Here you will find a selection of Projects Culture Ireland has funded recently.

 

The Approach by Mark O’Rowe

produced by Landmark Productions in association with Project Arts Centre and St Ann’s Warehouse, Brooklyn, NY

 

January 2021 saw Culture Ireland’s first endeavour to virtually bring contemporary Irish theatre to a large international audience was a resounding success. Landmark Production’s acclaimed ‘The Approach’, a play by Mark O’Rowe, was staged in the Project Arts Centre in January 2021. Boasting an outstanding cast featuring Cathy Belton, Derbhle Crotty and Aisling O’Sullivan, and a design team that includes Sinead McKenna and Philip Stewart, this all-Irish team of artists present work that speaks to contemporary Ireland, both in its subject matter and form. Livestreamed by St Ann’s Warehouse, Brooklyn, ‘The Approach’ met with live audience number reaching 6,534 over three evenings. Audience reviews were extremely positive:

“‘I live in Anchorage, Alaska, and usually travel to get my hit of theatre. With the pandemic, I instead organized a group of seven women to watch a play online and then meet over Zoom to discuss it. So far, we’ve watched eight plays from London, New York, wherever; but we all agreed that it was The Approach that knocked our socks off. We totally appreciated the cast and playwright discussion, too.”

Such collaborative works between Irish cultural institutions and their counterparts abroad provide artists and playwrights like O’Rowe prominent platforms for their works to find new audiences, with people watching from 44 countries across 6 continents – from Alaska to New Zealand. ‘The Approach’ has shown Ireland to be at the cutting edge of how live performances can be presented through new broadcast technologies. Moreover, Landmark Productions strengthened its ongoing relationship with St Ann’s Warehouse, while the Project Arts Centre and St Ann’s Warehouse were connected as organisations for the first time, forging a new transatlantic cultural partnership. Such fruitful collaborations have paved the way for new virtual theatre productions.

★★★★ The Guardian – Arifa Akbar https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2021/jan/22/the-approach-review-lockdown-theatre ‘of all the streamed productions that I have seen in the past year, this one comes closest to capturing the focus and tension of live theatre’ New York Magazine / Vulture – Helen Shaw https://www.vulture.com/2021/01/review-of-mark-orowes-the-approach-streaming-from-dublin.html “The Irish playwright Mark O’Rowe doesn’t bring his work to New York often, but when he does, the seats catch fire … live from Dublin on your computer screen, it’s a superb performance of The Approach.”

 

15th Capital Irish Film Festival (CIFF), Solas Nua

 

Solas Nua (New Light) is a leading multidisciplinary arts organization which works to promote contemporary Irish arts in Washington D.C. since its foundation in 2005. Solas Nua virtually presented the 15th Capital Irish Film Festival (CIFF) at the American Film Institute Silver Theatre and Cultural Center in Silver Spring, Maryland, USA, from 4–7 March 2021, in partnership with the American Film Institute. This was a very successful event that was greatly enhanced by the participation of filmmakers in six post-film discussions. There were also two music events, one of which was held free of charge and open to Irish audiences online. This was the first time  Solas Nua presented the festival online to a national audience, providing a showcase for contemporary Irish films, such as Arracht (Monster), an award-winning Irish-language film set during the Great Famine, by director Tom Sullivan, Wildfire, a moving tale of family and mental health in modern-day Northern Ireland, by director Cathy Brady, The 8TH, a documentary by Maeve O’Boyle which traces Ireland’s campaign to overturn the 8th Amendment, Wolfwalkers, the Academy-Award nominated animation from filmmakers Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart, and many more, with ticket sales exceeding 2,800 over the 11-day event.

 

Irish Film Festival in Russia (Moscow)

The 14th Irish Film Festival (Russia) was held in cinemas in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Ekaterinburg and Novosibirsk on 10 – 21 March 2021. The festival showcased the best of modern Irish cinema, and featured extensive participation in workshops and virtual Q&As with Irish film-makers.

Established in 2008 by Moscow based Irish filmmakers Gerard Michael MacCarthy and Johnny O’Reilly, the Irish Film Festival in Russia has become the central element of Irish cultural activities taking place around St. Patrick’s Day in Moscow and presents Irish films to new and existing audiences every year. Through their partner, Karo, Russia’s largest cinema chain, a series of contemporary Irish film were presented, including ‘Calm with Horses’, an Irish crime thriller directed by Nick Rowland and featuring Barry Keoghan and Cosmo Jarvis, ‘Tomorrow is Saturday’, an intimate look at the life of Irish collage artist Sean Hillen , Dave Minogue’s ‘Poster Boys’, a black comedy about dysfunctional family life, and ‘Here Are the Young Men’, a film which looks at disaffected youth in Dublin during the Celtic Tiger era with Ana-Taylor Joy.

 

St Patrick’s Day At Home, Milwaukee Irish Fest, CelticMKE

 

 

Culture Ireland has long partnership with The Milwaukee Irish Fest, an annual festival produced by CelticMKE and held annually on the third weekend of every August. Having a tradition of presenting Irish artists to a large American audience, and celebrating all aspects of Irish culture. Over the years, bands featured include Moxie, Screaming Orphans, We Banjo 3, and many more contemporary Irish artists. In 2019, the 39^th Milwaukee Irish Fest had a Galway Showcase stage in honour of Galway being chosen as the European Capital of Culture in 2020. Galway acts featured included We Banjo 3, The Whileaways, BackWest, Leo Moran & Padraig Stevens, and The Kane Sisters.

In March 2021, the Milwaukee Irish Fest presented online the St. Patrick’s Day At Home event featuring ten music performances from emerging artists in Ireland, alongside four culture & history shows, providing a full eight-hours of entertainment, with support from Culture Ireland. Artists featured include Brídín, Sive, Gráinne Hunt and Brendan Walsh, The Finns, Seamus & Caoimhe Uí Fhlatharta, Nicole Ni Dhubhshlaine & Kyle Macaulay, Sharon Howley, Niall Hanna, Diane Cannon and Cup O’Joe. There was family entertainment with events such as Storytime with Princess Merida and performances with Glencastle Irish Dancers, Milwaukee Irish Dance Company, and Trinity Academy of Irish Dance, and cultural shows including – The Irish War of Independence with Irish Ambassador Mulhall, and a series of tiny plays presented by Ireland theatrical group Fishamble. The event was viewed over 7,000 times from audiences across the USA and received very positive media coverage.