Fishamble offered its very first Dramaturgy Development Programme in June 2020.

120 new plays are produced on average on the island of Ireland every year. One of the key elements of these new works is the creative dramaturgical input to make the best possible works for the public. Fishamble seeks to support the development of, and conversation about, dramaturgy, in order to help practitioners deepen their craft for the benefit of the sector. This programme was for people engaged in dramaturgical practice. 
 
AIMS
- to enlarge discussion of role and function of new work dramaturgy.
- For participants to develop their practice through discussion.
- For participants to gain concrete thoughts about one project that they are working on.

The pilot programme took place over 3 days, and in an online format due to Covid-19 restrictions. Each participant was paid for their participation. The programme comprised of a panel discussion with leading practitioners in the field, followed by looking at contemporary new works, and projects that the participants were currently working on and wished to discuss.

Participants

Participants of the pilot programme were Alan Howley, Amanda Collins, Finbarr Doyle, Pamela McQueen, Phil Kingston, Roseanna Purcell, Sarah Baxter, Sarah-Jane Scott, and Tanya Dean. We also held a panel discussion as part of the course, with guest speakers Veronica Coburn, Louise Stephens, and FIshamble Artistic Director Jim Culleton. The programme was led by Fishamble's Literary Manager, Gavin Kostick.

Fishamble was proud to receive funding from The Ireland Funds to create this pilot programme.