Three ‘Tiny Plays’, consisting of just 600 words, have been produced by Fishamble: The New Play Company, as part of our Tiny Plays For a Brighter Future challenge, in partnership with ESB.

The challenge invited writers to imagine what a brighter energy future means to them and to capture that in a 600-word play. Over 350 submissions were received, with an initial 10 plays shortlisted by an independent panel of judges and published on the Fishamble website in May.

Three of the ten shortlisted playwrights, Signe Lury, Eva-Jane Gaffney, and Niall Murphy, have had their work produced, staged, and filmed by Fishamble at the O’Reilly Theatre on Great Denmark Street, Dublin.

Selfish, by Lury, a final year student of English and Drama in Trinity College Dublin, features two women, Theo, and Connie, who struggle to move forward in their lives because of their fears of what the future holds.

Murphy, a regular short story writer, takes an inter-generational look at a family on a journey towards a future that is both uncertain and inevitable, in his play Our Turn.

The final play, Journey, was written and performed by writer and actor, Eva-Jane Gaffney. All three plays are now available to view online at www.esb.ie/tinyplays.

Jim Culleton, Artistic Director of Fishamble, who directed all three plays, said: “We were hugely impressed by the standard of submissions for this Tiny Plays challenge. We believe that the arts have a huge role to play in driving the change that is needed to create a more sustainable world for us all. We were delighted to partner with ESB on this initiative, and to give a platform to playwrights to address one of the biggest challenges we all face. We are now very excited to bring these plays to life on the stage.”

Pat O’Doherty, Chief Executive of ESB, said: “We believe that the arts play a significant role in both documenting and harnessing social change. Partnering with Fishamble on this project has provided a fascinating insight into how different writers respond to both the opportunities and challenges of the journey we are all on in combatting climate change as we collectively work together to transition to a low carbon energy future.”

Tiny Plays for A Brighter Future was conceived as an opportunity to give creative expression to all points of view in the transition to a low carbon energy future: to look at the choices we all must make to meet our future climate goals, examine how those choices will impact communities across Ireland, and imagine what we want the Ireland of our future to be, through 600-word Tiny Plays.

​All three plays were staged and filmed sustainably to ensure a zero-waste approach to the production. To find out more, and to view the filmed plays, visit www.esb.ie/tinyplays.

​10 years ago Silent, the story of homeless McGoldrig resonated deeply with audiences in Ireland in the midst of a homelessness and mental health crisis. It went on to tour the world and win an Oliver award. As frighteningly relevant now as it was then, Fishamble marks its 10th anniversary by bringing Silent and Pat Kinevane’s extraordinary performance to audiences in a new way. 
 
“Hopeless, helpless, in-the-way person”

SILENT is the touching and challenging story of homeless McGoldrig, who once had splendid things. But he has lost it all - including his mind. He now dives into the wonderful wounds of his past through the romantic world of Rudolph Valentino. Dare to laugh at despair and gasp at redemption in this brave, bleak, beautiful production for which Fishamble and Pat Kinevane won an Olivier Award in 2016.

This summer, Fishamble is proud to celebrate 10 years of producing Silent by Pat Kinevane, directed by Jim Culleton, by inviting audiences around the world to take a fresh look at this heart wrenching performance in a specially filmed version.
 
This beautifully filmed performance from the stage of Dublin’s O’Reilly Theatre, will premiere in partnership with An Grianán theatre in Letterkenny and Dunamaise Arts Centre from 18 – 20 June, as part of the Nasc Network’s Lasta festival. It will then have its US digital premiere with long-time partner Odyssey Theatre in Los Angeles on 25 June before later this summer touring digitally to the Irish Arts Centre in New York, Solas Nua in Washington, D.C., and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
 
After first premiering at The Mill theatre in Dundrum in 2011, Silent has gone on to tour all over the country and to 15 countries internationally. In 2016, Pat Kinevane and Fishamble won an Olivier Award for this remarkable piece, making Fishamble the first Olivier Award-winning Irish theatre company.
 
Over the years, Fishamble has presented Silent in collaboration with First Fortnight, Mental Health Reform, Samaritans, the Mental Health Arts Festival, and to an audience of those experiencing homelessness directly, in collaboration with Dublin Simon Community.
 
Speaking of Silent ... 10 Years On, writer and performer Pat Kinevane said:
“In 2008 I began writing SILENT. The Epidemic of beautiful Souls ushering their own lives from light into darkness made me critically sad.  Failed Government economic policies on Housing and Mental Health Services spurred me to complete the final script with roaring woe and weeping anger. The first performance in 2011 began a rollercoaster of tours Country and Worldwide. I truly believed that the show would become obsolete and the Homelessness and tragic Suicides would ebb away.  How wrong I have been.  10 years on the compassionless parliament continues and its failed policies are even worse but, I will humbly continue to give voice to the victims of no shelter and still-Victorian mental care.  All my love and gratitude, Pat x”
 
Director Jim Culleton said, “I am delighted that Fishamble is marking the 10th year of Silent with this specially filmed version, which we look forward to sharing with audiences in Ireland and, with the support of Culture Ireland, internationally, in partnership with some of our key international presenters. It has been a fantastic decade sharing this very special production of a play that as timely now as when it began. Thanks to all the audiences, theatres, and partners who have made it possible. We hope you enjoy the film version, and look forward to being back touring live again soon.”