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Dunamaise to work with new national arts programme – by young people for young people

Dunamaise Arts Centre

Dunamaise Arts Centre have announced that they are to collaborate with the NASC venues network on LASTA – a national arts programme for young people by young people, in association with Brightening Air/Coiscéim Coiligh, a nationwide ten-day season of arts experiences brought to you by the Arts Council; as well as Creative Ireland Laois. 

In a new innovative approach to programming, twenty-one young curators have been engaged by the NASC venues to programme a festival of work for children and young people from 11th to 20th June 2021.

It will deliver, for the first time, a national arts programme curated entirely by young people. 

“Dunamaise Arts Centre is delighted to announce that our LASTA Young Curators 2021 are Alannah Murray, Pauline Dunne and Ruairdhí Tierney, who were selected via an Open Call earlier this year.”

Alannah Murray (she/her)

Allanagh is a jazz musician and creative producer from Mountrath, who holds an MA in Arts Management and Creative Producing from UCC.

Alannah has a strong interest in multi-disciplinary practice and experimental work-in-progress projects. 

Pauline Dunne (her/they)

Pauline is an Animator and Illustrator from just outside Portlaoise, who soon graduates from Athlone Institute of Technology and works with Laois Youth Theatre and has been an Usher at Dunamaise Arts Centre over the past number of years

Ruairdhí Tierney (he/him)

Ruairdhí from Ballydavis near Portlaoise is an Arts Graduate of NUI Maynooth and currently working as a substitute teacher before he starts a Professional Masters in Education in UCD.

He also plays and teaches Button Accordion since the age of 5 where he began playing with his local branch of Comhaltas Ceoltoirí Éireann and is also currently a member of Music Generation Laois Trad Orchestra.

As well as programming events especially for Dunamaise Arts Centre, Alannah, Pauline and Ruairdhí will collaborate with the other young curators across Ireland to help programme a diverse and imaginative festival of events, to be shared across the eight partner NASC venues.

Under the guidance of Theatre Artists Maisie Lee and Fionn Foley, these young people will work collaboratively to deliver an ambitious programme of work for young people across the country.

Featuring multiple disciplines and reflecting the diversity of modern Ireland, this pioneering project offers a unique opportunity to develop our future arts programmers and producers.

This promises to be a fresh, fun, diverse, accessible and exciting festival of events. Events will be announced in due course and will be available for booking thereafter.

For further information and to follow the journey of Dunamaise Arts Centre’s LASTA young Curators 2021, see Dunamaise.ie .

Brightening Air | Coiscéim Coiligh is brought to you by the Arts Council, funded by the Government of Ireland and produced by Schweppe Curtis Nunn.

LASTA is based on an original project conceived and delivered by Backstage Theatre, Longford in 2020. 

The participating NASC Network Venues are Backstage (Longford), An Grianán (Letterkenny), glór (Ennis), Siamsa Tíre (Tralee), The Pavilion Theatre (Dun Laoghaire), The Lime Tree (Limerick), Dunamaise (Port Laoise), Town Hall Theatre (Galway).

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