A PLAY FOR IRELAND 2018 Round Up

Our Work So Far

Fishamble has been busy this year with its major developmental project, A PLAY FOR IRELAND, supported by Tesco Finest, wherein 33 writers have been creating 30 new projects. During the first part of the year, with the help of transportation partner Irish Rail, Fishamble Artistic Director Jim Culleton and Fishamble Literary Manager Gavin Kostick were criss-crossing the country (and Dublin) to our partner venues, Belltable, Draíocht, The Everyman, Lyric, Town Hall and Pavilion. There the writers worked flexibly, according to their own processes.

After a summer break, theatre professionals Director Annabelle Comyn, Designer Maree Kearns, Designer Niamh Lunny, Director Oonagh Murphy and Designer Saileog O'Halloran worked with the writers to offer different alternative insights and possibilities. This helped the writers further develop their plays, through visually sketching ideas and scenes. This work will continue through the autumn, culminating  in a series of one-on-one meetings in November in Fishamble so as to support all the writers to produce a full draft of their work by the end of the year.​

Fishamble is amazed and delighted by the standard of work so far and looks forward to sharing a selection with audiences in 2019.

Feedback from APFI Venues

“Lime Tree Theatre and Belltable are delighted to be part of A Play For Ireland. We have been working with Fishamble on making sure the participating playwrights receive a stipend to help cover their costs, as well as providing meeting space as benefit in kind. The process so far has been very rewarding to the playwrights and we are looking forward to continuing to work with Fishamble in the next stages of APFI and to the final production.”
Marketa Dowling, Programme Manager
Belltable, Limerick

 “Draíocht is delighted to be working in a developmental way with our colleagues in Fishamble on the A Play For Ireland Project. This two year ambitious project has been supporting writers in a considered way through mentoring and peer support at its core, as well as providing audiences with the opportunity to see a fully produced piece that will reflect and interrogate contemporary Ireland.  We welcome the opportunity to work in this way not only with Fishamble but with the 6 writers who are working from Draíocht.”
Emer McGowan, Director           
Draíocht, Blanchardstown

This partnership represents a clear fulfilment of The Everyman’s remit under its artistic policies. Fishamble are at the forefront of production and touring of new Irish writing, and have a long association with the Everyman and its audiences, making them an ideal partner in every way. We hope that this partnership would ultimately help the Everyman deliver upon its artistic goals: developing the skills of several aspiring playwrights and offering a major new Irish work to audiences made in collaboration with a number of partners.”
Julie Kelleher, Director
The Everyman, Cork

“A Play For Ireland is an important national programme, which is connecting artists and venues North and South of the Border. The project not only is creating an industry collaboration but it is connecting local artists with their professional theatres and encouraging the citizens of Ireland to express themselves through theatre as well as engaging the public in making plays, and engaging with audiences throughout the Ireland and Northern Ireland.”
Jimmy Fay, Executive Producer
Lyric Theatre, Belfast

“Pavilion Theatre is delighted to be involved with our friends at Fishamble, on their ambitious initiative ‘A Play for Ireland’. ‘A Play for Ireland’ forms part of our continued commitment to support artists and their work and it is a real privilege to be part of this process alongside Fishamble. Having already welcomed five very talented playwrights to work in our Gallery Space throughout 2018, we look forward to witnessing the progression and development of their work which we would hope to programme at a later date.”
Hugh Murray, Director
Pavilion Theatre, Dún Laoghaire

“Fishamble’s A Play for Ireland programme has been a fantastic opportunity for Town Hall Theatre to engage with a focused group of playwrights as they develop their new plays, and we hope to see this group continue to be a part of Galway’s creative community in the future. We are delighted to be part of this island-wide initiative and very much look forward to seeing the outcomes throughout 2019, and beyond!”
Fergal McGrath, Theatre Manager
Town Hall Theatre, Galway

Fishamble's A PLAY FOR IRELAND is supported by

Trasportation partner