From 2008-2011 I worked as the head of programming and artist liaison at Dublin Fringe Festival, Ireland’s largest multi-disciplinary arts festival, with a particular focus on helping Irish artists to develop new experimental work of all kinds. Unlike other Fringes, DFF is a fully curated festival with approximately 100 events taking place each year in venues across Dublin.
Key activities for this role included:
– managing the application system
– supporting artists creatively and practically
– assisting the Festival Director in the curation of events
– programming venues
– maintaining a high standard of communication with all partners and artists
– managing budgets
– coordinating travel and accommodation
– recruiting and managing interns
– ongoing improvement of internal systems of organisation, including a total reworking of the Festival Judge system
In addition to these core activities I oversaw and developed a number of projects including:
→ MAKE (in association with Project Arts Centre, Theatre Forum and Cork Midsummer Festival) – an annual residential artist development programme that takes place in the Tyrone Guthrie Centre. Each year, fifteen Irish and international performance makers spend a week with three international mentors, developing ideas for work. From 2009-2012 I was the on-site facilitator during the week, as well as assisting in developing the structure of the residency.
→ RadioActive (in association with RTÉ) – a once-off initiative in 2010 to train a diverse group of composers, choreographers, theatre makers and sound designers in making experimental radio and provide a platform for the resulting work, both nationally and internationally. An edited version of some of the artists’ work can be heard here.
→ Show in a Bag (in association with Fishamble: The New Play Company and Irish Theatre Institute) – a highly successful and ongoing initiative that provides actors with their own high quality tourable play made to their own specifications. Previous participants can be found here.
FESTIVAL PROGRAMMES ONLINE:
2009 | 2010 | 2011