Tomorrow. Together 

One of the big events in the Theatre Forum calendar has always been our annual conference. We’ve used the last few years to think about how and why we do things and are moving away from our traditional conference to a more dynamic event. This year we’re going to be in the Marina Market in Cork on 18 & 19 October for two days of networking, discussions, sessions, chats, amazing food and an artistic programme curated by Cork Midsummer Festival.

We’re calling our event: Tomorrow. Together | Amárach. Le chéile

Tomorrow. Together | Amárach. Le chéile will be a series of conversations interspersed with provocations both online and in person looking at what can we do now to make tomorrow better for artists, our sector, our society, and our planet.

Tuesday 18 October
11:15-12.45 – Talking Audiences A Theatre Forum & Ticketsolve co-production
For arts centres, theatres and festivals with box-office systems, a three part session presented in partnership with Ticketsolve to focus on marketing permissions, the Arts Council’s planned  Communications Campaign, and Audience Numbers 2023.

Talking Audiences
In various Marketing Forum sessions since May, you’ll have heard about audiences’ interests, how to retain and develop new audiences as well as what we can do to win back the small numbers of people holding out to come back. This Talking Audiences discussion is your opportunity to tell us what information will be useful in planning your marketing campaigns and audience development strategies into 2023.

Marketing Permissions
Sign up for a planned online programme for venues and theatres to change your database, privacy and marketing permissions approach to a legitimate interest one by early January 2023. Programme design and delivery by Katy & Lucy.

Arts Council Communications Campaign
Preview the upcoming Arts Council’s communications media plan and campaign proposals designed to remind people of the value of the live performance experience.

Audience numbers 2023
We’d like to hear about what quantitative ticket data and qualitative information about audience attitudes would inform your programme and marketing decision making. During this session, Katy and Heather will explore what audience benchmarks would be most useful to you and how to extract them from ticket bookings/sales reports as well as post-show surveys to benchmark your own performance against other similar venues.

12:00 – Registration & lunch in the Marina Market
At registration, you’ll get your badge and your Marina Market voucher which you can use at the food and coffee stalls over the two days.

13:15 – Opening get to know you session
Find out who is in the room.

14:00 – Welcome
Setting the context and our ambitions for Tomorrow. Together | Amárach. Le chéile

14:15 – David Byrne, Artistic Director, New Diorama Theatre on Intervention 01
New Diorama has announced that it will present no public programme for the rest of the year. The London studio will instead offer a moment of full artistic reset, aiming to rejuvenate theatre’s status quo – Intervention 01. David Byrne said: ‘Post-pandemic, we promised to listen more and do better. The sheer catalytic energy required to ‘bring theatre back’ has left artists on the brink of burn-out and exhaustion. So New Diorama are going to do the most radical thing we can imagine: stop. Marking a once-in-a-generation moment, we’ll work behind the scenes to return in 2023 with a renewed artistic vision, a re-energised artist family, and our boldest-ever slate of work.’

14:45 Discussion time
We’re going to break into small discussion groups. There will be flip chart paper, pens and themes to discuss.
How can we create a more equitable and mutually beneficial sharing of resources?
How can we involve the artist family in all decision making?

15:10 Coffee break

15:45 – Anna Rispoli on the Common Wallet, a new definition of fairness
Artist Anna Rispoli is part of Common Wallet, a union of Brussels-based artists who, since January 2018, live out of a common bank account.Hear more about how the Common Wallet works and ask questions about this radical definition of fairness in an artist community.

16:15 – Theatre Forum agus Ealaín na Gaeltachta
Tá comhoibriú idir Theatre Forum agus Ealaín na Gaeltachta ina ndéanfar seisiún a léiriú le plé agus scagadh a dhéanamh ar an gcaoi is fearr le comhoibrithe inmharthanacha atá saibhir a chruthú, a ghabhfaidh chun sochar don earnáil ealaíona ina h-iomláine.

Ar an bpainéal, tá Marianne Ní Chinnéide, Ceannasaí Léiriúcháin agus Coimeádaíochta, Ionad Uí Dhonnchadha Drámaíocht, Amharclannaíocht agus Taibhléiriú (Cathaoirleach); Zoe Ni Ríordáin Amharclannóir; Dara McGee, Stiúrthóir Ealaíne, Áras Éanna, Inis Oírr; Trevor Ó Clochartaigh, Stiúrthóir Oibríochtaí & Acmhainní Daonna, TG4. Beidh aistriúchán comhuaineach beo ó Ghaeilge go Béarla ar fáil le linn an seisiún.

Theatre Forum and Ealaín na Gaeltachta have come together to curate a session around how can we create sustainable and enriching collaborations across art forms that nurture our sector as a whole?

The panel includes Marianne Ní Chinnéide, Ceannasaí Léiriúcháin agus Coimeádaíochta, Ionad Uí Dhonnchadha Drámaíocht, Amharclannaíocht agus Taibhléiriú (Chair), Zoe Ni Riordain: Theatre Maker: Dara McGee, Stiúrthóir Ealaíne, Áras Éanna, Inis Oírr, Trevor Ó Clochartaigh, Stiúrthóir Oibríochtaí & Acmhainní Daonna, TG4 and their conversation will be live translated.

17:15-18.00 Discussion time We’re going to break into small discussion groups. There will be flip chart paper, pens and themes to discuss.
What about new more equitable models of production and presentation?
What do we need to do to foster rich and rewarding collaborations within our sector?

18:30 – Artistic Programme curated by Cork Midsummer Festival
Taking the theme of Tomorrow. Together, we will gather to experience a project born in the pandemic that has inspired new ways of engaging with audiences, a dynamic sharing of work by an exciting collective of emerging Cork artists and original music developed and performed by hugely talented young rappers and singers from Knocknaheeny.

Lullaby for the City (in a Time of Pandemic) by John O’Brien
For the 2021 Cork Midsummer Festival, composer John O’Brien wrote a lullaby for Cork city. An orchestra travelled to two city centre communities where the lullaby was performed live and outdoors for audiences of all ages. For Tomorrow. Together, a 20 piece orchestra made up of some of Cork’s finest musicians will perform the lullaby in another unexpected location – a warehouse space.

EPG – a work in progress sharing by by Raphael Olympio
Cork rapper and spoken word artist Raphael Olympio and his team have recently begun experimenting with methods to enhance his performances by bringing them to life using theatrical approaches, moving away from the usual approach of a solo MC with a microphone and DJ. Aiming to develop this approach, Raphael will recount his tale of what has been taken from him and his ancestors due to exploitation, power, and greed in his piece EPG. Directed by Andrea Williams and Aaron Cowming, and performed by Raphael, Aaron, Erin McCarthy, Blessing Mhlanga and Mark Mavambu.

The Kabin Studio: Misneach, Jamie ‘The King’ & MC Tiny
Young rappers, singers and songwriters from The Kabin Studio in Knocknaheeny perform their original music. Misneach are a collective of young women at The Kabin Studio whose music is focused on female empowerment, with the goal of encouraging young women to be themselves, and educating the community on the many challenges faced. MC Tiny performs his first solo music video Good Life, released September 2022. Lyrics and music have been developed through rap and songwriting projects with GMCBeats at The Kabin Studio in Knocknaheeny, supported by Music Generation Cork City.

20:00 – Dinner in the Bodega
Once the artistic programme is over, we’ll stroll over to The Old Town Whiskey Bar at Bodega for some food and chats.

Wednesday 19 October

10:00 – Join us for circle talks
An informal grouping of conversations based on what you want to discuss.

10:45 – Today, together we can smash language barriers
An interactive session facilitated by Tatiana Santos of Mother Tongues
Language is something so natural that we often take it for granted. We talk, write, communicate, exchange ideas and feelings through language, but what has changed since Ireland has become a multilingual country? How has our language and communication evolved to respond to linguistic diversity, and what actions can we take collectively to smash language barriers for artists? Join this interactive session to reflect on small changes that can have a big impact on you and the artists you work with.

12.30-13.00 – How will we smash barriers today and tomorrow?
An open mic session hosted by Tatiana Santos and David Francis Moore.In this closing session, everyone is invited to share initiatives already in place plus the actions they commit to today to remove barriers to artists’ full participation in tomorrow’s arts festivals, centres, productions, and communities.

13:00
Lunch & Close

Everyone is very welcome. We believe that freelance artists/arts workers should be in the room for all discussions about the future and inclusivity of our sector. Theatre Forum is offering a number of freelance artist/arts workers bursary places and we’re asking organisation members to invite one or more freelance artists/arts workers to Tomorrow. Together and to match our bursary.

Every ticket includes access to all sessions on both days, the evening artistic programme, dinner, and a €30 voucher to spend at the Marina Markets food stalls.

Tickets
Every ticket includes access to all sessions on both days, the evening artistic programme, dinner, and a €30 voucher to spend at the Marina Markets food stalls.