Announcing a ground-breaking Youth Theatre Practice Symposium with a focus on sustainable youth theatre all happening in Dublin this November.Youth Theatre Ireland are delighted to be partnering with TU Dublin School of Media, TU Dublin Sustainability, and the TU Dublin Conservatoire to deliver this series of events at TU Dublin, East Quad, Grangegorman Campus, Dublin 7, on November 8th and 9th.
Alan King Deputy Director of Youth Theatre Ireland said 'Every year, the Youth Theatre Practice Symposium is an opportunity to engage in big ideas, address the present and look to the future of youth theatre. In 2024 we are building on our own sustainability practice of the last few years, and engaging with visionary artists, theatre makers and thinkers to engage our sector even more. We are particularly delighted to be partnering with TU Dublin for the first time to deliver this unique, thought provoking and thrilling event.'
If you are passionate about the future of youth theatre and eager to embrace sustainable practices don’t miss the opportunity to be part of a transformative moment in youth theatre and theatre practices. Join for this inspiring and insightful symposium dedicated to creating a greener, more sustainable future in youth theatre.
TU Dublin is a fitting partner for this event, as it aims to become one of the world’s most sustainable universities, sharing with Youth Theatre Ireland a belief in sustainable practices and a commitment to transformation.
'Theatre holds a mirror up to reality to allow us to analyse our lives and purpose, to empathise and seek community. It is vital that within that we face the greatest challenge that humanity faces, the Climate Crisis. Theatre practitioners across the globe are responding by looking at ways to practice our art with greater care, mindfulness and engagement with the climate discourse and the quest for zero emissions. We are delighted to be collaborating on this symposium and to be part of those conversations, actions, changes in practice and calls for shared resourcing.' - Dr. Rachel Talbot, Head of Vocal, Opera and Drama Studies, Conservatoire of Music and Drama, TU Dublin.
'This year's symposium aims to put sustainability at the heart of creativity and offers a chance to harness the transformative potential of youth theatre as a catalyst for change. 'The School of Media TU Dublin is delighted to partner with Youth Theatre Ireland as part of our commitment to life-long, inclusive and equitable education and in support of sustainability in the creative industries' - Dr Mary Ann Bolger, Head of Media Arts, School of Media, TU Dublin.
Bringing together some of the leading minds and change makers working in Irish theatre, youth theatre, film, and youth work, will provide an exciting symposium focusing on sustainable practices in youth theatre.'Speakers and facilitators include Medb Lambert, Alex Konieczka, Luke Casserly, Sinéad Wallace and Maeve Stone.
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Supported by the Youth Climate Justice Fund, from the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, the Arts Council and TU Dublin’s Office of the Vice President of Sustainability.Additional Information.
Participants Include the following:
Medb Lambert, a theatre artist, designer, writer and maker. As Co-Artistic Director of Asylum Productions, her work has been presented nationally and internationally, including First Light co-written with Donal Gallagher at Carlow Arts festival 2024 – a sustainable, green energy, community powered production. Her workshop is the wittily titled We Don’t All Have to Be Coldplay to make a Difference'.
Alex Konieczka, an ecologist, eco-consultant, educator, and founder of Understory, an environmental education organisation. In 2023, Alex partnered with Youth Theatre Ireland to conduct a Sustainability Audit, deliver a report, and lead sustainability-focused activities at the National Festival of Youth Theatres. She followed up in 2024 to assess progress and impact. Alex will present The Sustainability Journey of the National Festival of Youth Theatres, a summary of her findings, and deliver a workshop entitled Circular Economy: Creative reuse of materials.
Maeve Stone is a director / writer for film and theatre whose work responds to issues of climate breakdown and revisits the canon with a feminist lens. She has been working in embedded and socially engaged practice for the last 8 years and is keen to continue learning how the skills of a storyteller can impact climate resilience.
Luke Casserly will deliver a presentation called What's already there? The focus will be on how he has built his practice over the last few years as a performance maker, looking at the experiences he had in youth theatre as a teenager as the starting point. He will also work exclusively with 16 senior youth theatre members in a session called Autobiographical Landscapes' that will look at the idea of place as a starting point for making new work.
Sinéad Wallace is an award-winning freelance lighting designer. She has been working in sustainable theatre making for 3 years and has developed The Lir Academy’s Sustainability policy and Action Plan. She has worked as Sustainability Lead on The Lir Academy's first two Theatre Green Book productions and consulted on the upcoming Irish Theatre Green Book. Sinéad will deliver workshops based on her work in these areas.
Other sessions include a dedicated networking workshop, a tribute to our late founder Paddy O'Dwyer, the launch of our first sustainability policy, and our course our Playshare event, showcasing the work of Act Out Youth Theatre, Navan, FunHouse YT Offaly, and Dlr. Mill Youth Theatre Group.With two days of presentations, workshops, performances, and social events to connect and network, delegates will have the opportunity to gather resources, develop strategies and build their own sustainable practices.
This symposium is aimed those already engaged in youth theatre practice, artists, arts and community workers with an interest in youth theatre, and the wider theatre, education, youth work and community sectors, all happening at TU Dublin, East Quad, Grangegorman Campus, Dublin 7, on November 8th and 9th 2024.
Media Contact: Tracey Ferguson communications@youththeatre.ie (086) 158-4342