Words Ireland – Literature Producers Forum
Info
Date:
May 23, 2019
Thursday 23 May, 11am–5pm + Mirrors showcase event, starts 6pm
Smock Alley Theatre
€30 / €20 (creative writers discount)
Includes free access to Mirrors (6pm).
Do you produce or perform literature events or projects? Are you keen to programme evermore exciting, engaging and ambitious events and develop your audiences? If yes, this is the Forum for you. An unmissable opportunity for creative producers, festival staff, publishers, librarians, production companies, resource organisations… and of course, writers.
More and more theatres and venues across Ireland are hungry for quality literature programming ideas, while funding bodies want to see quality, ambitious literature events and projects touring Ireland and abroad. At the same time, Words Ireland and its member organisations are working with regional venues to develop literature audiences. We want to support literature programmers and producers to realize their ideas in whatever setting or context you work in. There are growing opportunities for producers with quality programming ideas, and Words Ireland is keen to inspire great programming ideas, and connect you with funding avenues and audiences.
Informative and inspirational, the Literature Producers Forum will also showcase Words Ireland’s ambitious first production of Mirrors, created by Dani Gill.
10.30am | Registration
11.00am | Jaybird Live Literature: Presentation
Authors. Audiences. Alchemy. Jaybird Live is a literature production company based in south London that turns literary texts into performance pieces and projects for the theatres, galleries and other special places. Director Julia Bird will deliver a dynamic presentation on what Jaybird does, with images and footage of previous productions. You’ll hear about the creative method of bringing shows together, and explain how venues and funders have supported her productions. Jaybird provides an interesting model that Irish producers and programmers can learn from.
12.00am | Curation: The Outer Limits of Literature Production
Discussing the breath of possibilities and bright ideas in literature event and project creation at home and abroad. The panel will cover the hows and whys of cross-arts collaborations between literature and other art forms. Expect your imagination to be stretched and to come away with new ideas percolating in the back of your mind.
Confirmed: Martin Colthorpe (Director of ILFDublin), Ruth McGowan (Director of Dublin Fringe Festival), Dani Gill (writer, producer, and Lit Audience Dev Officer for Words Ireland), more panellists tbc.
1.15pm | BREAK FOR LUNCH
2.15pm | What Audiences Want: The Venues’ Perspective
A panel of venue directors, festival curators and tour managers will share valuable insights into what their audiences love. They’ll talk about the differences between events that sell 20 tickets and 200 tickets, and outline the kinds of events and project ideas they want arriving in their inboxes from literature producers. You’ll also hear about audience development strategies, and be given time to pick their brains through Q&A.
Confirmed: Mona Considine (Backstage Theatre), Linda Geraghty (Riverbank Arts Centre), Paul Perry (writer, Ennis Book Club Festival & AWPIreland), Sharon Rollston (CEO of Music Network)
3.15pm | COFFEE & CONVERSATION
3.45pm | Making It Happen: Funding & Producing
Looking at the variety of funding avenues and partnerships open to writers, producers, festival directors and organisations to get their events and projects funded, from one-off events to Irish and international tours. Sharing successes and learnings from other art forms, and plenty of time for audience Q&A.
Confirmed: Sarah Bannan (Literature Officer, Arts Council), Ciaran Walsh (Programmes Manager, Culture Ireland), more panellists tbc.
4.45pm | Words from Words Ireland (5 minutes)
6.00pm | Mirrors (free for Forum ticket-holders)
The premiere of Words Ireland’s first literary production for the stage – a literary hybrid weaving together film projection, holographics, audio and live performance with the writings of author Nicole Flattery and poet Jessica Traynor, directed by Dani Gill.
