Siamsa Tíre Announces Young Curators 2021-2022
Siamsa Tíre this week announces Ranóg Townsend (Kerry), Aisling Clarke (Roscommon) and Susan Ní Cholmáin (Donegal). as the three young people who will join the NASC Network Young Curators programme for 2021/22.
In an innovative approach to programming, twenty-one young curators have been engaged by the NASC Theatre Network to programme Lasta, a festival of work for children and young people from 11th to 20th June 2021, delivering for the first time, a national arts programme curated entirely by young people. The festival opens with a concert from Soda Blonde (previously known as Little Green Cars) tonight at 7pm on Lasta YouTube.
Lasta is presented as part of Brightening Air | Coiscéim Coiligh, a nationwide, ten day season of arts experiences brought to you by the Arts Council.
Siamsa Tíre’s Lasta festival has been curated by three young curators, Ranóg Townsend, a native of Kerry, Aisling Clarke from Roscommon and Susan Ní Cholmáin from Donegal. As recent graduates from the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance in the University of Limerick. Siamsa Tíre’s young curators have focused on up-and-coming Kerry and international talent for a fun and interactive week of traditional arts.
Aimed at children and young people, many of the online performances are free and streamed across social media channels and the Siamsa Tíre website. www.siamsatire.com
A Note from our Young Curators
As recent graduates from the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance in the University of Limerick, our approach towards the Lasta festival was simple: Irish traditional music, song and dance. Having studied together our BA in Irish Music and Dance, we are all deeply rooted in the traditional arts. Working with Siamsa Tíre has offered us the chance to reach out to those who have influenced our musical and dance career. We endeavour to promote our cultural identity by showcasing what it has to offer. Exploring artists who are pushing the boundaries of the tradition through fusion and collaboration and celebrating those who are preserving old traditions that have been orally transmitted from generation to generation. Taking advantage of the online resource, we have brought together a worldwide experience of Irish traditional music, song and dance, from Kerry to Germany, from Orkney to Leitrim, all to be streamed from the comfort of your own home.
We would like to express our gratitude to Roisín McGarr, Annette Udell and the staff at Siamsa Tíre for giving us the opportunity to share our love of the traditional arts. Thank you to Maisie Lee and Fionn Foley for supporting our wild ideas and creative ambitions. Thank you to our brilliant artists, musicians and dancers for getting involved – this festival could not have happened without you. Lastly, thank you to the young people who have helped to keep the arts alive and thriving during these exceptionally challenging times.
Fellow young people this is your opportunity to see what our culture has to offer. So, join us in our online exploration of the traditional arts –we encourage you to get involved.
Aisling, Ranóg & Susan
The Young Curators Programme
Based on a project originally conceived and delivered by Backstage Theatre, Longford in 2020, is targeted at young people between the ages of 18 and 25 who want to gain experience in working in the arts, especially those interested in venue and festival management and programming. The curators were selected on the basis that they were from, live in or have a strong connection to Tralee or County Kerry and its communities; had a passion for the arts and for attending performance; enjoyed working with a small team; liked organising events and making things happen; and being able to make the commitment to the programme if selected.
The project is about programming and producing creative work in the performing and visual arts – selecting shows that they may have seen for Siamsa Tíre’s programme of events or making a show in collaboration with the young curators in other venues. Curating will include managing the event from the first conversation with the artists to the day of the performance, making sure everything runs smoothly on the day. In this, the young programmers will be supported by the team here at Siamsa Tíre, the young curators at the other participating venues, and the professionals hired to support the programme including project co-ordinator Maisie Lee.
Established in 2006, the Nasc Network is a partnership of eight venues who work together to present touring projects and share marketing and other areas of expertise. The Nasc Network Venues are An Grianán Theatre (Letterkenny), Backstage (Longford), Dunamaise (Port Laoise), Glór (Ennis), Lime Tree Theatre (Limerick), The Pavilion (Dun Laoghaire), Siamsa Tíre (Tralee) and Town Hall Theatre.
The Young Curators Programme is based on a project originally conceived and delivered by Backstage Theatre, Longford in 2020
