists and audiences an alternative way to approach, participate in and witness culture. Unlike some of the major brand and product driven arts centres the Roundhouse emphasises the exchange of ideas and the involvement of 11–25s at the very heart of its organisation. Marcus will
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reflect on the changes wrought at the Roundhouse and on how he strives to make a meaningful difference to the lives of young people by working with them to develop the Roundhouse’s ground breaking work. Speaker: Marcus Davey In Conversation: Declan McGonagle Main Auditorium, 14.45–15.30 What evidence do we have that the arts are an agent of change? Is this simply high blown rhetoric that we adopt to try and persuade others of our usefulness in society? In our final in conversation session, Declan McGonagle, currently the Director of the National College of Art and Design in Dublin, will argue that the arts continue to be an essential catalyst for societal and political change. Speaker: Declan McGonagle In conversation with: Anne McReynolds
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DROP-IN CLINICS
Drop-in Clinics Book your sessions at the registration desk on arrival ROI & NI—Professional Services Advisers Human Resources: Peninsula, Employment Law and Health & Safety Specialists www.peninsula-ie.com www.peninsula-ni.com ROI—Professional Services Advisers Accountancy and Audit: Gaby Smyth & Co, Chartered Accountants— Twenty years providing specialist management accounting, audit and tax services to the music, film and theatre arts Arts Governance & Finance: Arts Governance, Corporate Governance for Arts Organisations www.artsgovernance.com Governance: Boardmatch, Inspiring Leadership & Good Governance www.boardmatch.ie Insurance Broker: JLT Insurance Brokers Charities Division in association with underwriter Irish Public Bodies Mutual Insurance www.jltonline.ie
NI—Professional Services Advisers Finances, Accountancy, Taxes, VAT: MB McGrady, Accountancy experts, servicing customers throughout Northern Ireland www.mbmcgrady.co.uk Insurance: Abbey Bond Lovis, Insurance Brokers & Risk Advisors www.abbeybondlovis.com Governance: Arts and Business NI, Spark creative partnership between commerce and culture www.artsandbusinessni.org.uk
Arts Resource Organisations Alexander Technique: Tomás Hardiman Audience Development: Heather Maitland, Arts Consultant www.heathermaitland.co.uk British Council: Andrew Jones, Drama and Dance Adviser www.britishcouncil.org Culture Ireland: Supporting the presentation of Irish Arts internationally www.cultureireland.ie Writers Guild of Ireland: The representative body for writers in Ireland for the stage and screen www.script.ie Irish Theatre Institute: Creating opportunities abroad, strengthening resources at home www.irishtheatreinstitute.ie Tyrone Guthrie Centre, Annaghmakerrig: A residential workplace for artists www.tyroneguthrie.ie
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SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES
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Speaker Biographies Rachel Clare established Crying Out Loud in 2002 to produce and tour dynamic new performance combining theatre, contemporary circus, dance, visual arts and site-specific work for festivals and touring networks. Having previously trail-blazed the role of the creative producer, she developed new ways of thinking about programming for all ages and produced work across art-forms for any location on any scale. In 2012, Crying Out Loud conceived and created Piccadilly Circus Circus, a one-day large-scale, outdoor, pop-up spectacular event that transformed London’s Piccadilly Circus into a pedestrianised playground full of the world’s most exciting and contemporary circus performers.
Caoimhín Corrigan works with ILEX URC (a bid partner and key infrastructure partner in 2013 UK City of Culture) where he has primary responsibility for taking forward development of the 26 acre Ebrington site. Prior to joining ILEX in September 2010, Caoimhín worked in local government in Ireland. He led the strategy for the development of VISUAL—The Centre for Contemporary Art in Carlow and the GB Shaw Theatre, which is the largest new centre to be built in Ireland in recent years and also The Dock in Leitrim, a multi-disciplinary centre where he was the founding director / curator from 2005. He has been Chair of NAYD, Commissioner and Curator for Ireland at the Venice Biennale and is Deputy Chair of IT Sligo.
Kelly-Anne Collins is the General Manager of Dance Resource Base, the premier support organisation for the dance community in Northern Ireland. Established in December 2006, Dance Resource Base aims to link, serve and strengthen the dance sector. Its membership throughout Northern Ireland includes over 80 individuals, organisations, venues and students involved in all forms and styles of dance. Kelly-Anne is responsible for managing all aspects of Dance Resource Base’s operations. She has a BA/LLB from the University of Queensland, a BA (Theatre Studies) from Queensland University of Technology and is currently undertaking a PGC in Executive Leadership at the University of Ulster. She has been working in the performing arts in a management capacity for the last ten years.
Marcus Davey is the Chief Executive and Artistic Director of the Roundhouse. In 1995, he was appointed the Artistic Director and Chief Executive of the Norfolk and Norwich Festival, where he created a new contemporary dance festival and commissioned over 60 works in music, dance and the visual arts. He was appointed Chief Executive of The Roundhouse Trust in 1999, where he oversaw and managed the £30m redevelopment of the Roundhouse into a world class performance space and a state of the art creative centre (the Roundhouse Studios) for large numbers of young people to take part in new media and creative arts programmes. Marcus has been an Advisory Board member of the Clore Leadership Foundation, Chair of the PRS Music Foundation and he joined the Board of Arts Council London in early 2011. He was awarded an OBE in the 2012 New Year Honours List for his services to the arts.
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SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES
Morag Deyes MBE is Artistic Director of Dance Base, Scotland’s National Centre for Dance in Edinburgh, since 1994. A professional dancer, teacher and choreographer, Morag was Artistic Director of the Bath Fringe Festival from 1990–1994 and the creative force behind the transition from Dance Base at the Assembly Rooms to its current Grassmarket site. She directed the hugely successful Dance Base shows Off Kilter, The Holyrood Palace Garden Party Celebrations (patron HRH Prince Charles) and programmed the Urban Dance stages for Edinburgh’s Hogmanay celebrations in 2004–06. She is Scottish representative on UK National Dance Network (NDN). She received an MBE for Services to Dance in Scotland in the HRH Queen Elizabeth’s New Year Honours List 2007 and the Spirit of the (Edinburgh) Fringe Award 2009. Morag is Chairperson of the British Dance: Edition 2014 selection panel.
Eugene Downes completed his five-year term as founding Chief Executive of Culture Ireland, the national body for the promotion and advancement of Irish arts worldwide in 2012. From 2000–07 he acted as a consultant to the Irish Government on international arts strategy, curating and producing events across Europe, Asia and South America. Previous experience included the Irish Foreign Service, a spell as Cultural Attaché in Russia and as a music and opera broadcaster on RTÉ Lyric FM. Eugene is a Board member of Druid and the International Society for the Performing Arts (ISPA), co-chairing its annual Congress in 2012, and has also served on the Boards of the Abbey Theatre, the Royal Irish Academy of Music, Irish Theatre Institute, the Irish Cultural Centre in Paris and Rough Magic. Eugene is currently an independent arts producer and consultant.
Sean Doran has led some of the most exciting festivals and organisations. He began his musical life as an Irish traditional musician. He subsequently studied classical music, working as a clarinettist and conductor in London. From 1991–2003, he directed international festivals, including the Belfast Festival at Queen’s. At the Perth Festival, he commissioned Antony Gormley’s Inside Australia, an installation of 51 sculptures in the desert and the country’s first homegrown production of a Wagner Ring opera, Götterdämmerung. In 2003, he was appointed to lead the English National Opera taking the ENO to the Glastonbury Festival. In 2005, the ENO was awarded an unprecedented 8 nominations at the London Olivier Awards. In 2012, he founded the Happy Days Enniskillen International Beckett Festival. In a career characterised by change and innovation, moving between artforms and continents, he has worked with many leading artists including Robert Wilson, Deborah Warner, Juliet Stevenson and Anthony Minghella.
Echo Echo Dance Theatre Company, based in Derry-Londonderry, is recognised as a leading dance company in Northern Ireland. The company offers a unique and fearless improvisational approach to dance performance and participation. Echo Echo produce original performance work to tour internationally and also offer an inclusive and diverse education and participation programme. Freelance journalist Seth Linden has described them as ‘One of the most unique and fascinating dance companies in the UK or Ireland’. Echo Echo will be performing alongside the extremely gifted, local musicians the Henry Girls. This collaboration will create an exciting and unique improvisational piece.
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SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES
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Graeme Farrow is currently Executive Programmer for City of Culture with responsibility for delivery of the international programme elements. He joined the Belfast Festival at Queen’s in 1999 and has gained experience in a wide variety of roles—as Programme Manager, Deputy Director, and Director. Farrow brought artists and events such as Ennio Morricone, Black Watch, David Lynch, The History Boys, Valery Gergiev, Buena Vista Social Club, Carlos Acosta, Kiri te Kanawa and Elvis Costello to Belfast. He also had overall responsibility for the culture and arts portfolio at Queen’s University which includes the Festival and Queen’s Film Theatre (Northern Ireland’s ‘art-house’ cinema). He was the inaugural programmer of the Belfast Film Festival from 2000–2002 and programmed Queen’s Film Theatre from 2005–2008.
Bronagh Gallagher, Derry born actress/ singer, released her second album in 2012. The self-titled, long-awaited follow up to 2004’s Precious Soul launches Bronagh back on the music scene after an eight-year absence from the studio. In 2012, Brian Eno, who collaborated with Bronagh on her tracks He Don’t Love You and Hooks, referred to Bronagh as ‘One of the purest, clearest talents I know—a fabulous singer, bursting with raw Irish soul. Striking and original songs and an effortlessly brilliant band. The whole Bronagh picture has come into focus.’ As an actor, Bronagh is widely acclaimed for her roles in The Commitments and Pulp Fiction and for her appearances in the West End, the National Theatre London and with Complicité.
Maria Fleming was appointed Theatre Programmer at The Ark in February 2012. The Ark is a unique, purpose-built cultural centre in the heart of Dublin, where children aged 2–12 can explore theatre, music, literature, art, film, dance and more. At The Ark, Maria produces in-house productions and programmes national and international theatre work including curating the family season of the Dublin Theatre Festival. Prior to her position at The Ark, Maria worked as a freelance producer working with a variety of arts organisations including Hot for Theatre, Dublin Theatre Festival, The Performance Corporation and IMDT. Maria was General Manager of both Barabbas Theatre Company and Calypso and was administrator of Druid Theatre Company. Maria has a love of all things theatrical and in particular enjoys physical theatre, immersive theatre and contemporary circus.
Richard Gerver is one of the world’s foremost thinkers on education, leadership and change. In 2005, he was judged the best head teacher in the UK, after turning a failing school into a global innovation success story. Since then, he has become one of the world’s most celebrated speakers and a best-selling author, helping governments around the world to shape education policy and major organisations to make the most of their talent. His unique formula is a blend of simple ingredients—communicate with impact and empower those in your charge—but the underlying techniques he has developed are powerful enough to make learners of all ages feel inspired.
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SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES
Lia Ghilardi is a creative polymath who is internationally recognised as a leader in the field of cultural planning, cultural tourism and creative thinking for urban change. She has more than twenty years experience of working with civic leaders, tourism organisations, urban designers and cultural institutions to provide creative and integrated solutions to the social and economic challenges of contemporary cities.
Cat Harrison is an artist/producer. At Artsadmin, she works as the Assistant Artists’ Advisor and Producer and as an artist Cat creates interactive experiential theatre works as part of the collective non zero one. Cat has also worked independently for artists and academics including Bryony Kimmings, Dick McCaw, Antony Gormley, Pebble Gorge, Oreet Ashery and Larissa Sansour. Cat is a board member for Crying Out Loud, a member of the European Culture Parliament British Youth Network, and a guest lecturer at Royal Holloway University of London, where non zero one are the resident theatre company.
Tomás Hardiman holds a BComm from NUI Galway and an MA in Film and Television Studies from Dublin City University. His professional career in the theatre began as General Manager of Mercury Theatre in Toronto. He was Marketing/Publicity Director of The Abbey from 1984–1993. He then returned to Galway where he produced numerous short films and documentaries and spent five years as Managing Director of Galway Arts Centre and the Cúirt International Festival of Literature. He subsequently managed diverse projects for many of Ireland’s leading arts organizations and has just completed three years’ training a teacher of the Alexander Technique, the principles of which he is eager to share with arts managers and performers.
Paul Johnson is Chief Executive of Dance Ireland since 2006. With over 21 years experience as a dance artist, Johnson has worked on a range of dance, theatre and film projects with among others Daghdha Dance, DCDT, Druid Theatre Co, icontact, IMDT, Rubato Ballet, Scottish Ballet Steps Out, Tag Theatre Company and his own company MaNDaNCE (1991–2001). He is the author of Fine Lines on Shifting Ground: Reflections on a Choreographic Process (Project Press: 2000). Paul is a member of the board of directors of Dance Resource Base (NI) Ltd, Janis Claxton Dance Edinburgh and RGH Consulting. He was appointed to the Arts Council /An Chomhairle Ealaíon for a five-year term in 2008. Paul has a BA in Communication Studies and an MA in Communication and Cultural Studies from Dublin City University.
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SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES
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Wayne Jordan is a freelance director. His mainstage debut at The Abbey Theatre was Christ Deliver Us! by Thomas Kilroy. Other productions include: Alice in Funderland, 16 Possible Glimpses, No Romance, The Plough and the Stars and La Dispute (Abbey Theatre), Celebration (Gate Theatre), Ellamenope Jones, Everybody Loves Sylvia, La Voix Humaine, Fewer Emergencies, The Public, The Drowned World, The Illusion and Eeeugh!topia (Randolf SD | The Company) and Elevator (thisispopbaby). He was Associate Artist at The Abbey from 2011–2013 and Artistic Director of Randolf SD | The Company. Wayne is part of Project Catalyst, an initiative of Project Arts Centre. Wayne’s production of An Enemy of The People is running at the Gate Theatre from May 27th to July 13th 2013.
Philip King has been closely involved with the arts in Ireland as a filmmaker and musician for over 20 years. He is the co-founder of Other Voices, the renowned music event and television series which has been filmed for the last 11 years in Dingle, County Kerry. Other Voices became a beacon of cutting-edge technology when the festival streamed gigs in high definition from the 70-seater St James’s Church in Dingle into seven pubs. The festival is renowned for the presentation of some of the world’s leading musicians in that intimate setting. In 2013, it has radically expanded its reach with a recent outing in London and it was one of the programme highlights when it migrated to DerryLondonderry earlier this year.
Thomas Kilroy is a novelist and playwright, who has had a long, illustrious career. The Big Chapel was nominated for the Booker Prize and won the Guardian Fiction Prize and the Heinemann Prize. In February 2008, he was presented with the PEN Ireland Cross Award for his contribution to literature. Thomas was a board member of the Field Day Theatre Company founded by Brian Friel and Stephen Rea. His work has been widely produced nationally and internationally and his many plays include Talbot’s Box, The Secret Fall of Constance Wilde, The Shape of Metal and The Death and Resurrection of Mr. Roche.
Heather Maitland is an arts consultant, author, trainer and Associate Fellow with the Centre for Cultural Policy Studies at the University of Warwick. Heather has worked with well over 100 organisations on audience, business and art form development including as head of two of the UK’s audience development agencies. She has been working in Ireland for nine years. Her recent projects include helping Dunamaise Arts Centre develop an audience development and community engagement plan; audience analysis at glór, Siamsa Tíre and the George Bernard Shaw Theatre; leading sessions for the Arts Audiences/Irish Times Training audience development training programme and supporting companies funded by the Arts Council’s touring programme. She is currently advisor to an audience development project involving 31 contemporary classical music ensembles from 17 European countries.
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SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES
Vincent McCann is the Operations Manager at The Market Place Theatre and Arts Centre in Armagh since 1999. As a member of the Association of Regional Theatres, the Market Place co-produced all-Ireland tours of Brian Friel’s Philadelphia, Here I Come!, Hugh Leonard’s Da and Sean O’Casey’s Juno And The Paycock. Vincent studied drama and theatre studies in Trinity College, Dublin. He also has an MPhil in Irish Theatre Studies and an MBA. His first professional role was administrator for DubbelJoint Productions where productions included A Night in November by Marie Jones; Eugene O’Neill’s A Moon for the Misbegotten and Binlids which toured to New York. From there he became administrator of The Lyric Theatre, Belfast producing shows including Brian Friel’s Give Me Your Answer Do; Tom Murphy’s A Whistle in the Dark and Marie Jones’ Stones in His Pockets. Vincent is currently a board member of NITA and Maiden Voyage Dance.
Anne McReynolds is Chief Executive of the MAC (Metropolitan Arts Centre), Belfast’s new multi-million pound arts centre in the Cathedral Quarter. Prior to her current role, Anne was the Director of the Old Museum Arts Centre. She also held positions with the Belfast Festival at Queen’s, Belfast Community Circus and Bryn Mawr Insurance, PA. Anne was one of the co-founders of the Belfast Children’s Festival and a Trustee of Upstate Theatre, Drogheda. She is currently a Trustee of the Community Foundation for Northern Ireland and a member of the Cathedral Quarter Trust. She has also been appointed by the UK Minister of State for Culture as a Trustee of The Theatres Trust, an Independent Advisory Body charged with protecting and preserving theatres throughout the UK.
Declan McGonagle has been Director of the National College of Art and Design, Dublin since 2008. Prior to that he directed Interface Research Centre at University of Ulster, (2004–2008), dealing with issues of art, design context and contested space. He set up and directed the Civil Arts Inquiry at City Arts Centre, Dublin, (2001–2004), and was the founding Director of the Irish Museum of Modern Art, (1991–2001) following periods as Director of the Orchard Gallery in Derry and Director of Exhibitions at the ICA in London in the period 1978–1990. He writes, lectures and publishes regularly on art, museum/gallery policy issues, and curates exhibitions with a focus on the relationship between art/artist and society.
James McVeigh is Head of Innovation and Marketing with Festivals Edinburgh. He joined Festivals Edinburgh following senior management roles with a number of organisations including Arts Council England, Salisbury International Festival and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Society. Festivals Edinburgh is a uniquely collaborative organisation supporting Edinburgh’s Festivals to sustain and develop their position as the world’s leading festival city—which now sees the Festivals host, each year, over 35,000 world class artists, more than 2,000 accredited media and audiences of over 4 million while generating £260m (€305m) for the Scottish economy. James is also a Trustee of the Edinburgh UNESCO City of Literature Trust and sits on the board of New Media Scotland.
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SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES
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Marie-Louise Muir is a well-known broadcaster in Northern Ireland, specialising in arts and culture. Her programmes on BBC Radio Ulster artsextra and Sounds Classical have included acclaimed interviews with Seamus Heaney, John McGahern, Edna O’Brien and The Priests. She has also worked across other genres, including news, religion, and light entertainment, having presented Evening Extra, Sunday Sequence and Good Morning Gorgeous, her own series about health and beauty. Marie-Louise studied English Literature at Trinity College Dublin and trained as an arts administrator at University College Dublin. She has worked with Field Day Theatre Company and IMPACT 92, the 12 month arts and cultural festival in Derry, in 1992.
Anna Newell has been making theatre adventures for people of all ages to watch and to take part in since 1989—in theatres of all sizes, in a disused police station, in a shopping centre, in a sonic lab and in a secret apartment—in various cities in the UK and Ireland and also in the US and Bosnia. Artistic Director at Replay Theatre Company since 2011, she has created seven shows for the company in addition to other research projects and educational experiments. Anna was the Artistic Director of the Centre for Excellence for the Creative and Performing Arts at Queen’s University from 2005–2010, devising innovative interdisciplinary practical arts programmes including a project which got doctors dancing!
Mark Nagurski, based in Derry, N. Ireland, is the Director of CultureTECH, a weeklong festival of digital media, technology and music which explores the connections between arts, culture and technology. CultureTECH features over 100 individual events with a total expected audience of over 30,000 people, making it one of the biggest digital events in the country. In addition to the festival, CultureTECH also manages a year-round programme of events and activities designed to foster innovation at the crossroads of culture and technology. Prior to launching CultureTECH, Mark served as Derry-Londonderry’s first Digital Champion and currently sits on multiple boards and advisory groups across both technology and the arts.
Gill Robertson is Artistic Director of Catherine Wheels Theatre Company. After graduating from the RSAMD in 1990 she founded Visible Fictions Theatre Company, whose repertoire included The Red Balloon, the first Scottish production to perform on Broadway. In 1999, Gill founded Catherine Wheels Theatre Company producing over 20 shows for children and young people touring to schools, village halls and theatres across Scotland. Productions include Lifeboat, the first Scottish Theatre production to appear at the Sydney Opera House. Home: East Lothian (a site-specific show for the National Theatre of Scotland) reinvented into Hansel and Gretel had a five week run at the Barbican Theatre, London and was nominated for two 2010 New York Drama Desk Awards. A frequent winner of the Best Show for Children and Young People at the TMA Theatre Awards, the productions have also won Fringe First, Herald Angel, and Total Theatre Awards. Gill regularly works with Shona Reppe and most recently directed The Curious Scrapbook of Josephine.
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SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES
Karl Shiels is the Artistic Director of Theatre Upstairs and received a Special Judges’ Award as part of the Irish Times Theatre Awards 2012 for his commitment to the development and promotion of emerging artists in Irish theatre. Theatre Upstairs has provided a platform to dozens of actors, directors and playwrights and encouraged a great spirit of experimentation and openness. As an actor, Karl has worked with all the major theatres and production companies in Ireland and has received an Irish Times Theatre Award nomination for Best Actor in 2011 and for Best Supporting Actor 2009. He most recently appeared in Drum Belly at the Abbey Theatre.
Richard Wakely is the Director of the Ulster Bank Belfast Festival at Queen’s. He is also an established dance and theatre producer, curator and arts management consultant, working internationally out of Ireland. In recent years he has produced for junk ensemble (Ireland), Claire Cunningham (Scotland), Sol Picó Dance Company (Spain) and Nottingham Playhouse (UK). Richard is the founder and co-curator of an annual season of new dance from Ireland at Dance Base for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Former positions include Commissioner of the China-Ireland Cultural Exchange Programme (2004/5), Managing Director of the Abbey Theatre and General Manager of London’s Hampstead Theatre.
Anita Walker, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Cultural Council, is the state’s highest ranking cultural official. During her leadership, the Cultural Facilities Fund has invested more than $50 million in arts and cultural building. Her Cultural District Initiative has helped cities and towns attract new visitors and commercial activity by focusing on arts and culture. Her Cultural Investment Portfolio simplified the state’s operating support system for more than 400 outstanding nonprofit arts, humanities and science organisations. She has encouraged a new emphasis on the role that creativity and arts education play in student achievement by innovative programs that provide arts education to more children by going outside the traditional school day. Walker is a native Californian, a graduate of Arizona University, and resides in Boston.
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BOOKING INFORMATION
Conference Map
Booking Information
Map Key
Tickets
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Millennium Forum City of Culture Headquarters The Guildhall Sandinos Tourist Office Bus Station Foyleside Car Park City Walls
Your conference ticket covers access to all sessions, coffee breaks, lunch on both days as well as dinner and evening entertainment too. Conference tickets are booked directly with the Millennium Forum. Ticket Prices Conference ticket prices are quoted and purchases will be charged in Sterling. Euro charges will vary from the approximate ones quoted here, depending on the exchange rate at the time of your ticket purchase. Fee
Sterling £ Euro €
Members
£85
€100 approx.
Non-members
£165
€195 approx.
Special subsidised rate* £60
€70 approx.
*Please note that there is a limited number of subsidised places for freelance writers, directors, producers and artists. Please contact NITA or Theatre Forum for details: info@nita.org / info@theatreforum.ie
You can register, book tickets, accommodation offers and travel by visiting: www.nitatheatre.org www.theatreforumireland.com
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Make the change to better insurance Theatre Forum Insurance Facility a better deal for the performing arts Theatre Forum, in association with JLT Ireland, is delighted to introduce an insurance facility specifically designed for Theatre Forum members. This unique offering has been arranged by JLT Ireland, to cater for the specific and varied needs of venues, production companies, and festivals.
Tailor-made insurance The insurance needs of Theatre Forum members can be varied and complex depending on the size of the organisation, staff numbers, the value of their equipment or property and their level of exposure to claims. The Theatre Forum Insurance Facility will be tailored to suit your particular needs and circumstances.
Premium service JLT Ireland has a wealth of experience of providing a broker service to those involved in the arts, cultural, non-for-profit, social and charitable sector. They have partnered with IPB Insurance who have been in operation since 1926 and have been insuring local authorities, their communities and theatres in Ireland for almost 9 decades.
Come and talk to us at our stand today JLT Ireland are holding one-to-one clinic sessions with delegates for the duration of the All-Ireland Performing Arts Conference. Make an appointment early to ensure that you get the chance to discuss your insurance needs with a member of their team. Â JLT Insurance Brokers Ireland Limited trading as JLT Ireland, JLT Financial Services, GIS Ireland, Charity Insurance,
Members who avail of the Theatre Forum Insurance Facility will now benefit from a competitive insurance offering tailored to your individual organisation’s needs.
Teacherwise, Childcare Insurance, JLT Online, JLT Trade Credit Insurance is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland Irish Public Bodies Mutual Insurances Ltd. trading as IPB Insurance is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland.
“All the world's a stage, And all the men
and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances,
And one man in his time plays many parts . . .�
William Shakespeare
Nicholson Bass, celebrates 75 Years as custodians of great literature, through print ensuring each generation speaks across time to the next and that great works will always remain relevant and potent to the modern consciousness NICHOLSON BASS 3 Nicholson Drive, Newtownabbe y, BT36 4FB T: (028) 9034 2433 F: (028) 9034 2466 E: sales@nicholsonbass.com W: www.nicholsonbass.com
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FUNDERS AND SPONSORS
Our Funders
Our Sponsors
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CONFERENCE PARTNERS
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The Conference Partners
Northern Ireland
Theatre Forum
The 2013 All-Ireland Performing
Theatre Association
is the representative association
Arts Conference will be delivered
is the representative body for
for the performing arts in Ireland
by two partners: the Northern
professional theatre in Northern
with over 240 members including
Ireland Theatre Association (N ITA),
Ireland, with over 60 members
venues and arts centres,
the representative body for
drawn from across the performing
professional theatre, dance and
professional theatre in Northern
arts community. It provides a
opera companies, performing arts
Ireland, based in Belfast; and
collective voice for the theatre
festivals as well as individual
Theatre Forum, the membership
sector, promoting Northern Irish
directors, actors, writers and
organisation for the performing arts
theatre on a local, national and
producers. Activities include
in Ireland, based in Dublin.
international scale; delivering
information provision, networking
tailored training; collecting and
events, training and professional
disseminating sector-specific
development, research, practical
information; supporting networking
services and advocacy on behalf
amongst performing arts
of the performing arts sector.
professionals and facilitating informed lobbying and advocacy.
Director: Anna Walsh; Manager/ Conference Producer: Catherine
Coordinator: Charlotte Smith
Rutter; Production Assistant: Grainne Lynch
www.nitatheatre.org www.theatreforumireland.com Northern Ireland Theatre Association, c/o The MAC,
Theatre Forum,
10 Exchange Street West,
15 Bachelor’s Walk, Dublin 1
Belfast, BT1 2NJ Theatre Forum receives financial NITA receives financial assistance from
assistance from the Arts Council /
the Arts Council of Northern Ireland
An Chomhairle Ealaíon
& the National Lottery
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THANK YOUS
We would like to thank the following for their
A special thanks to the boards:
invaluable assistance with this year’s conference:
Northern Ireland Theatre Association: Louise
Martin Bradley, Rachel Clare, Anne Clarke, Kelly-Anne
Rossington (Chair), Emma Jordan (Vice Chair), Vincent
Collins, Caoimhín Corrigan, Fergus Cronin, Marcus
McCann (Treasurer), Emily DeDakis, Clare Gault,
Davey, Morag Deyes, Sean Doran, Eugene Downes,
Lyndsey Jackson, Gillian Mitchell, Andrea Montgomery.
Echo Echo Dance Theatre Company, Graeme Farrow, Maria Fleming, Bronagh Gallagher and band, Richard
Theatre Forum: Loughlin Deegan (Chair), Sarah Durcan
Gerver, Lia Ghilardi, Tomás Hardiman, Cat Harrison,
(Secretary), Julia Carruthers, Mona Considine, Peter
Paul Johnson, Wayne Jordan, Maureen Kennelly,
Daly, Pádraig Heneghan, Deirdre Kinahan, Niamh Ní
Tom Kilroy, Philip King, Heather Maitland, Jo Mangan,
Chonchubhair, Niamh O’Donnell.
Vincent McCann, Declan McGonagle, Anne McReynolds, James McVeigh, Marie-Louise Muir, Mark Nagurski, Anna Newell, Colette Norwood, Gill Robertson, Karl Shiels, Richard Wakely, Anita Walker, Arts Council of Northern Ireland, the Arts Council / An Chomhairle Ealaíon and the British Council, all at the Millennium Forum, all at the Derry Visitor and Convention Bureau, Derry City Council, Northern Ireland Tourist Board and the Culture Company. A huge thank you to our volunteers for their support and generosity with their time.
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