Ceangal Dolen 2 – 1oth-13th November *Online*

Ceangal | Dolen II

“A gathering of artists and organizations working in theatre in Irish, Scottish Gaelic and Welsh”

10th-13th November 2020

*Online Conference*

Ceangal | Dolen II Conference is the second gathering of artists and organisations working in theatre in Irish, Scottish Gaelic and Welsh. This conference brings together practitioners from the areas of theatre creation, production, academia policy-making and funding, to create an inclusive platform for a week of panel discussions, keynote addresses and digital theatrical presentations.

This year’s conference will take place between 10th-13th of November in an entirely online format and can be accessed easily from your desktop or from your mobile phone with the Whova app.

The four day conference will feature 6 specially commissioned short performances from artists Ciara Ní É (IRL), Sam Ó Fearraigh (IRL), Daibhidh Walker (SC), Beth Frieden (SC) Mari Elen Jones (WA) and Chris Harris (WA)  to present new work in Welsh, Irish and Scottish Gaelic on the theme Ceangal/Dolen.

Siúbhán Nic Grianna, chairperson of Ealaín na Gaeltachta says

“Theatre gets to the heart of who we are and of how we see and experience the world. The particular experiences of Irish-language theatre-makers are an essential voice in the Irish cultural landscape. I am delighted that we are continuing our long-established practice of collaborating with many excellent partners and valued colleagues in Ireland, Scotland and Wales to forge bold new paths together for Irish-language, Scottish Gaelic and Welsh-language theatre.”

The four key objectives of the gathering are to:

•   Explore innovative approaches to making new work in these three minoritized languages.
•   Interrogate and share models of best practice.
•   Agree common guiding principles for the theatre sectors working in Irish, Scottish Gaelic and Welsh that nurture respect, linguistic diversity and equality.
•   Commission theatre makers to present new work in their native languages of Welsh, Irish and Scottish Gaelic.

The theme of the conference, Ceangal, Dolen or Connections,  will run through the various conference sessions and creative encounters and seek to foster further collaboration and dialogue between the theatre-makers, theatre academics and arts organizations of the three countries. This year’s event will build upon the outcomes of the first Ceangal Dolen Conference hosted by Theatre Gu Leòr, in partnership with NUI Galway, in 2019 which set a precedent for new ways of working across the three languages and where a set of guiding principles were developed.  Conference sessions will run from 10.00-13.00 daily.  Throughout the week there will be artists’ panels, academic dialogues, breakaway sessions, policy discussions and opportunities for attendees to interact with panelists and speakers.The event will allow for simultaneous translations during panel discussions and talks, ensuring accessibility for attendees across the spectrum of languages involved.

The event’s keynote speech will be delivered by Arwel Gruffydd, Artistic Director of Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru, based around the overall theme of this year’s conference. Ceangal Dolen is convened as a collaboration between staff from Ealaín na Gaeltachta, Ollscoil na hÉireann Gaillimh, An Taibhdhearc, Theatre Gu Leòr and Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru.

Ticketing for the event is free but booking and registration on Whova is essential. Go to Ealaín na Gaeltachta’s website www.ealain.ie or An Taibhdhearc’s website www.antaibhdhearc.com  for further details of the conference agenda, speaker profiles and how to register for the event.

Further press details for interviews, articles and press passes please contact ceangaldolen2020@gmail.com or call (+353) 9560100.