The Navigator Project

About the Navigator Project:

Fishamble Navigator Project Éadaoin Glynn Image by Éadaoin Glynn

The Navigator Project is a collaboration between health researchers Profs Joe Gallagher and Mark Ledwidge, and Fishamble: The New Play Company. Gallagher and Ledwidge’s research and work focuses on the prevention of heart disease in Ireland and Malawi, with specific focus on marginalised groups with limited access to healthcare and medicines. They work in collaboration with the School of Medicine in University College Dublin, the Gorey Malawi Health Partnership and Balwani Mbakaya of the University of Livingstonia.

The Navigator Project provides a connection between people in Ireland and Malawi. Today, women in Malawi live almost 20 years less than women in Ireland. In Ireland, one of the most important determining factors of healthcare outcomes is a person’s address: https://www.socialjustice.ie/content/policy-issues/health-inequalities-postcode-lottery

The Navigator Project will develop theatre to explore how marginalisation causes health inequality and ask whether integrating science, cross-cultural learning and theatre could raise awareness about health inequality in marginalised communities.

Fishamble is committed to using theatre in order to explore ideas and themes that are important to discuss. It is delighted to team up with Joe and Mark to co-create The Navigator Project development and readings of short plays that explore the issues involved in its work, and that help us understand, debate, and explore the stories behind these issues.

Chosen plays & playwrights

In late 2025, Fishamble commissioned four writers to create work. They were Carys D Coburn, Hannah Khalil, Jade Jordan and Rosaleen McDonagh. Joining the commissioned writers are 6 more writers who were selected from a public call-out for submissions in November 2025. These playwrights are Susannah Al Fraihat, Ryan Gillespie, Caitlin Magnall-Kearns, Susan Lynch, Niall Murphy and Treasa Nealon.