MAKE is a collaborative initiative by The Cork Midsummer Festival, Dublin Fringe Festival, Project Arts Centre and Theatre Forum, committed to the generation of new performance work.
It is a residential laboratory open to Irish and international artists, whereby ideas for new performance works are developed with the assistance of renowned international theatre artists. Over the course of one week, 15 practitioners come together at the Tyrone Guthrie Centre, Annnaghmakerrig with an emphasis on creating new work with assistance, mentoring and support, rather than learning specific skills or techniques.
Mentorship is available from three international artists with a wealth of experience in creating new work. Far from promoting a particular method of making performance, they offer advice and guidance from their experience, without agenda. MAKE is not a training workshop. Artists are free to pursue their own ideas, but the context MAKE offers is one of support and encouragement as well as challenge and critical rigour.
The second MAKE programme took place in March 2010. Twenty eight Irish and International Artists have now experienced the creative incubation in Annnaghmakerrig and the positive influence of the programme can already be seen in the following very limited listing of project outcomes:
- Una McKevitt worked on Victor & Gord at MAKE 2009 which went on to premiere at Absolut Fringe 2009, and play at Project Arts Centre.
- Director Wayne Jordan, who has since gone on to make his Abbey Stage main stage debut with Christ Deliver Us, was working on Ellamenope Jones in 2009 which was staged as a work in progress at project Arts Centre.
- Jessica Almasy & Rachel Chavkin of TEAM (USA) have since staged a rehearsed reading of their docu-drama To the Boys and Girls of America which is to premiere in the USA this year.
- Feidlim Cannon and Gary Keegan (Brokentalkers) are currently working on City of Hope for a premiere in 2010.
- Director Tom Creed's Berlin Love Tour will go into production in summer 2010.
- Grace Dyas, co-artistic director of THEATREclub, will premiere her piece being devised with Dublin heroin users in 2010.
- Megan Riordan is currently working on “The True & Useful Project."
- Priscilla Robinson's piece will premiere in 2010.
