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One challenge we set ourselves was to try and sta
ge the plays in as sustainable a way as possible. – Jim Culleton TINY PLAYS FOR A BRIGHTER FUTURE Behind the scenes of Selfish by Signe Lury photo: Ste Murray This spring Fishamble: The New Play Company, in partnership with ESB, invited writers to submit a 600-word play imagining what a brighter energy future means to them. Over 350 submissions were received, and ten shortlisted plays were selected by an independent panel of judges. We speak to some of the protagonists involved for their perspective on the project. www.esb.ie/tinyplays #esbbrighterfuture #Fishamble Jim Culleton Artistic Director of Fishamble How did the association between Fishamble and ESB come about? Fishamble had met Bevin Cody from ESB a number of times, following an introduction by Business to Arts, the organisation that helps create connections between arts organisations and businesses. Bevin was keen to do a theatre project that highlighted issues around sustainability and climate change. She had seen previous iterations of Fishamble’s Tiny Plays initiative, which included productions following the economic crash, which toured to the US, and a Tiny Play challenge which we ran last year during the first wave of the pandemic. We also collaborated last year with Dublin Port Company and Irish Rail on a project, which Bevin had seen. So, she approached us about working with them, and we were delighted to do so especially as the issues involved are close to our hearts as well. Can you tell us about the challenge you set entrants and how you went about selecting the final ten? We asked people to think about what a brighter future meant to them, and what they felt passionately enough about in relation to issues of sustainability and climate action. Then we invited them to create a play of no more than 600 words for submission. We had about 350 submissions, with lots of fascinating perspectives on the challenge. The Fishamble and ESB team were joined by a selection panel including theatre directors Annabelle Comyn and Jeda de Brí, and writer and environmental writer Manchán Magan. We created a shortlist of ten plays to share on the website for people to read, and then chose the final three for staging and filming. How important was it to be able to strike a balance between the printed word and filming three of the final selection in the O’Reilly? We wanted to make sure the ten shortlisted plays would all have the impact that the playwrights wanted, when they were read. So, we chose ten that we felt were provocative, funny, engaging, and informative. The choice of just three of these to stage and film was very difficult, as we loved so many of the shortlisted ten, as well as many which were not shortlisted. Ultimately, we chose three that we felt would work well in performance and provide a range of perspectives on the issues. A written play is only a blueprint, of course, as plays are meant to be performed, so we tried to pick ones that we felt would most benefit from the energy of theatre performance and demanded to be staged. Is there any overriding takeaway for you based on the submissions and selection? My colleagues at Fishamble and I were really blown away by how creatively and imaginatively people responded to the challenge. We live in a country of huge creativity and artistic energy which has not been diminished by the pandemic. On the contrary, the pandemic has highlighted how crucial the arts and culture are for people’s lives, and generated so much artistic activity, which is reassuring. One challenge we set ourselves was to try and stage the plays in as sustainable a way as possible. We used recycled costumes and LED lights as much as possible and, rather than building sets for each play, the designer Maree Kearns and myself decided to stage the plays in different parts of the theatre, to use locations within the theatre as the backdrops. This worked well, I think, and I hope viewers enjoy the fact that the first play begins on stage, the second moves to the auditorium, and the third one happens up in the gantry of the theatre. What is in development with Fishamble at the moment? We are continuing to work with artists and connect with audiences through the pandemic, mainly through online and digital work. We just livestreamed Before by Pat Kinevane at the Clonmel Junction Arts Festival, and are about to film a bilingual version for the first time, in Gaoth Dobhair. This English/ Irish version will be streamed on July 24th as part of Earagail Arts Festival. Then we are presenting three productions – Silent by Pat Kinevane, On Blueberry Hill by Sebastian Barry, and Mustard by Eva O’Connor – online at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, in partnership with Summerhall, Traverse Theatre, and Dance Base. Then we go into rehearsals for Duck Duck Goose, a new play by Caitríona Daly, and The Treaty by Colin Murphy, both of which we hope very much we will be presenting live, in whatever way is safest later this year. We cannot wait to be back performing to live audiences again!