Theatre Forum
Annual Conference 2011 Galway, 9 –10 June
Theatre Forum
Annual Conference 2011 Galway, 9 –10 June
Clockwise from top: – Next Stage 2010 – Gavin Kostick at Annual Conference 2009 – Pat Moylan at Annual Conference 2009
Further information: Tania Banotti / Eoin Gannon / Irma McLoughlin Theatre Forum 15 Bachelors Walk Dublin 1 P: 01 874 6582 E: theatreforum@ireland.com W: theatreforumireland.com Principal Funder
Theatre Forum Theatre Forum is the voice of the performing arts in Ireland. Counting theatres and arts centres around the country; professional theatre, dance, opera and street arts/spectacle production companies; and the main arts festivals among its membership, Theatre Forum acts on behalf of these members with government, state and semi-state agencies and elected representatives. We research and disseminate information on various topics. We are the exclusive providers of research on audience benchmarking, pay and conditions in the industry and funding trends (both local and national). Theatre Forum organises training and professional development courses and seminars throughout the year. Flagship courses include The Next Stage in collaboration with Ulster Bank Dublin Theatre Festival and MAKE in collaboration with Cork Midsummer Festival, Dublin Fringe Festival and Project Arts Centre. We also organise a number of topical and networking events each year. Via our website, theatreforumireland.com, Theatre Forum provides invaluable resources to the performing arts sector, including factsheets and model contracts, an opening night clash diary, an industry employment page, a barter page, members’ notice board and much more. In every way it can, Theatre Forum endeavours to support and drive the diverse sector it represents. Thank you for your membership, which makes all of this possible.
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On with the Show The Irish performing arts community has had an extraordinary year, adapting to fast changing times while getting on with the business of producing theatre, dance and opera. The enormous changes in the economy, politics, technology and society have brought new opportunities as well as new challenges to which the theatre community has actively responded. The collapse of the economy has seen theatre, dance and opera companies lose financial support at home while, at the same time, the Imagine Ireland programme has created unprecedented additional opportunities for Irish companies in America. The nation’s search for meaning beyond the monetary has led to an increased recognition from political and civic leaders of the value of culture and the arts to Ireland and some artists have advocated for democratic change. The Theatre Forum Conference this year will create a space in which to reflect on the immediate and longer-term impacts of the events and shifts of the last 12 months. We will also explore some of the new tools available to the theatre business to create work, attract and develop audiences and be financially successful. At the same time, the conference will consider some of the issues which will shape theatre in the future, many of which are common to theatres and artists throughout the world. We have a great line up of participants and speakers involved from Ireland, the USA, the UK and Spain, to stimulate, provoke, impart wisdom and practical skills – and to challenge us. The conference will explore three themes: 1. The Artist in the New Paradigm 2. Ireland and the World 3. Theatre and Sustainability
Jennifer Fleenor at Next Stage 2008
1. The Artist in the New Paradigm will explore the changing roles and responsibilities of the artist in Ireland. The efforts of the theatre community over the last two years have been focussed on retaining state funding but is it time now for artists to take a greater role in civil society? Does theatre have a responsibility to contribute to the development of ideas and understanding in a new democratic order? Changes in the relationship between theatre and the media also have implications well beyond the age old discussions about the role of the theatre critic. 2. Ireland and the World will consider the role of theatre in promoting Ireland as a brand and the impact of this on the theatre community in Ireland. Ireland’s artists, writers and actors enjoy international success and reputation and are valued by the state as a means of promoting Ireland, bringing cultural tourists and much needed inward investment. A cause for celebration and a welcome source of funding and employment but is the balance between home and abroad the right one? 3. Theatre and Sustainability considers several of the issues which keep theatre makers awake at night. For the theatre manager, the ever present need to balance the books by creating good work, selling tickets, managing costs and raising income; for the actor, writer, director, designer and increasing numbers of theatre professionals, the worry of the wait for the next piece of work and the perils of managing a career as a freelance; for cultural leaders, the need to ensure that governments and policy makers understand the arguments for the arts and to find new and better evidence of the impact of public funding. And for all of us, how we make theatre which has a positive impact on the environment as the world responds to the planet’s climate change. Let’s take these two days to pause, reflect, debate and share – and then on with the show! — Anne Bonnar Conference Curator
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Thursday 9 June Time
Activity
Location (NUIG / Radisson)
12:00 – 13:30
Registration & Lunch
Main foyer Áras na Mac Léinn Student Centre and restaurant
12:00 – 13:00
Producer circle with Ken Davenport Prior registration required – please contact Theatre Forum for details
The View, Áras na Mac Léinn Student Centre
12:30 – 13:00
Workshop with O’Driscoll O’Neill Insurance A session on insurance claims and trends within the arts community
Acoustic Room, Áras na Mac Léinn Student Centre
Come and meet the Board of Theatre Forum An introductory session designed for first time attenders to meet each other and the Board before the conference starts
The Hub, Áras na Mac Léinn Student Centre
13:30 – 14:00
Welcome from Jimmy Deenihan T.D. Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht
Bailey Allen Hall, Áras na Mac Léinn Student Centre
14:00 – 15:15
Has the Celtic Tiger deadened Ireland’s creative persona? Niall Crowley & Sarah Glennie, chaired by Fiach Mac Conghail
Bailey Allen Hall, Áras na Mac Léinn Student Centre
15:15 – 16:30
The relationship between theatre and the media: Combatants or colleagues in a fast changing world of communications? Andrew Dickson, Darragh Doyle, Stephen Faloon, chaired by Michael McDermott
Bailey Allen Hall, Áras na Mac Léinn Student Centre
16:30 – 17:00
Coffee break
Main foyer Áras na Mac Léinn Student Centre
17:00 – 18:00
Parallel Sessions Option 1: Practical guide to digital theatre Deborah Dignam, Niall Doyle, Jessica Fuller, chaired by Willie White Option 2: Using social media Darragh Doyle Option 3: How to manage your career John Deely
Bailey Allen Hall, Áras na Mac Léinn Student Centre The View, Áras na Mac Léinn Student Centre Acoustic Room, Áras na Mac Léinn Student Centre
18:00 – 18:45
Theatre Forum AGM Note: Theatre Forum members only
Bailey Allen Hall, Áras na Mac Léinn Student Centre
19:30 – late
Evening programme Conference speed dating, dinner and entertainment Sponsored by Tickets.com
Radisson Blu Hotel
The Artist in the New Paradigm Ireland and the World Theatre and Sustainability
Please use #tfconf when tweeting at the conference
Friday 10 June Time
Activity
Location (NUIG)
09:15 – 11:30
Tea, coffee and scones will be served all morning
Main foyer Áras na Mac Léinn Student Centre
09:15 – 10:15
Parallel Sessions Option 1: Crowd and community funding Ken Davenport, Andrew Hetherington, Phillip McMahon, chaired by Loughlin Deegan Option 2: Greening your theatre – A practical guide to environmental tools Alison Tickell Option 3: International coproduction – A practical guide Gavin Quinn, Richard Wakely, chaired by Cian O’Brien
Bailey Allen Hall, Áras na Mac Léinn Student Centre
10:30 – 11:30
The Producer’s Perspective Ken Davenport
Bailey Allen Hall, Áras na Mac Léinn Student Centre
11:30 – 11:45
Lightning Talks Paperless promotion: Alice in Funderland Phillip McMahon Staging the past: Opening up the Irish theatre archive Barry Houlihan JOLT – A framework for emerging theatre Craig Flaherty
Bailey Allen Hall, Áras na Mac Léinn Student Centre
11:45 – 12:45
Parallel Sessions
The View, Áras na Mac Léinn Student Centre Acoustic Room, Áras na Mac Léinn Student Centre
Option 1: A life in the theatre: Career, progression and succession Peter Daly, John Deely, Brian Singleton, chaired by Lynne Parker Option 2: Theatre & climate change – A call for change or a diversion? Rosa Casado, Judith Knight, Alison Tickell, chaired by Dr Colin Brown
Bailey Allen Hall, Áras na Mac Léinn Student Centre The View, Áras na Mac Léinn Student Centre
12:45 – 13:45
Lunch
Áras na Mac Léinn Student Centre Restaurant
13:45 – 14:45
Remaking the case for the arts John Knell, chaired by Dr Mick Wilson
Bailey Allen Hall, Áras na Mac Léinn Student Centre
14:45 – 16:00
Parallel Sessions
16:00 – 16:30
Option 1: Cultural tourism and its impact on Irish theatre John Concannon, Colm Croffy, David Teevan, chaired by Una Carmody Option 2: The love affair between Ireland and USA – Win win or skewing the art? Louise Donlon, Eugene Downes, Tim Smith, chaired by Fergal McGrath Option 3: Audience benchmarking Heather Maitland Option 4: Pecha Kucha More you want to confer about?
Bailey Allen Hall, Áras na Mac Léinn Student Centre The View, Áras na Mac Léinn Student Centre
Closing Session
Bailey Allen Hall, Áras na Mac Léinn Student Centre
Acoustic Room, Áras na Mac Léinn Student Centre Bank of Ireland Theatre beside Áras na Mac Léinn Student Centre
Thursday 9 June Day 1: Afternoon Has the Celtic Tiger Deadened Ireland’s Creative Persona? Bailey Allen Hall, Áras na Mac Léinn Student Centre 14:00 – 15:15 During the last months, politicians of all hues have placed increased significance on the importance of culture as the nation seeks to rebuild its reputation. Artists and cultural leaders have advocated for this recognition and for the protection of state funding. But is there a greater opportunity and a greater responsibility for the arts? How should artists and cultural leaders respond? Has the focus to date been too much on protecting state funding? What is the relevance of theatre and the arts in a society characterised by powerlessness, hopelessness and loss? What role will artists have in the new paradigm? Will the artist continue to be listened to in a new democracy? Niall Crowley, one of the organisers of the civil society movement Claiming Our Future, will give his views on these issues and challenge artists and cultural leaders to consider their responsibilities to Ireland’s creative persona. Speaker: Niall Crowley Response: Sarah Glennie of the Irish Film Institute Chair: Fiach Mac Conghail of the Abbey Theatre
The Relationship between Theatre and the Media: Combatants or Colleagues in a Fast Changing World of Communications? Bailey Allen Hall, Áras na Mac Léinn Student Centre 15:15 – 16:30 The relationship between the media and the theatre can be fraught. What is the role of the critic? Does the media have any responsibility to promote theatre? Do theatre professionals make the most of the media? These age-old debates need now to be seen in the context of profound changes to the world of the media brought about by the internet. As theatre bloggers and tweeters increasingly weaken the impact of a show’s press night and as arts pages are increasingly manifested in the online editions of newspapers, the relationship between the theatre and media is changing fast. But has it made any difference to the business of theatre and to the public discourse on the arts? Speakers: Andrew Dickson, Darragh Doyle, Stephen Faloon Chair: Michael McDermott of le cool
Thursday 9 June Day 1: Afternoon Parallels (3 Options) Practical Guide to Digital Theatre: What it Means for Art, Audiences and Business Bailey Allen Hall, Áras na Mac Léinn Student Centre 17:00 – 18:00 Digital theatre is increasingly used as an additional platform for theatre. From NT Live and the Met Opera, which is live streamed in Irish cinemas, to the distribution of theatre from around the world into our home, digital theatre reaches new audiences with a lower carbon footprint. Our panel of experts will explore some of the specific benefits and pitfalls of digital theatre. As Arts Digital Advisor for the British Council, Deborah Dignam has developed projects across the globe including the Gulf Stage project which broke new ground for the theatre industry by bringing Arabic performances to a world stage online and for free. Niall Doyle, as CEO of Opera Ireland, brought the Met Live in HD franchise to Ireland regularly in 18 venues and has also used the technology to bring productions to wider audiences; and Jessica Fuller has developed platformireland.ie, the new Irish arts and cultural internet channel. Speakers: Deborah Dignam, Niall Doyle, Jessica Fuller Chair: Willie White of Project Arts Centre
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Using social media – What could I do online? The View, Áras na Mac Léinn Student Centre 17:00 – 18:00 Do you know your forums from your foursquare? Have you blogged, tumbld, facebooked, yelped or youtubed? Do you worry you’re not using the best websites and services Ireland has to offer for your audiences and communities? Can social media help you build more fruitful relationships, funding and sales? Darragh works with lots of arts and business organisations helping them with this. A practical session for novices, he hopes to share some ideas with you that might help you with your next full house. Speaker: Darragh Doyle How to Manage your Career – Are you a Passenger or a Driver? Acoustic Room, Áras na Mac Léinn Student Centre 17:00 – 18:00 “I fell into this role”, “I didn’t think I would end up in this job”. These are things that we hear just as much from people who are satisfied in their careers as we do from people who are unhappy with their career lot. A successful career is not just about finding the role or path although that is part of the jigsaw but it has equally as much to do with good career management.
In this workshop, organisational psychologist John Deely will highlight the principles of good career management. What are the activities and attributes that contribute to a career that sustains its momentum? The challenge posed for careers in the arts by the current context of cuts and change is considerable. As it is in other sectors, this context is asking hard questions of people about their careers but it is also presenting opportunities. Speaker: John Deely Theatre Forum AGM & Board elections Bailey Allen Hall, Áras na Mac Léinn Student Centre 18:00 – 18:45 Note: only Theatre Forum members can attend the AGM. Conference Speed Dating, Dinner and Entertainment Radisson Blu Hotel 19:30 to late Sponsored by Tickets.com
Friday 10 June Day 2: Morning Parallels (3 Options) Crowd and Community Funding – More from the Many Bailey Allen Hall, Áras na Mac Léinn Student Centre 09:15 – 10:15 The internet has opened up new tools for engaging communities and for raising funds. What is the potential for Ireland’s theatre? Fundit.ie is the new all-island crowdfunding website for Ireland’s creative projects. Fund it is designed to support greater individual giving to the creative sector; an area that up until now has been under-utilised. The approach serves to strengthen the bond between a creator and their audience which offers the potential for wider-ranging, longterm relationships. Andrew Hetherington, project director for Fund it, shares the thinking behind the project and what it can achieve, joined by Phillip McMahon who had a project looking for funding in the first phase. Producer Ken Davenport meanwhile is raising a chunk of money for his upcoming Broadway revival of Godspell through crowdfunding. Unlike donation-based models, investors in Godspell will, like any producer, be entitled to a return if the show goes into profit. Speakers: Ken Davenport, Andrew Hetherington, Phillip McMahon Chair: Loughlin Deegan of Ulster Bank Dublin Theatre Festival
Greening your Theatre – A Practical Guide to Industry Green Tools The View, Áras na Mac Léinn Student Centre 09:15 – 10:15 Julie’s Bicycle has developed a unique set of tools to measure the carbon impact generated by your core activities. The Industry Green (IG) tools have been built for performing arts, music and visual arts but can be used for other cultural activities. Developed specifically for the creative industries, the IG tools are free online carbon calculators suitable for use across the world – juliesbicycle.com/ig-tools. The IG tools are used to measure the greenhouse gas emissions produced by touring, venues, festivals and offices providing results on greenhouse gas emissions and comparative benchmarks. Alison Tickell will demonstrate the use of these tools and provide practical tips, guidance, resources and publications to help reduce the environmental impacts. Speaker: Alison Tickell
International Coproduction – A Practical Guide Acoustic Room, Áras na Mac Léinn Student Centre 09:15 – 10:15 Ireland’s theatre travels the world but many producers, artists and, in particular, dance companies want to get more engaged with international co-producing. What are the opportunities and benefits? And pitfalls – is it really worth it? How do we develop and deliver successful international coproductions? What are the issues common to dance and theatre and what are the differences? This is a practical session which will look at specific case studies in dance and in theatre led by Richard Wakely who has successfully delivered international coproductions in dance and theatre in China, UK and Europe and by Gavin Quinn of Pan Pan. Speakers: Gavin Quinn & Richard Wakely Chair: Cian O’Brien of Rough Magic
Friday 10 June Day 2: Morning The Producer’s Perspective
Lightning Talks (5 minutes each)
Bailey Allen Hall, Áras na Mac Léinn Student Centre 10:30 – 11:30
Bailey Allen Hall, Áras na Mac Léinn Student Centre 11:30 – 11:45
Prolific, inventive and entrepreneurial Broadway and OffBroadway producer Ken Davenport inspires theatre people the world over through his blog and seminars. Passionate about producing theatre and extending its possibilities, Ken is a serial innovator. Ken is the only independent producer to have had three shows running simultaneously Off-Broadway – Altar Boyz, The Awesome 80s Prom and My First Time. He produced the first play reliant on user-generated content and his upcoming Broadway revival of Godspell will be the first ever community-funded Broadway musical. He was recently featured on a national commercial for Apple’s iPhone for his app, At The Booth™ and he developed the board game Be a Broadway Star. Ken’s blog, TheProducersPerspective.com includes regular publication of box office results for Broadway shows, tips for investing, marketing and getting your script produced. This session offers conference delegates an opportunity to get Ken’s ideas and advice on any aspect of the theatre business.
Paperless Promotion: Phillip McMahon
Speaker: Ken Davenport Chair: Anne Clarke of Landmark Productions
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The story of how THISISPOPBABY used internet-only methods to develop its online community and sell tickets for its work-in-progress presentation of Alice in Funderland. Staging the Past – Opening up the Irish Theatre Archive: Barry Houlihan Why archives are a dynamic and hugely important tool in expressing Irish identity and the place and role of Ireland in contemporary society as well as facilitating engagement with international audiences. JOLT – A Framework for Emerging Theatre: Craig Flaherty Craig Flaherty from Galway Town Hall Theatre presents JOLT, an initiative to support emerging theatre artists working in new and experimental theatre forms, in the hopes of developing a long-term framework for new theatre practices in Galway. Participants take part in ongoing workshops, discussions and mentoring.
Friday 10 June Day 2: Mid-Morning Parallels (2 Options) / Afternoon Plenary A Life in the Theatre: Career, Progression and Succession
Theatre & Climate Change – A Call for Change or a Diversion?
Bailey Allen Hall, Áras na Mac Léinn Student Centre 11:45 – 12:45
The View, Áras na Mac Léinn Student Centre 11:45 – 12:45
There’s no business like show business and certainly show business does not follow traditional career pathways. The performing arts in Ireland are about to encounter new training initiatives including Trinity’s The Lir. How will these interface with the needs of the theatre community? How will new graduates or leaders make a career in the theatre? And, at the other end of the career path, what are the routes for progression in Ireland? Are there enough opportunities or must ambitious professionals leave the island to win a top job? And how do organisations plan for succession? Brian Singleton the academic director of The Lir, organisational psychologist John Deely and actor and accountant Peter Daly discuss these issues. Lynne Parker of Rough Magic will chair.
Climate change is the greatest humanitarian crisis facing the world. What are the responses and responsibilities of artists and theatres to this global issue? Is it a matter for theatres or is the business dependent on lime lights and not low energy light bulbs? Is performance art overtly responding to climate change seen only by the converted? What are the artistic, economic and social imperatives for theatre and climate change? The session will consider climate change and theatre from a range of perspectives: The artist: Spanish performer Rosa Casado shares how a consideration of climate change is impacting on the way that independent performers make work; the producer: Judith Knight of Artsadmin and part of the European Imagine 2020 network of venues; and Alison Tickell of Julie’s Bicycle whose modelling and planning tools are used practically to save energy and save money.
Speakers: Peter Daly, John Deely, Brian Singleton Chair: Lynne Parker of Rough Magic
Speakers: Rosa Casado, Judith Knight, Alison Tickell Chair: Dr Colin Brown, Director of the Ryan Institute forEnvironmental, Marine & Energy Research NUIG
Remaking the Case for the Arts Bailey Allen Hall, Áras na Mac Léinn Student Centre 13:45 – 14:45 Measuring the public value of the arts is a critical tool in advocating for support. In the last few years, much of the focus has been on measuring economic impact and the Irish cultural community has successfully utilised tools for gathering evidence and making the case to government about the economic value of the arts and the importance of the creative economy for Ireland. But the value of culture is deeper than the economic. Internationally the focus is shifting to the intrinsic value of art and the instrumental benefits to individuals and communities of participation. How do these apply to Ireland? And how can such benefits be measured robustly? International cultural policy expert John Knell looks at remaking the case for the arts beyond the economic and calls for more precise definitions of artistic excellence; new approaches to engagement; and a better account of the relationship between artistic participation and individual and social outcomes. Dr Mick Wilson of GradCAM will chair. Speaker: John Knell Chair: Dr Mick Wilson
Friday 10 June Day 2: Afternoon Parallels (4 Options) Cultural Tourism and its Impact on Irish Theatre Bailey Allen Hall, Áras na Mac Léinn Student Centre 14:45 – 16:00 Ireland’s culture is a central plank of its tourism offer and attracts more than three million cultural tourists each year who contribute €2bn to the economy. What are the benefits to theatres and festivals in Ireland? Does funding from tourist agencies and the pressure to deliver bed nights create any problems for the artistic programme? What is the role of the tourist agencies in achieving visits to cultural events? And what should individual venues and events be doing to make the most of the tourism market? John Concannon of Fáilte Ireland, Colm Croffy of the Association of Irish Festivals and Events (AOIFE) and David Teevan of the Junction Festival Clonmel discuss. Speakers: John Concannon, Colm Croffy, David Teevan Chair: Una Carmody of Arts Audiences
The love affair between Ireland and USA – Win Win or Skewing the Art? The View, Áras na Mac Léinn Student Centre 14:45 – 16:00 The love affair between Irish theatre and the USA which began a century ago with Yeats, Synge, Beckett and Wilde, has reached a new intensity in 2011. The gargantuan Imagine Ireland programme has seen unprecedented touring in the USA. Irish plays are increasingly produced abroad. The New York Times describes Dublin as a culturally seductive off off off Broadway. Is this a win win for Irish theatre? Or does the creation of work for an international market skew the product both at home and abroad? Speakers: Eugene Downes, Louise Donlon, Tim Smith Chair: Fergal McGrath of FMG Management Audience Benchmarking Acoustic Room, Áras na Mac Léinn Student Centre 14:45 – 16:00 So how did we do last year? Heather Maitland presents hard evidence about audiences for the arts in 2010 including a host of new benchmarks requested by Theatre Forum members.
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Are our audiences local or regional? What percentage of local households bought tickets? Have walk up sales increased? Did our marketing work? Plus, of course, all the key long term trends. Find out about the people who spent more than €35 million on tickets last year in the only research of its kind in Ireland. Pecha Kucha – More you want to confer about? Bank of Ireland Theatre, beside Áras na Mac Léinn Student Centre 14:45 – 16:00 As well as all the programmed events, the twitter Back Chat, the bar and coffee networking, we are running an additional session - or sessions depending on the interest and ideas - in the Pecha Kucha format. Pecha Kucha is the Japanese term for the sound of ‘chit chat’, and originated in Tokyo as an event for young designers to meet, network, and show their work in public. It rests on a presentation format that is based on a simple idea: 20 images x 20 seconds. It’s a format that makes presentations concise, and keeps things moving at a rapid pace. Any delegate who has opted in to present an idea at this session will be included. If you have an idea you want to present, send a brief outline of it to Anne Bonnar: anne@b-k.co.uk.
Speaker Biographies Anne Bonnar specialises in working with artists and policy makers on strategic change, cultural
policy and in designing and leading organisational change and development. Anne’s arts management career in Scotland and in London includes working with organisations during periods of strong artistic development, including the Almeida, Young Vic, Riverside Studios, Citizens’ and Traverse Theatres and she has produced plays in the West End and in her local community. As General Manager of Edinburgh’s Traverse Theatre, she led the transformation of Scotland’s theatre for new writing from being a membership club in a back alley to a fully public theatre in a new home. In 1991 she co-founded Bonnar Keenlyside where she has led business plans, feasibility studies and capital developments for over 200 arts and cultural clients including many theatres from HMT Aberdeen to Hull Truck Theatre. Her recent projects include a change programme for Yorkshire Dance. Anne has worked in Ireland over the last five years designing and leading change at the Abbey Theatre. She was a trustee of the National Galleries of Scotland 2002–2010, a founding director of the National Theatre of Scotland and a chair of the Federation of Scottish Theatre. In 2008, as Transition Director of Creative Scotland, she designed Scotland’s new single public body for the arts, culture and creative industries. Anne mentors a wide range of creative individuals and organisations from textile designers to film festivals and provides Critical Friend Services to CEOs, boards and top teams. She blogs at 21st century culture (annebonnar.wordpress.com). She loves attending the theatre and seeing new plays. is a geophysicist at NUI Galway who was appointed as Director of the Ryan Institute for Environmental, Marine and Energy Research at NUI Galway in 2009. His research uses underwater acoustic methods to support the development of offshore renewable energy and marine ecological modelling, and he enjoys hill-walking. The Ryan Institute was established to promote interdisciplinary excellence in environmental, marine and energy research. The research is organised through six priority themes: Climate Change, Energy, Marine & Coastal Processes, Biodiversity & Bioresources, Environment & Health and Sustainability & the Built Environment. Each of these is supported by groups with expertise in Modelling & Informatics, Environmental Technologies and Socioeconomics & Policy. It has a commitment to international research collaboration, the educational mission of NUIG and support for a regional, national and EU sustainable development agenda. Colin Brown
Una Carmody is currently Director of the Arts Audiences project. Previously she worked as CEO of
the Helix, Partnership Director for the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust in Stratford upon Avon. From 1994 to 2001, Una worked in a variety of roles, including that of Cultural Manager in Temple Bar Properties, the development body that oversaw the regeneration of Dublin’s Temple Bar district as a flagship Cultural Quarter for the city. In 2001 she was Festival Producer for the Abbey Theatre’s Murphy Festival, a major retrospective of the work of Tom Murphy. Una has worked in various management capacities in many leading cultural organisations, including Opera Theatre Company, Groundwork Productions and the Dublin Film Festival. As a consultant, Una has contributed to numerous large-scale projects, including the redevelopment of Dublin’s Docklands and the building of Ireland’s National Aquatic Centre. She served on the adjudication panel of the 2000 Irish Times/ESB Irish Theatre Awards and currently sits on the board of the Dublin Fringe Festival. Rosa Casado is an independent creator and performer, working internationally, and currently based
in Madrid. She has trained as a physicist, ballet dancer and performer, and has participated in artistic research projects in Serbia, Netherlands, Italy, Sweden, Spain, USA, Australia, Singapore, and Germany. She has collaborated with the Co-operative Dance Education Center, Pilot Project Tanzplan and the Universität der Künste in Berlin. In 2005, the Instituto Cervantes declared her one of Spain’s most relevant emerging performance artists. In 2007/08 she was a recipient of the Spanish Academy in Rome Fellowship. She is an associate artist of the international production collective dadaprod.net. Since 2005, she has been developing a long term collaborative practice with artist Mike Brookes, producing works that have been commissioned and presented across diverse contexts within Europe, North and South America and Asia-Pacific. She is currently reading environmental studies at the Open University. Brookes and Casado are currently developing a long term collaborative practice, producing live art works under the umbrella title ‘some things happen all at once, some things happen more slowly’. Additional material can be found at: somethingshappen.com and somethingshappen.com/material.
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Anne Clarke was for many years Deputy Director of the Gate Theatre. While at the Gate, she oversaw
the West End transfers of several productions and managed many other international tours, including several visits to the Lincoln Center Festival in New York as well as to the Spoleto Festival, Charleston, and to the Barbican in London. Since she founded the company in 2003, Landmark Productions has become one of Ireland’s leading independent producers. It has managed four international tours for two theatres on three continents, and has produced thirteen shows, including six Irish premieres and four world premieres, in theatres ranging from the 90-seat Project Cube to the 1,284-seat Olympia Theatre. Its productions have been seen at the Project, the Helix, Andrews Lane, Smock Alley, the Olympia, the Gaiety, the Cork Opera House, and on tour. The company’s most recent productions include Frank McGuinness’ version of Miss Julie at the Project; David Harrower’s Knives in Hens at Smock Alley; Glen Berger’s Underneath the Lintel at the Assembly Rooms in Edinburgh; and the world premieres of Fiona Looney’s October and Paul Howard’s Between Foxrock and a Hard Place, both at the Olympia. Future plans include co-productions with both the Galway Arts Festival and the Ulster Bank Dublin Theatre Festival, together with the world premiere of a new play by Fiona Looney in the spring of next year. is Director of Market Development with Fáilte Ireland, the National Tourism Development Authority of Ireland, a position he took over in 2009. Previous to this, John worked as a Regional Director in Fáilte Ireland. The directorate of market development is responsible for developing Ireland as a high quality tourism destination through its ‘home holiday’ campaign, overseas promotions, international familiarisation trips, publicity, business tourism, sporting and cultural festivals and events, web marketing and tourist information. John is a graduate of NUI, Galway and holds a Masters degree in Business Studies, a Bachelors degree in Commerce and a Postgraduate Higher Diploma in Marketing Practice. In 2004, he was appointed Chief Executive of Ireland West Tourism after holding a range of roles with Unilever PLC and Dubarry of Ireland. John was recently awarded the accolade ‘Irish Marketer of the year’ for his work relating to the marketing of Ireland as a tourist destination. John Concannon
Colm Croffy is Executive Director of the Association of Irish Festivals and Events (AOIFE). He serves
as a Director of the International Festivals and Events Association (IFEA) and serves as the Hon. Treasurer of IFEA Europe. He has been Coordinator for Ballinasloe Fair and Festival, Director of the Mary from Dungloe Festival, Assistant Arts Officer at the University of Limerick and engaged with the management of the Rose of Tralee for the past seven years. Elected Executive Chair of AOIFE in 2001, he became Operations Director in 2005 and Executive Director in May 2008. He has been involved in the strategic growth of the Association as an all island network of community and professional festivals and events, enjoying one the largest active memberships of any European festival / event network. He also serves as Deputy Chair of the Voluntary Arts Network which supports voluntary participation in arts and cultural activities across the U.K. and Ireland and is involved at a strategic level internationally in training, education and accreditation of emerging festivals and events organisers, through the IFEA Global Affiliate Programme.
Niall Crowley is an independent equality expert. He is one of the organisers of the Claiming our Future
initiative. Claiming our Future is a civil society movement for a more equal, sustainable and thriving Ireland. It seeks to draw together people from the social, economic, environmental, cultural and other strands of society to deliberate on and build support for a new valuing of equality, environmental sustainability and public participation in decision making. He was chief executive officer of the Equality Authority in Ireland from its establishment in 1999 until 2009. The Equality Authority was established to promote equality and combat discrimination in the areas covered by Irish equality legislation. Prior to this he worked in the community sector with the Travellers’ rights organisation Pavee Point for 12 years. Niall Crowley was a member of the National Economic and Social Forum and the National Economic and Social Council. He is the author of An Ambition for Equality, published by Irish Academic Press in 2006 and Empty Promises – Bringing the Equality Authority to Heel published by A&A Farmar in 2010. has been an actor for the last 10 years. He is a participant in Rough Magic’s Advance programme – a new development initiative designed to give established artists the opportunity to expand their knowledge and broaden their artistic horizons which is funded by the Arts Council’s Theatre Development Funding Scheme. Theatre work includes Arrah Na Pogue, The Comedy of Errors, The Shaughraun and The Cherry Orchard (Abbey Theatre), Death Of A Salesman (The Gate Theatre), The Importance Of Being Earnest, Life Is A Dream, Don Carlos (Best Production, Irish Times Theatre Awards), Attempts On Her Life, The Taming Of The Shrew (Best Production, Irish Times Theatre Awards) (Rough Magic), The Dead School, Conversations On A Homecoming (Livin Dred), Hamlet (Second Age), The Wonderful World Of Dissocia (Calypso), Dr Ledbetter’s Experiment, Paka, The Butterfly Ranch, Candide, The Seven Deadly Sins (The Performance Corporation), Metamorphosis, Mr Kolpert, Platonov (The Rep Experiment), Moonlight Mickeys (Calipo), Galway Arts Festival’s production of a new version of King Ubu by Vincent Woods, The Green Fool (Upstate), Jack Fell Down, Black Ice (Team) and Kevin’s Story (Barnstorm). Television and radio include The Clinic, Fair City and Love Is The Drug (RTÉ), The Eamon Lowe Show (Today FM), Mayday and Cobwebs & Chandeliers (RTÉ). Peter is also a qualified accountant and is on the board of The Performance Corporation and Dublin Youth Theatre. He is involved with the National Campaign for the Arts. Peter Daly
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Ken Davenport recently produced Oleanna starring Bill Pullman and Julia Stiles, Speed-the-Plow, Will
Ferrell’s You’re Welcome America (Tony nomination), Blithe Spirit starring Angela Lansbury and 13 on Broadway. He also recently released These Magnificent Miles: On the Long Road with Red Wanting Blue, a documentary on one of the top unsigned rock bands in the country. Ken is the only independent producer to have had three shows running simultaneously Off-Broadway – Altar Boyz (co-conceiver), The Awesome 80s Prom (author/director) and My First Time (author/director). Ken was featured in a national commercial for Apple’s iPhone, named one of Crain’s ‘Forty Under 40,’ and dubbed the ‘P.T. Barnum of Off-Broadway’ by The New York Times. He also accepted the 2010 Award of Distinction from the Musical Theatre Society. Current projects include producing the Broadway revivals of Godspell and Aaron Sorkin’s A Few Good Men, penning the musical adaptation of Somewhere In Time and launching his latest creative collaboration Miss Abigail’s Guide to Dating, Mating & Marriage. Ken created and developed the AT THE BOOTH™ smartphone app which Entertainment Weekly called “the best thing to happen to theater since, well, the introduction of the TKTS® booth.” He also runs a number of theatrical websites including Broadway’s #1 social networking site – BroadwaySpace.com, which has just launched the Broadway Board Game, Be A Broadway Star. His blog, TheProducersPerspective.com, has been featured in Vanity Fair, New York Magazine, The Gothamist and many others. He has written articles for Forbes, Mashable, Imedia and others. For more, visit DavenportTheatrical.com. Loughlin Deegan is Artistic Director of Ulster Bank Dublin Theatre Festival, one of the oldest dedicated
theatre festivals in Europe. The Festival runs for two and a half weeks every September/October and stages work from many of the world’s leading theatre makers. Each year the Festival includes world premieres of work from Ireland’s leading companies and artists, and presents ReViewed a showcase of recent successful Irish productions, restaged in partnership with Culture Ireland and Irish Theatre Institute. Loughlin was Executive Producer of Rough Magic Theatre Company from 2003–2006. He was previously Literary Manager with Rough Magic when his responsibilities included developing the work of commissioned writers and co-ordinating the SEEDS project, a structured new-writing initiative for emerging Irish playwrights. For the Irish Theatre Institute, Loughlin edited the first two editions of the Irish Theatre Handbook, a comprehensive guide to drama and dance in Ireland, North and South, and compiled and edited the launch phase of the Irish Playography database (irishplayography.com), a comprehensive, online searchable database of all new Irish plays produced professionally between 1975 and the present.
founded Pinpoint in 2000. Since then, John has been working with individuals and organisations to help them develop their talent. As an organisational psychologist, he applies his expertise to help companies enhance the quality of their selection processes and decisions, and to coaching people for success with a particular focus on leadership roles and challenging business scenarios. While he has worked across all sectors, he considers himself fortunate to have done significant work with professionals and organisations in the arts sector including the Abbey Theatre, Kildare County Council Arts Service, Culture Ireland, Tate, Artfund (UK), Centre for Contemporary Music, Centre Culturel Irlandais and Tyrone Guthrie Centre. He also works with individuals who want or need to make a career transition whether it is due to lack of fulfilment or as a result of redundancy. His experience has informed and fuelled his fascination with the practicalities of successful career management. John has an MSc in Organisational Psychology from City University in London and a degree in psychology from UCD. His research has explored the relationship between self-awareness and performance among European executives and underlined previous findings that self-aware leaders attract higher performance ratings. John is a member of the Association for Coaching, the British Psychological Society and the Psychological Society of Ireland. John Deely
Andrew Dickson is theatre editor for Guardian News and Media, overseeing theatre, dance and comedy
coverage for the Guardian, Observer and guardian.co.uk. He graduated from Cambridge University in 2000, later returning to take an MPhil in Renaissance Literature, and, after working in publishing, joined the Guardian in 2005 – initially as online arts editor, before being promoted to overall theatre editor. He launched the Guardian’s arts and entertainment blog, and has been heavily involved in developing blogging, podcasting and social media as well as thinking about the changing role of criticism. Andrew writes for G2’s arts pages, regularly profiles leading theatre figures, and presents many of the Guardian’s online arts films. His first book, the critically acclaimed Rough Guide to Shakespeare, recently went into a second edition (2009), and he has also contributed to The New Cambridge Companion to Shakespeare (2010). He makes regular appearances as a critic on BBC radio and TV.
Deborah Dignam was previously Artistic Director of Kinsale Arts Week and an independent theatre
producer. She is now based in London where she completed an MA in Creative and Cultural Entrepreneurship at Goldsmiths. She is Arts Digital Adviser for the British Council where her most recent curatorial projects include Gulf Stage (a unique digital project to preserve and promote the cultural heritage of the Gulf for an online audience), Digital Creative Conference Japan, (a digital/ cultural conference for the Japanese arts/creative sector) and Connected, (a showcase of interactive performing arts for an international market). She leads on arts digital projects and partnerships for Arts in the UK and globally and works with partners including Digital Theatre, NT Live, Hay Festival, Culture Label, Culture Shock and the Pervasive Media Studio. She is currently developing digital initiatives as Creative Producer of the British Council Edinburgh Showcase 2011. Deborah is guest lecturer on the Goldsmiths International Masters in Cultural and Creative Industries in Abu Dhabi for which she is creating a new programme on technology and the arts. 18/19
Louise Donlon is the Director of the Dunamaise Arts Centre in Portlaoise. A graduate of St. Patrick’s
College, Maynooth and UCD, she holds a BA in Music and History, a Diploma in Arts Administration and a Masters in Public Administration from the IPA. In the early 1990s, Louise worked at the City Arts Centre in Dublin and at the Arts Council followed by three years in Limerick as administrator of Island Theatre Company. In 1996, she moved to Galway to take up the position of general manager with Druid Theatre Company. In early 1999, Louise was appointed manager of the Dunamaise Arts Centre, a multi-disciplinary arts centre, comprising a 240-seat theatre and exhibition space. The Dunamaise is now regarded as one of the premier regional arts venues. Louise is a founder member of Nasc, a network of regional theatres established to promote touring of high quality work to the regions.
Eugene Downes has served since May 2007 as the first Chief Executive of Culture Ireland, the national
agency for the promotion and advancement of Irish arts worldwide. From 2000–07 he acted as a consultant to the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Department of Arts, the Department of the Taoiseach and the Office of the President on international arts programming and strategy. This involved curating and producing arts events for Presidential and Government visits across Europe, Asia and South America. In 2004 Eugene produced a gala concert in Dublin to celebrate EU Enlargement Day in the presence of the European Heads of Government. From 2003 to 2004 he led an international arts strategy review for the Government and in 2005–06 advised Culture Ireland on the development of their first strategic plan. Previous experience included a spell as Cultural Attaché in Russia and as a broadcaster on RTE Lyric fm, anchoring a weekly music review programme, a feature series on opera, and the broadcasts of the first Irish performance of Wagner’s Ring in a century. Eugene has served as a board member of cultural organisations including the Abbey Theatre, the Royal Irish Academy of Music, Irish Theatre Institute, the Irish Cultural Centre in Paris and Rough Magic. helps people online. He works on Ireland’s biggest discussion website, boards.ie and also blogs, tweets, facebooks, tumbls, youtubes, foursquares and yelps. He helps businesses, charities, arts organisations and events get the word out to audiences quickly and effectively online. He tells very bad jokes on twitter and goes to the theatre literally whenever he can. You’ll find him at thisiswhatido.org, at linkedin.com/in/darraghdoyle and twitter.com/darraghdoyle. Darragh Doyle
Niall Doyle is currently Chief Executive of Opera Ireland (2007–2011), and formerly held the positions
of Director of Music/Executive Director of Performing Groups at RTÉ (1998–2007), and Chief Executive of Music Network (1992–1998). Prior to his music management career, Niall worked as a professional musician, and began his professional life as a primary school teacher. As CEO of Opera Ireland, he introduced the Metropolitan Opera’s Met: Live in HD to Ireland and its full season is now in 18 venues around the country. He has also led the bringing of Opera Ireland’s own live performances to wider audiences in Ireland and further afield using similar technologies.
completed his Arts Admin postgraduate Diploma in UCD in 1996 and somehow belatedly came to theatre in 2006 when he was appointed General Manager of The Mill Theatre in Dundrum. While in The Mill, he produced Love Letters (The Mill, Tivoli Theatre and on tour), The Odd Couple (Mill and on tour) and Chazz Palminteri’s Faithful. He subsequently fooled Live Nation Ireland into appointing him as General Manager of The Grand Canal Theatre in September 2009. The theatre opened its doors in March 2010 and in its first year sold over 500,000 tickets staging productions such as Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, La Bohème (Scottish Opera), Hairspray, Calendar Girls, Swan Lake (Russian State Ballet) and The Sound of Music. The Grand Canal is looking forward to bringing Dirty Dancing, Oliver, White Christmas, Sister Act as well as the best in international opera and ballet in 2011/2012 and all for the first time to Ireland. Stephen Faloon
Craig Flaherty is based in Galway and has worked in theatre and events for the past four years. Work
includes: in production for Macnas (2007–2011) Boy Explorer and the Quest for Brillianr Ideas (national tour), Sleepwalker and the Nocturnal Ballad (Absolut Fringe), The Wild Hunt and Orfeo (Galway Arts Festival). Craig also has worked as the festival director of St.Patricks Festival Galway (2010 – 2011) and Co Event Producer of Galway Culture Night (2010). Craig is currently working on JOLT with Róisín Stack, a programme which is part of the Town Hall Theatre where he has worked for the past three years.
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Jessica Fuller has worked in the arts sector, new media,
film & television sectors, the music industry and in music education for over 20 years. She established platformireland.ie in 2007 as a dedicated internet channel, to present professionally produced Irish arts and culture content. History was made in November 2010 with Opening Night Live, when the opening night of Tosca by Opera Ireland was successfully live streamed in HD via the internet from the Gaiety Theatre, Dublin to audiences worldwide on smartphone and pc. Produced by Jessica Fuller, the opera was live-streamed exclusively through platformireland.ie, reaching audiences in 35 territories world-wide and to three venues in Ireland – Garter Lane Arts Centre, Waterford, Wood Quay, Dublin and the Lyrath Estate Hotel, Kilkenny for the HEAnet annual conference. Jessica is working with a range of national Irish arts and ICT agencies to develop further opportunities for additional, alternative, costeffective ways for public-funded arts organisations to engage with audiences by harnessing new media.
Sarah Glennie has been working professionally in the cultural realm for 14 years in a number of public
cultural institutions. She is currently Director of the Irish Film Institute and previously Director of the Model Arts and Niland Gallery where she initiated a nationally and internationally significant programme including an exhibition and unique performance by Patti Smith, and The Eternal Now: Warhol and the Factory season comprising an exhibition, film and music programme. Moving to Ireland from London in 1995 to work at the Museum of Modern Art, Sarah then joined the Henry Moore Foundation Contemporary Projects in 2001, and in 2005 was the Commissioner of Ireland’s participation at the 51st Venice Biennale 2005 for the Department of Arts Sports and Tourism. Sarah Glennie has curated a number of major projects including: Joint Exhibition of Arts Council and Arts Council NI Collections at the Glucksman Gallery (Cork); solo international exhibitions Olafur Eliasson and Shirin Neshat (Dublin); Paul McCarthy at Tate Modern (London); and Stopover: Graham Gussin, Hilary Lloyd and Richard Woods at the Venice Biennale 2003 (Venice); Ghost Ship, A Dorothy Cross major public art project; Romantic Detachment, a Grizedale Arts project at P.S.1/MoMA, (New York); and a major new film commission by Tacita Dean for Cork Capital of Culture 2005 (Cork). is Project Director at Business to Arts and co-founder of Fundit.ie. He has led and written a number of key research projects for the organisation including The Private Investment in Arts & Culture Survey report conducted with Deloitte, The Philanthropy/Giving Study commissioned by the Arts Council of Ireland and Shining the Light on Successful Sponsorships conducted with PWC. He has also developed and managed a number of innovative programmes for businesses that have become successful new models in arts and business engagement. Andrew joined Business to Arts in 2007 from De Lage Landen (part of the Rabobank Group) and holds an MA in Cultural Policy & Arts Management. Andrew Hetherington
is a professional archivist and specialises in theatre and literary archives. He has catalogued the Project Arts Centre archive (1967–2003) at the National Library of Ireland, established an archive for the Gaiety School of Acting in Dublin and produced a research guide on the history of Smock Alley Theatre. Barry has worked as a researcher for Cultureshock program on Newstalk FM radio and also recently acted as researcher for the RTÉ Radio 1 documentary series From Stage to Street. Barry is currently working for NUI Galway Library where he is cataloguing the archives of Druid Theatre Company and the Galway Arts Festival. Barry Houlihan
(john-knell.com) is one of the UK’s leading thinkers on the changing face of work and organisations, and has consulted to a wide range of corporate and public sector clients. John’s recent client work has focused on strategic reviews, thought leadership and high-level public policy work particularly in the cultural sphere. For example, in 2007 John undertook a two-week residency in Perth on the invitation of the Western Australian Government to work with all of the funded cultural organisations in the region on their forward strategy, and last year gave the keynote address at the Annual National Conference of the Australian Performing Arts Centres Association in Melbourne. In recent years John has also worked with Manchester City Council to develop its new cultural strategy, and has carried out strategic reviews for Watershed, Manchester City Galleries, Manchester International Festival, and MOSI. John has authored numerous reports on work, organisational change and public policy including The Art of Dying and Whose Art Is It Anyway. His most recent provocation on the arts (with Matthew Taylor, CEO of the RSA) was published at the recent State of the Arts Conference in February 2011, and is entitled Arts Funding, Austerity and the Big Society. His latest book, The 80 Minute MBA (with Richard Reeves), is published by Headline. John Knell
is co-director and founder of Artsadmin (artsadmin.co.uk) – a unique organisation producing contemporary theatre, dance, live art, visual arts and interdisciplinary projects – which, over the last 30 years, has supported many of the most innovative artists in the UK. At Toynbee Studios in London it has established a creative environment for artists and offers development opportunities for artists and young people including workshops, showcases, advisory services, mentoring and bursary schemes. In recent years, Artsadmin has focussed much of its work on issues of climate change, and is a member of the Imagine 2020 Network, through which it works to encourage more environmentally responsible touring, produces Two Degrees, a biennial festival on arts-activism, and commissions work on the subject, this year a public artwork by Michael Pinsky in collaboration with LIFT. Judith is a member of the Julie’s Bicycle Theatre Group, the Create Advisory Board and is on the Board of the IETM the international network for contemporary performing arts. Judith Knight
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Fiach Mac Conghail has been Director/CEO of the Abbey Theatre since May 2005. The Abbey Theatre
is Ireland’s National Theatre and he is responsible for the artistic programming and strategic management of the organisation. He has produced over 60 productions at the Abbey, including plays by Brian Friel, Tom Murphy, Marina Carr, Paul Mercier, Mark O’Rowe, Billy Roche, Sebastian Barry and Sam Shepard. Prior to his appointment, Fiach was Arts Adviser to John O’Donoghue, Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism (2002–2005). He has worked on many cultural projects and festivals for the state, Ireland’s Presidency of the EU (2004), Centre Culturel Irlandais, Paris (2001– 2003), EXPO (2000), Venice and Sao Paulo Biennales of Visual Arts (1996–7). He was Artistic Director of Project Arts Centre from 1992–1999. He was awarded the prestigious Eisenhower Fellowship in 2004 and currently sits on the board of Theatre Forum and is a member of the University of Limerick’s Governing Authority. He is Chairman of an independent national citizenship initiative We The Citizens. Fiach graduated with a degree in Political Science from Trinity College Dublin. Heather Maitland is an arts consultant, author, lecturer and Associate Fellow at the Centre for Cultural
Policy Studies at the University of Warwick. Heather has been supporting marketing and audience development in Theatre Forum member organisations since 2005, devising and delivering information resources, training programmes and audience development projects. She has just finished working on the Theatre Forum benchmarking project which looks at the people who bought over €35 million worth of tickets for events at more than 50 Irish venues and festivals. Heather has worked as a marketer for a wide range of arts organisations: from the smallest of touring theatre companies to running the London end of the Royal Shakespeare Company’s marketing operation and including both classical and contemporary dance. She worked with over 100 organisations on audience, business and art form development as head of two of the UK’s audience development agencies. Heather has written eight books on arts marketing and audience development. Her Marketing Manual has been translated into Mandarin Chinese and is widely used across Taiwan, Malaysia and China as well as in the UK. She also writes regular columns for the Journal of Arts Marketing and Arts Professional exploring marketing and audience development issues. She has delivered seminars and training programmes throughout the UK and across the world, most recently in Russia, Colombia and Syria. Michael McDermott is the publisher of le cool Dublin, a selective online culture guide. Established in
2009, Dublin joined other European editions in Barcelona, London, Madrid, Lisbon, Paris, Istanbul, Vienna, Budapest and Moscow. It now boasts over 10,000 weekly subscribers and most recently launched a walking tour in the capital. Prior to le cool, Michael worked in music and journalism for a number of years founding one of Ireland’s first boutique festivals – mór in Charleville Castle back in 2003 as well as working with the likes of V2 Records, Pod Concerts and Newstalk. A relatively little known fact is that he produced and promoted a five night sell-out show of Marcel Marceau, the legendary mime artist, in the Olympia Theatre ten years ago.
Fergal McGrath has provided a wide range of business development and project and event management
services to the cultural and tourism sectors since establishing FMG Management in April 2010. A graduate of UCD, he is closely associated with the growth and development of a number of leading Irish companies over the past two decades including the Town Hall and Black Box Theatres, Galway (2007 to 2010), Druid Theatre Company (2002–2007), Galway Arts Festival (1992–2002) and the Irish pot plant division of Fyffe’s (1985–1992). Fergal is Chair of Theatre Forum, an active member of the National Campaign for the Arts and a former board member of Cinemobile, Solas/Galway Arthouse Cinema and Galway Arts Centre.
Phillip McMahon is a theatre maker. He is one half of pop culture outfit THISISPOPBABY with whom
he is co-director and co-curator of the POP stage at Electric Picnic Music and Arts Festival, WERK (Performance. Art. Club.) at the Abbey Theatre, and Queer Notions arts festival at Project Arts Centre, Dublin. As an actor, Phillip has performed with many of the country’s top theatre companies. His directing credits include, In These Shoes?, All Dolled Up, A Woman In Progress (all with friend and collaborator Panti) and most recently The Year of Magical Wanking (written and performed by Neil Watkins) due to tour to the USA and across Ireland in 2011/12. Pineapple is Phillip’s second play for Calipo. Previous plays include Danny & Chantelle (still here) (THISISPOPBABY), All Over Town (Calipo) and Investment Potential (Abbey Theatre). Most recently Phillip has written the book and lyrics to Alice In Funderland – a new musical, composed by Raymond Scannell and commissioned by THISISPOPBABY. Phillip has written one short film for Calipo’s Sharp Focus series, called Round Here. He is currently under commission with the Abbey Theatre with whom he whom he was ‘Writer in Association’ 2009/10. is Associate Producer of Rough Magic Theatre Company. Credits as producer with Rough Magic include Phaedra, The Importance of Being Earnest, Sodome, my love, Rough Magic 25, Solemn Mass for a Full Moon in Summer, Improbable Frequency (New York and National Tour), Spokesong and Pentecost Life is a Dream and The Taming of the Shrew (National Tour). Cian also works as a freelance producer. His credits include The Last Days of Judas Iscariot (Making Strange and Project Arts Centre); All Dolled Up (THISISPOPBABY, Brighton Fringe Festival 2007); La Marea (Bedrock Productions and Ulster Bank Dublin Theatre Festival); Roberto Zucco (Bedrock Productions); Danny & Chantelle (still here) (THISISPOPBABY); How Many Miles to Babylon (Second Age Theatre Company) and Hedwig and the Angry Inch (Making Strange Theatre Company). Cian took part in the Rough Magic AIB SEEDS3 programme as producer. As part of the AIB SEEDS 3 Showcase he produced Caligula (Nominated Best Production, Irish Times Irish Theatre Awards 2007). Cian is part of Project Catalyst, an initiative of Project Arts Centre. Cian is a board member of Project Arts Centre and Theatre Forum. Cian O’Brien
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is Artistic Director and co-founder of Rough Magic. Productions for Rough Magic include Phaedra by Ellen Cranitch and Hilary Fannin (Best Production Nomination, 2010 Irish Times Theatre Awards), The Importance of Being Earnest, Sodome, my Love with Olwen Fouéré, Don Carlos (Best Production, Irish Times Theatre Awards 2007), The Taming of the Shrew (Best Production, 2006 Irish Times Theatre Awards), Improbable Frequency (Best Production and Director, 2004 Irish Times Theatre Awards), Copenhagen (Best Production, 2002 Irish Times Theatre Awards), The Sugar Wife, Midden, Take Me Away, Shiver, Three Days of Rain, Northern Star and Pentecost by Stewart Parker (Best Irish Production DTF 1995), The Way of the World, Danti-Dan, Down Onto Blue, New Morning, Love and a Bottle, Digging for Fire, Lady Windermere’s Fan, Spokesong, Aunt Dan and Lemon, Serious Money, Nightshade, The Country Wife, Decadence and Top Girls. Other work includes The Sanctuary Lamp, Down the Line, The Drawer Boy (Galway Arts Festival co-production), Heavenly Bodies (Best Director, 2004 Irish Times Theatre Awards) for the Abbey; also productions for Druid, Charabanc, The Gate, b*spoke, Corn Exchange, Opera Theatre Company, Bush Theatre, Almeida, The Old Vic, West Yorkshire Playhouse, RSC, Traverse Theatre, Birmingham Rep and Opera Ireland. She received the 2008 Irish Times Special Tribute Award and in 2010 was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by Trinity College Dublin. Lynne Parker
is joint artistic director of Pan Pan which he founded with Aedín Cosgrove in 1991. Selected productions for Pan Pan include The Rehearsal, Playing the Dane based on Shakespeare’s Hamlet (Best Production, Irish Times Theatre Awards 2010) which tours Ireland, the USA and Australia in the autumn, Fight the Landlord by Sun Yue (Shanghai Expo 2010), The Crumb Trail by Gina Moxley (New York, Dublin, Aarhus, 2009), The Idiots by Lars von Trier (2007), Oedipus Loves You by Gavin Quinn and Simon Doyle (2006) which has toured to 29 venues and festivals in China, Australia, North America, as well as seven European countries, The Playboy of the Western World by J.M. Synge (in both Beijing and Dublin, in Mandarin and with a Chinese cast, 2006), One: Healing with Theatre (2005) featuring one hundred actors, and Mac-Beth 7 (2004). Gavin Quinn
Brian Singleton is Academic Director of The Lir – National Academy of Dramatic Art, and Samuel
Beckett Professor of Drama & Theatre at Trinity College Dublin. After an early start as an ASM, a Script Editor for television and author of a play shortlisted for the Verity Bargate award (all in the UK in the 1980s), Brian returned to Ireland and settled on an academic career at Trinity for the past 21 years. He is a former Chairman of The Theatreworks Company and Irish Theatre Magazine and Editor of Theatre Research International. He is the author and editor of two books on the life and work of Antonin Artaud, and a book on British musical comedy. His book Masculinities and the Contemporary Irish Theatre was published earlier this year by Palgrave Macmillan.
Tim Smith started working in theatre in 1996. He started his career at the Royal Shakespeare Company
where he moved from House Manager to Tour Manager overseeing national tours of RSC productions. In 2001 Tim went freelance as a stage manager and worked for the Tricycle Theatre, Oxford Playhouse, in the West End and Garsington Opera. In 2002 he came to Ireland to work as Druid’s stage manager. Having stage managed sixteen productions for Druid in 2007 Tim moved into the administration of Druid becoming General Manager in 2008.
David Teevan was one of the founding members of Galloglass Theatre Company in 1990, managing
the company for 11 years looking after finance, marketing and co-ordinating tours in Ireland, Wales, England, Holland and France. Since leaving Galloglass in 2001 David has been the driving force behind the very successful Clonmel Junction Festival, which takes place during the first week in July each year. This event, which runs for nine days, has a diverse programme of theatre and music from Ireland and abroad, and a very comprehensive participation programme. In 2001, David also set up Ten42 Productions (ten42.com), a touring agency principally geared towards world music, theatre and dance. The company was behind the revival of Irish folk legend Liam Clancy, and has managed the touring of the award winning Nofit State Circus in Ireland. Ten42 Productions also organised tours for Rodrigo y Gabriella, French gypsy band Bratsch, Eamon Morrissey’s The Brother and Inis Theatre Company’s Tick my Box. Ten42 Productions is currently touring Fawlty Towers…the dining experience and Michael Harding’s much acclaimed production of The Tinkers Curse. David is a member of the board of directors of Dunamaise Arts Centre and a member of MESA, a Music Crossroads development programme for music exchange between Southern Africa and Europe. He is currently sitting a two-year Masters in Executive Leadership run by Irish Times Training and Ulster University.
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Alison Tickell established Julie’s Bicycle (JB) in 2007 as a not-for-profit company, to unite and lead the
music industry in tackling climate change. JB has brought together a coalition of scientific and industry figures to map the carbon profile of the industry and take practical steps to reduce it. JB has developed the Industry Green certification scheme specifically for the creative sector. In 2010 Julie’s Bicycle is expanding its remit to include theatre and visual arts. JB has developed an extensive programme in theatre, working with over 100 commercial and subsidised theatres in the UK supported by senior leaders, developing sustainable practice across a range of areas including energy management, production, lighting, staff and audience travel. JB has delivery partnerships with the Broadway Green Alliance, On the Move (European touring circuit), and IETM Australia, as well as presentations in many other countries. Alison is Associate Professor at Buckinghamshire New University, a member of the Events Supplement Working Group for the Global Reporting Initiative, and a founder participant on the United Nations Music & Environment Programme, 2010. Previous roles include Music Director at Creative and Cultural Skills and Development Director at Community Music. Advisory roles include the Live Music Forum, Music Manifesto Steering Group, and the Music Business Forum. She is on the Board of Sound Connections. Alison trained as a musician. Richard Wakely is an independent theatre and dance producer and arts management consultant working
internationally out of Ireland. Richard is the International Associate for Sol Picó Dance Company (Spain), Producer for Junk Ensemble and co-curator of the annual season of Irish contemporary dance at Dance Base during the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Recent dance productions include See Saw for Ciotóg (US tour, 2011 and Edinburgh 2010), Five Ways to Drown for Junk Ensemble (2010 Dublin Dance Festival), Open Niche for Fearghus Ó Conchúir and ME (Mobile/Evolution) for Claire Cunningham. Recent theatre includes On The Waterfront at the Hong Kong Arts Festival and The Burial at Thebes on tour in the US, both for Nottingham Playhouse. Current consultancies include Project Director for the new Lyric Theatre, Belfast and providing developmental and management support for the Traverse and Royal Lyceum Theatres in Edinburgh as part of Creative Scotland’s Resilience Project initiative. Previous employments include Commissioner for the China–Ireland Cultural Exchange Programme, Managing Director of the Abbey Theatre and General Manager of Hampstead Theatre.
Willie White has been Artistic Director of Project Arts Centre, a busy multidisciplinary contemporary
arts centre in Dublin, since 2002. Before that he worked for broadcaster RTÉ for four years, mostly on television arts programmes. Project Arts Centre works extensively in commissioning and coproduction with independent artists through its Project Catalyst initiative. It is also a home for many artists, festivals and production companies presenting work in Dublin. A founder of Loose Canon Theatre Company and Irish Theatre Magazine, Willie is a board member of Irish Modern Dance Theatre, Dublin Youth Theatre and IETM, the international performing arts network and chair of the Stewart Parker Trust Advisory Board. Willie read for Masters degrees in English and Irish Theatre at UCD and TCD respectively. He was awarded the Jerome Hynes Clore Leadership Fellowship in 2008.
Mick Wilson is an artist, writer, educator and graduate of NCAD and TCD. Formerly Head of Research
(NCAD), he is currently Head of Fine Art (DIT), on secondment as Founder Dean (GradCAM), recently appointed Adjunct in the School of Computer Science at TCD and Associate of HII UCD. He lectures internationally on art research, public culture, and creative education. He is Principal Investigator for the ‘SHARE’ EU-wide network for creative practice doctorates and co-editor of Curating and the Educational Turn (deAppel, 2010).
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Travel Dublin to Galway
City Link bus
By car: approximately 2 hours By train: approximately 2.5 hours By bus: approximately 2.5 hours There are three operators on the route Train Departure Arrival
09:30 12:08
Dublin Heuston Galway Céannt
09:45 12:15
Burgh Quay Galway
09:00 12:15
St Patrick’s Quay Galway
08:25 12:45
Central Bus Station Galway
Bus Éireann Departure Arrival
City Link Bus Departure Arrival
Departure Arrival
Limerick to Galway By car: approximately 1.5 hours By bus: approximately 1.5 to 2.5 hours There are two operators on the route City Link bus
Regular services all day. Departure Arrival
Go Bus Departure Arrival
09:15 11.15.
Georges Quay Galway
Bus Éireann Departure Arrival
09.00 12.25
Busáras Galway
Upper Mallow Street Galway
10:45 12:45
Limerick Bus station Galway
Bus Éireann Departure Arrival
Regular services all day.
10:45 12:15
For more information on travel see the following websites: irishrail.ie, citylink.ie, gobus.ie, buseireann.ie
Cork to Galway
For other travel options have a look at conference.ie
By car: approximately 3 hours By bus: approximately 3 to 4 hours There are two operators on the route
For accommodation options have a look at our conference blog theatreforumconference2011.wordpress.com
How to Book Conference fees include access to all sessions, lunch on both days, coffee breaks and evening dinner and entertainment.
Sponsors/Partners Theatre Forum is hugely grateful to:
Rates Member (1st delegate) €129 Member (subsequent delegates) €99 Non-member: €169
Special subsidised rate: €79 (note there is a limited number of subsidised places for freelance writers, directors, producers and actors. Please contact theatreforum@ireland.com for more details.)
And our stand sponsors and partners
You can book by clicking on the Booking link on our Conference blog theatreforumconference2011.wordpress.com.
Thank You Theatre Forum would like to thank the following for their invaluable assistance in organising this year’s conference: Aideen Howard & Fiona Reynolds at the Abbey Theatre; Róise Goan & Tom Lawlor at Absolut Fringe; Teenagh Cunningham at Baboró International Arts Festival for Children; Sinead McPhillips & Tim Smith at Druid Theatre; Dermot Kelly at Konnect Media and Anne Clarke at Landmark Productions. And most of all the Board of Theatre Forum: Mona Considine, Loughlin Deegan (Deputy Chair), Johnny Hanrahan, Fiach Mac Conghail, Emer McGowan, Jo Mangan, Fergal McGrath (Chair), Cian O’Brien, Liz Roche. Programme Design by Conor & David
Galway County Council
– NCFA Day of Action September 2010 Below: – Open Space Cork February 2011
32/33
The Arts are a necessity. Not a luxury. The Arts are an asset. Not an overhead. National Campaign for the Arts. Visit ncfa.ie to see what you can do.
Take a bow! The arts really matter to us in Ireland; they are a big part of people’s lives, the country’s single most popular pursuit. Our artists interpret our past, define who we are today, and imagine our future. We can all take pride in the enormous reputation our artists have earned around the world. The arts play a vital role in our economy, and smart investment of taxpayers’ money in the arts is repaid many times over. The dividends come in the form of a high value, creative economy driven by a flexible, educated, innovative work force, and in a cultural tourism industry worth a2.4 billion directly a year. The Arts Council is the Irish Government agency for funding and developing the arts. Arts Council funding from the taxpayer, through the Department of Arts, Heritage and Gaeltacht Affairs, for 2011 is a65.2 million, that’s around 80 cents a week for every household. So, at the end of your next great theatre performance, don’t forget the role you played and take a bow yourself! Find out what’s on at
www.events.artscouncil.ie You can find out more about the arts here:
www.artscouncil.ie
Annual Conference core sponsors
Theatre Forum receives financial assistance from the Arts Council