Free

Impact Report: Meitheal, a Branar Initiative

Thu 17 Oct

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Across 2022 and 2023 Branar piloted Meitheal, a support initiative for artists and producers creating work for young audiences across performing arts disciplines.

Independent arts consultant, Janice McAdam, was engaged to evaluate the initiative from the beginning. This report distills the key findings of her evaluation, detailing the impact of the intervention of Meitheal in the performing arts for young audience sector across Ireland.

Janice will present the report and speak with Meitheal alumni, theatre maker Miquel Barceló and producer Claire O’Neill about their experience of the initiative, with contributions from the Branar team.

This talk will be followed by a 20-minute reading from Meitheal alumna Liam McCarthy's new work, Monkeys in the Garden.

Janice McAdams
Janice McAdams has been helping individuals and organisations think strategically and engage meaningfully for over twenty years. Since qualifying as a coach in 2011, Janice also supports them to consider and manage change. Janice completed a Masters in Work and Organisational Behaviour at DCU in 2017, with a particular emphasis on change, and does research and stakeholder facilitation work and really enjoys using a simple but hugely effective method called World Café. Since starting her own business, Janice is proud to have worked with a range of clients across the public, private, not for profit and cultural sectors including most recently The Arts Council, Dublin Fringe Festival, Cork City Council, The Stinging Fly, Irish Writers Centre and The Ark. She also coaches individuals, supporting them to consider and advance their careers.

Miquel Barceló
Miquel Barceló is a theatre practitioner and musician with extensive experience in physical theatre, theatre for young audiences, street theatre, arts and disability and community arts. Trained at École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq, Paris, he works as a freelance artist and collaborates on an ongoing basis with Branar, Macnas and arts organisations for people with intellectual disabilities (ID) That’s Life. Miquel’s main focus is performing, composing music for theatre shows and researching new pedagogical approaches to theatre. He has worked extensively with youth ensembles and in the area of theatre for children in schools. Current work in development includes an immersive theatre experience exploring the legend of Captain George MacNamara.

Claire O'Neill
Claire has worked in a wide variety of managerial and production roles in the arts sector in the last 15 years. She spent five years as General Manager & Producer with THISISPOPBABY, working across a variety of dynamic projects & productions including producing Mark O'Halloran's award winning play Conversations After Sex (Dublin Theatre Festival 2021). Prior to this she was General Manager and Producer at Project Arts Centre from 2013 to 2017 where she produced Dublin Oldschool. She was Executive Producer on the first iteration of the Bram Stoker Festival as well as working closely with a variety of Project Artists including Brokentalkers, Junk Ensemble and Louise White. Claire was five years with Irish Theatre Institute from 2009 as General Manager and worked on a range of events including Information Toolbox, International Theatre Exchange as well as the Six in the Attic and Show in a Bag programmes.

Liam McCarthy
Liam is a playwright. Plays include Jilly Morgan’s Birthday Party (Belltable), Boss Rob: A Masterclass for Aspiring Artists (Dublin City Council Creative Hubs), Mam and Love and Woo (Wilde Irish Writer’s Award, Dublin Fringe.) He has participated in Druid Theatre’s Fuel programme, Corcadorca’s Show festival, Branar’s Meitheal, Axis Assemble and Words Words Words at the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh. Liam curates the Bualadh Bos Children’s Festival in Limerick. Liam previously worked with The Ark Children’s Cultural Centre, Dublin, as Engagement and Participation Officer. He studied Drama and English at Trinity College, Dublin and at UC Berkeley, California. Liam was recently awarded an Arts Council Next Generation Award and is currently writer-in-residence at Mary Immaculate College.