Agm Notice for Theatre Forum clg Trading as Performing Arts Forum

Jean Hally has worked in the arts for fifteen years, having been involved in many aspects of theatre and event production. She is currently Head of Operations for Dublin City Council Culture Company since February of this year. Prior to that, she was Druid’s Company Manager for five years. She is keenly interested in cultivating culture and advocating for arts workers.

Killian Kirwan is an emerging theatre-maker specializing in performance and playwriting, having recently graduated with a first-class MA in Theatre Practice. He has been honoured to receive the Arts Council Agility Award in 2022 and is driven by a passion for storytelling, commitment to artistic innovation and zealous dedication to cultural accessibility. His vision is the composition of inclusive experiences that resonate with contemporary audiences and reflect the complexities of post-COVID society. He is also a spoken-word poet and part-time Drama tutor at UCD.

Aonghus has been a freelance actor for nearly three decades, and Artistic
Director of Rise Productions since 2010. He is a graduate of the Samuel
Beckett Centre, Trinity College Dublin, and also trained with Anne Bogart’s
SITI Company in New York. He has served on the Executive Committee of
Irish Equity, the National Campaign for the Arts, and Naomh Mearnóg GAA
Club. In 2011, he created the year-long Rise Productions: Irish Theatre
Podcast project, featuring weekly interviews with leading practitioners, which
quickly became the Number 1 Arts podcast on iTunes and is on the syllabus
at Yale University, NUI Galway, and Ulster University. It returned in 2017 for a
second series, once again topped the podcast charts, and remains the most
comprehensive archive of Irish theatrical voices. He has a particular interest
in Actor Training, and has guest lectured on the acting courses at The Lir,
The Gaiety School of Acting, TU Dublin, and American College Dublin. In
response to the Covid 19 pandemic, Aonghus launched two initiatives; Rise:
Covid Commissions, a series of 4 brand new digital theatre works, and Rise:
Platform, an online showcase for actors from the graduating class of 2020.

Adeline Minchin currently works as Sponsorship Manager with Wexford Festival Opera where she manages a diverse profile of corporate sponsors to achieve significant portion of the organisation’s large development income annually. She has previously worked with St. Patrick’s Festival Dublin, Electric Picnic and Festival of Writing and Ideas in the areas of fundraising, marketing and production. Within her current role she is a member of two committees developing structures and policies in Sustainability and Learning & Engagement for the WFO. She is also currently working on a large video archival project with the organisation, documenting stories and memories from the Festival 350+ volunteer base.

Joy Nesbitt is a director, writer, and musician inspired by stories of Black Femininity and postcolonial imagination. She has been named on The Irish Times and Sunday Times’ lists of “Ones to Watch in 2024.” In 2022, Joy attended the Theatre Directing MFA at The Lir National Academy of Dramatic Arts. She is a 2021 recipient of the Louis Sudler Prize in the Arts for the sum of her artistic activities at Harvard University. Joy is a 2023-2024 Director SEED for Rough Magic Theatre Company and a member of the 2023 cohort of the Rachel Baptiste Programme at Smock Alley Theatre. Joy has also written and directed short films, and has written a few full length plays.

Her selected directing credits include JULIUS CAESAR VARIETY SHOW by Joy Nesbitt (2024, The New Theatre), Boyfriends by Ultan Pringle (2024, Project Arts Centre), My Sister in This House by Wendy Kesselman (2024, The Lir Academy), Spear by CN Smith (2024, Corrib Theatre), Listen, A Black Woman is Speaking by Marlow Wyatt (2023, Project Arts Centre), The King of All Birds  by Martha Knight (2023, Project Arts Centre), endings. by Fionntán Larney (2023, Project Arts Centre and Smock Alley Theatre),  Appropriate by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins (2022, The Lir Academy); God of Carnage by Yasmina Reza (2020, Harvard University); and Dreamgirls by Henry Krieger and Tom Eyen (2020, American Repertory Theatre)

Caitríona is currently General Manager of Improvised Music Company and was also appointed Acting Director during a colleague’s illness. With IMC, she has gained a wide experience in the jazz and contemporary improvised music world. As Artistic Director of East Cork Early Music Festival, and a founding member of the Irish Early Music Network, she is also deeply familiar with the progress of early music across the island. She has worked with a number of high-profile music organisations across the country, including Dublin International Chamber Music Festival and Blackwater Valley Opera Festival.

She has been involved in the founding and development of several network organisations, including the Irish Early Music Network (which was successful in sourcing funding for an equipment library), the Irish Jazz Forum (which is now part of a European touring project), and Music Alliance Ireland (which has been key in policy consultation for the Arts Council, Dublin City Council etc).

She is particularly aware of the need for connection and collaboration across the arts world and has been fortunate enough to speak representing Ireland at conferences including the European Early Music Network conference and Jazz Promotion Network conference.

She continues to work as a professional violinist, performing and directing nationally and internationally with ensembles including Sestina, Resurgam, Cork Baroque Players, and Ensemble Dagda amongst others.

Kelly is a broadly experienced producer, project manager and casting director. She has a strong passion for working in the arts highlighted in multi- disciplinary projects and theatre shows, including BLUE THUNDER by Padraic Walsh and LIE LOW by Ciara Elizabeth Smyth. She has expertise in best practice work for young audiences and families and for The Ark her work includes THE GIGGLER TREATMENT by Roddy Doyle, adapted by Fionn Foley, THE HAIRCUT by Wayne Jordan and Tom Lane and THE RACE by Marc Brew as well as The RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW festival. As Casting director for The Abbey Theatre, Kelly cast over 60 productions including world premiere’s, OUR FEW AND EVIL DAYS by Mark O’Rowe starring Ciaran Hinds and Sinead Cusack, CYPRUS AVENUE by David Ireland, starring Stephen Rea and the acclaimed revival of BY THE BOG OF CATS by Marina Carr and starring Susan Lynch. She convened three international symposia around the decade of centenaries and also produced the world premiere of Roddy Doyles, TWO PINTS. She began her career as programme manager for The Performance Corporation.

Ronan Phelan is a freelance theatre director based in Dublin who works across a variety of genres including new writing, reimagined classics and musical theatre. Ronan is a graduate of the TU Dublin Conservatory of Music and Drama, and a former participant of the Abbey Theatre’s Resident Assistant Director programme. From 2017 to 2023 Ronan held the position  of Associate Director at Rough Magic Theatre Company. In 2020 he was nominated as Best Director at the Irish Times Irish Theatre Awards.

Michelle is a playwright, theatre maker and performer with a track record of professional production and over twenty-five years experience as an independent artist. She also works as a dramaturg and drama educator, and facilitates workshops in theatre making with youth theatres and community groups. Michelle is currently developing two new plays and working with Dundrum Elders Group and Floating World Theatre to create a play about the life and work of Teresa Deevy. She recently wrote large-scale play The Oasis for the graduating students of the Gaiety School of Acting, and performed her one-woman show On A House Like A Fire at Roscommon Arts Centre and Bewleys Café Theatre as part of the Bealtaine Festival 2024. Michelle is a member of Performing Arts Forum, the Irish Writer’s Guild and the Dramaturg’s Network. She has long-term experience of working to sustain a career in live performance.