Charting a path for the next generation of playwrights in Cork
The Young Playwrights Programme from Graffiti Theatre Company and The Everyman is an opportunity for budding playwrights to find their voice and tailor their craft.
Attention all budding writers!
Graffiti Theatre Company and The Everyman are now accepting applications for the seventh iteration of their Young Playwright’s Programme. Beginning in April, Graffiti will host a series of fortnightly workshops for eight chosen participants, who will each then present a piece of work at a showcase event in The Everyman Theatre this coming August.
The programme is aimed at people aged 15 to 22 years who are interested in developing their writing skills for performance and T+D spoke with Graffiti’s Marketing and Development Officer Al Dalton in Blackpool yesterday morning, to find out a bit more about this opportunity.
“The programme will appeal to those who already have an interest in writing. Each participant is treated like an artist from the get go and while some might be nervous and unsure what will happen when they walk in the door, the two facilitators Katie Holly and John McCarthy are very experienced and have a way to melt the ice.”
“It’s very exciting for a young person to suddenly find themselves in a room dedicated to writing, and be able to get a deep insight into how the process works; in how to get an idea down on paper and all the steps involved towards getting it on stage,” Dalton said.
Last year, following on from their time in the workshops, two of the participants, Anna Dunlea and Michael Corbett, had their pieces presented at New Works Festivals across Ireland, but the programme isn’t just geared towards the end product.
“There’s a huge social aspect and the young people involved in writing and making theatre find it deeply rewarding to test other voices within themselves.”
“It’s about the voice of the young person sitting in front of you. And about them getting the experience of the artistic process, and to trust in that process, even when that is difficult to do sometimes!”
While Graffiti oversees the mentorship aspect, The Everyman oversees hiring directors and actors. Four hundred people attended the rehearsed readings last year, which was the biggest audience to date.
“Some of the plays were laugh out loud funny, while others were quite harrowing so a lot of thought went into the curation of the programme and where each piece could be placed.”
“By the end of the five months, the bond that forms is really strong between the writers and it was great to see their work come to life and be presented with bunches with flowers and other things like that after the performances.”
The workshop programme is free of charge to participants thanks to funding from the Arts Council of Ireland, Cork City Arts Office and by donation to Graffiti and The Everyman. Although this year, it was touch and go whether the programme would actually happen at all.
“We thought we might have to cut the programme this year, as it costs up to €15,000 to run between fees, welfare officers and so on.”
“But luckily a private donor stepped in and ensured we could run it and we feel lucky to be able to do so.”
One of the writers last year had an eye on a career in drama and was looking to study it in college, but the benefits from taking part in this programme extend beyond the world of theatre and applications are welcomed from not only Cork, but the whole of Munster.
“The supports that are open to participants are very clear and they will receive a lot of care and attention, but we also give them a lot of responsibility and the skill set they will learn is valuable in any walk of life. If you talk to any head of a company one of the first things they look for in an employee is creativity.”
“And creativity is kind of lost in our education system, but we are all keepers of that creativity and have an onus to nurture it and this is one fantastic way of doing that.”
The deadline for applying to this year’s YPP is March 2, 10pm. More information on the programme and how to apply see here.
Good luck to all the participants this year, it's such a fantastic opportunity! We had a similar initiative in Athlone last year and the winning play was thought-provoking and well written, there is so much talent out there yet to be discovered.