Bio

Emma is a performing artist from Kildare. She works primarily as a theatre-maker, deviser and performer. Her practice is focused on devised work and she is interested in making theatre in a collaborative way and dismantling the traditional writer-led model. Emma has a background in ballet and, from that, the work she creates relies heavily on the body, with movement and mime overtaking language and text to tell a story. She is inspired by Jaques Lecoq’s methods of physical theatre and mime, and Yoann Bourgeois' dance and acrobatic approach to theatre. In 2020, she co-wrote and performed in the one-woman show ‘When I was young, I never talked to Clouds’ at Scene + Heard 2020. She is currently co-developing this show with Dublin Fringe and Fishamble as part of Fringe’s ‘Big Ambitions’ programme. In 2019, she directed, choreographed and co-devised the clowning show ‘The Epiphany of Eileen O’Keefe’ which performed at The Samuel Beckett Theatre, The Whale Theatre and on the Sanctuary stage at Electric Picnic 2019. She is a recipient of the Riverbank Arts Centre’s Momentum Award 2020 where she is co-developing a piece of documentary theatre that investigates the evolution of nightlife culture in Kildare.

Project

I was selected with my colleagues in CREATION 21/22, a truly unique programme which was created for performing artists at all stages of their careers and across a range of disciplines (dance, theatre, circus, spectacle, performance art, street arts), to develop their practice, network, learn and showcase work. It will include in-person collaboration opportunities in Ireland, as well an international residency in 2022 The project offers artistic development opportunities through mentoring, coaching, residencies and ‘in-progress’ presentation opportunities as part of Carlow Arts Festival, Dublin Dance Festival, National Circus Festival and Danseur Festival. This project is an opportunity to deeply collaborate with artists from various performing art forms and areas of experience. This residency is specifically focussed on performing artists in the East and Southeast region of Ireland, as well as European partners. It will be designed hand in hand with makers from the Theatre, Dance, and Circus/Street Art/Spectacle worlds to ensure it is delivering to the participating artists what they need at this time. The project is flexible and will focuses on creating space to support artists in the ways they currently need.