​Irish Theatre Institute (ITI), Fishamble: The New Play Company and Dublin Fringe Festival are pausing the DUETS initiative for 2022. This is being done to review the resources and supports most required by theatre artists now. The DUETS partners will continue to support idea development and artists in 2022 through their existing and new artist support programmes.
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This successful partnership created Show in a Bag in 2010 to facilitate the creation of new small scale, tour-ready shows, highlighting the talents and skills of performers making work for Dublin Fringe Festival. In 2019, working in response to the changing needs of the sector, the Show in a Bag partners introduced a new opportunity, DUETS. This artist support initiative champions professional artists working in pairs to tell one-of-a-kind stories, using the unique combination of their skills.

In these ever-changing times, ITI, Fishamble and Dublin Fringe Festival will pause and work together once again to solicit feedback and undertake research to identify the resources and supports most needed by the sector now.

We want to take this opportunity to thank the outgoing Directors of Irish Theatre Institute, Siobhán Bourke and Jane Daly, for their passionate contribution to our eleven year partnership and the far-reaching, impactful body of work it has created.

​Premiering in Dublin Theatre Festival as part of its nationwide tour
on 29th  September - 3rd October at Pavilion Theatre and
7th – 9th October at Draíocht.
 
Followed by performances at the Everyman Theatre Cork; Watergate Theatre, Kilkenny; Lyric Theatre, Belfast; and Belltable, Limerick.  

Duck Duck Goose follows the story of Chris Quinn, a young man who, in an attempt to help his friend, becomes deeply embroiled in a rape allegation.  As the rules change, and confusion reigns supreme, Chris struggles between loyalty, love and doubt. 
 
Full of moral ambiguity and psychological complexity, this viscerally-charged new play by Caitríona Daly constantly shifts our perspective on ideas of consent, trust, and trial by social media
 
Duck Duck Goose by Caitríona Daly was developed as part of our A Play for Ireland initiative between 2017 and 2019. This was a two-year process in association with Draíocht, The Everyman, Lime Tree Theatre/Belltable, Lyric Theatre, Pavilion Theatre, and Town Hall Theatre. This play is the second to have been produced through this programme.  

Written by Caitríona Daly
Directed by Jim Culleton
Produced by Eva Scanlan
 
Performed by John Doran, Naoise Dunbar, Caitríona Ennis, Liam Heslin, Aidan Moriarty, and Roseanna Purcell
 
Set and Lighting Design by Paul Keogan
Costume Design by Saileóg O'Halloran
Music and Sound Design by Carl Kennedy
Movement Director Bryan Burroughs 
​

We're Hiring!

Fishamble: The New Play Company is currently seeking to recruit a dynamic, experienced, and enthusiastic person to fulfil a short term Marketing Assistant contract from mid-September to December 2021.   

The Marketing Assistant will work alongside the outgoing Marketing and Development Manager during a handover period, and then with the Development and Marketing Officer, in a tight-knit, collaborative, and supportive environment.  

The successful candidate will be responsible for developing and delivering programmatic marketing for the Company and working on implementing audience development initiatives, with particular focus on upcoming major productions in 2021.  

For full job spec and how to apply see below.

​Deadline Monday 23 August, 5pm. 
​

Fishamble is delighted to announce that John McGrane and and Ronan Nulty have joined the Fishamble Board.

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.”

SHORTLISTED PLAYS
The New Friday by Grace Collender
Bedtime by Aoife Delany Reade
A Journey by Eva-Jane Gaffney
Salvage by Joanne Hayden
Cáithnín by James Ireland
Selfish by Signe Lury
Come on you Boys in Green by Barry McStay
Our Turn by Niall Murphy
Turf Smoke by Conall Ó Beoláin
Big Little Changes by Sarah-Jane Scott
​
Selection Panel: Jim Culleton from Fishamble, Bevin Cody from ESB, Manchán Magan, Annabelle Comyn, Gavin Kostick, Hanora Burke, and Jeda de Brí.


Jim Culleton, Artistic Director of Fishamble, said: “We were hugely impressed by the standard of submissions for this Tiny Plays challenge. We believe that the arts has 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, and are very excited now to bring some of these plays to life on the stage.”
 
‘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. 
 
Pat O’Doherty, Chief Executive of ESB, said: “ESB has a long heritage in supporting the arts, and believe that the arts play a significant role in both documenting, and harnessing social change. This unique partnership with Fishamble recognises the important role that theatre and the written or spoken word can play in communicating the opportunities and complexities of Ireland’s transition to a low carbon energy future. We would like to congratulate the shortlisted playwrights, and indeed everyone who took the time to capture their vision for a brighter future in just 600 words”

Dirty Protest & Fishamble invite you to the sharing of 3 new short plays written collaboratively between Welsh & Irish writers!

On the Horizon: Welsh - Irish Connections
Ar y Gorwel: Cysylltiadau Cymreig – Gwyddelig
Ag Bun na Spéire: Ceangail idir an Bhreatain Bhig agus Éire

Thurs 17 June, 2021
10-11am: Creative Opportunities session / Sesiwn Cyfleoedd Creadigol
11-11:15am Break /Egwyl
11:15am-12:30pm Play sharings/Rhannu’r dramâu
12:30-1pm Lunch/Cinio
1-2:30pm The afternoon will finish with a 90 minute discussion about current and future opportunities for Welsh-Irish connections through art. Speakers to be announced.

Dirty Protest is Wales' award-winning theatre company leading the development, promotion and production of new writing for performance. 

Fishamble is an Olivier Award-winning Irish theatre company that discovers, develops and produces new plays of national importance with a global reach, while championing the role of the playwright. 

For this online event, we have joined forces to pair up Welsh and Irish writers to collaborate on three new short plays!

You are invited to listen to the very first public sharing of these plays, read by Welsh and Irish actors, and to hear more about the collaborations in a post-reading Q+A with the writers.

The pairs of writers are:
Connor Allen & Ciara Elizabeth Smyth
Samantha O'Rourke & Michael Patrick and Oisín Kearney
Hefin Robinson & Shannon Yee
​
As part of the event, we will also hear about the international opportunities available for Welsh and Irish artists in 2021 and beyond. We will also hold an open discussion about the philosophical, political and cultural links between Wales and Ireland that might support and underpin future collaboration.

The event will be live captioned and BSL interpreted. There will be a Welsh translator in the room and we actively encourage contributions in Welsh. Please let us know, either by emailing info@dirtyprotesttheatre.co.uk or when prompted at the booking stage on Eventbrite, if you have any additional access needs.

Closing Date: 5pm on Tuesday, 6th April 2021

Job Ref: Fishamble
Type: Full-time
Location: This role is based in Dublin. You will be working remotely during Covid and flexible working from home arrangements will be considered post-Covid.
Salary: €28,000 - €30,000

Full Description
CONTRACT: Full time position (Would consider applicants seeking a four day week) Initial 2-year contract as part of the RAISE programme, supported by the Arts Council.
SALARY: €28,000 to €30,000 (pro rata if working a four day week)

BACKGROUND:
Fishamble is an Irish theatre company that is passionate about discovering, developing, and producing new plays. Formed in 1988 and named after the Playhouse on Dublin’s Fishamble Street which, in the 1780s, Fishamble became the first theatre to commission and produce plays by Irish writers. Fishamble harness the imaginative power of theatre to provide audiences with a diverse range of contemporary, compelling, and heartfelt dramatic works.

Fishamble thinks nationally and reaches globally. It works collaboratively with networks of artists, communities, and organisations, to achieve the maximum possible life for its plays. For instance, over 30 Fishamble play scripts have been published. Fishamble has toured its productions to audiences throughout Ireland, and to 19 other countries. It typically produces over 200 performances annually.

Our vision is a world where vibrant new theatre stands at the centre of a vibrant civic society.

THE ROLE:
As a RAISE Accelerate participant in the RAISE Programme, an Arts Council initiative designed to build arts organisations’ capacity to generate significant new private investment, Fishamble is now seeking a part-time Development and Marketing Officer.

The Development and Marketing Officer will report to the Marketing and Development Manager and will focus on stewarding all existing partners; researching new opportunities; and providing exceptional administrative support to propel Fishamble’s ambitious fundraising plans. The successful candidate will also assist with the management of digital and institutional marketing campaigns, exploring new approaches to audience development and identifying opportunities to grow support online through the management of specific digital fundraising campaigns.

To succeed in this role, you will be a passionate, self-motivated, creative and systems focused thinker with strong communication and relationship management skills. You will be comfortable researching new opportunities, drafting grant applications, and communicating with a variety of stakeholders. The successful candidate will maintain and build upon donor engagement through effective communication and will provide creative support for the delivery of digital fundraising campaigns.

If you are a creative, systems focused, team player with excellent organisational skills, a flair for both written and verbal communication, and passion for theatre and the work of Fishamble, we would love to hear from you!

HOW TO APPLY:
Please email recruitment@charitycareersireland.ie for the full job description, candidate information pack, and application details for this role. Please use the job title and name of the organisation you’re interested in as the subject of your email.

The recruitment campaign for the role of Development and Marketing Officer is being managed exclusively on behalf of Fishamble by non-profit specialist recruitment consultancy CCI Executive Search.

​ Closing Date: 5pm on Tuesday, 6th April 2021