The inaugural LEAP workshop took place in Galway City when four selected artists gathered together for four days of creative exploration and connection building. The workshop focused on creating and devising theatre for diverse young audiences. A partnership between Baboró, Moonfish Theatre, and NUI Galway, LEAP is a paid workshop and community-building project for creative individuals from underrepresented, ethnically diverse communities or migrant backgrounds. The project aims to bridge the gap between young audiences and the artists creating and presenting work for them.

The four artists, Alexandra Craciun, Fernanda Ferrari, Justyna Cwojdzińska, and Justin Anene brought different backgrounds, experiences and creative practices to the programme. (For more about the artists, check out their bios here)

The workshop, facilitated by Moonfish Theatre, invited the artists to explore how to create stories using music, multilingualism, movement, and puppetry. Together, artists and facilitators played physical theatre and devising games, explored free-writing and improvisational exercises, and sparked their creativity within a brave and collaborative environment.

LEAP was born from a mission to better serve and recognise the needs of diverse young audiences, who deserve to experience not only quality art, but quality art that represents them, created by diverse artists they can relate to.

After the project drew to a close, participants expressed how meaningful they found the experience, as well as their new connections with fellow artists.

“I approached LEAP with the excitement and the fear of someone that hasn't created or been vulnerable in front of other people in a very long time. My wall was built up high and it grew even higher when I left my country and my own artistic family,” said Alexandra Craciun, a Romanian artist based in Dublin. “Thank you for the kindness, the energy, the frailty, the reveal, the tiredness in my body, the exercises, the tears, the knowledge gained, the time, the crawling on the floor, the scratching of the knees, the new incredible people you have brought into my life.”

LEAP is a part of Baboró’s EDI strategy aiming to strengthen diversity, equity, and inclusion in the TYA sector.

The project is a partnership between Baboró International Arts Festival for Children, Moonfish Theatre, and National University of Ireland, Galway. The programme is generously supported and funded by Arts Council Ireland and the Irish Research Council.

Learn more about LEAP and the participating artists here.