Clifden 200: Living History Project

description

I'm Megan Vine from Clifden in County Galway and I'll be running the Clifden 200 Living History Project in association with the Clifden 2012 Bicentenary Festival. This will be a participatory theatre project that will engage local children with the story of their home in a unique and creative way, and will be the only project involving children directly in the festival.

The idea for the Clifden 200 Living History Project was born out of a strong belief in the value of drama and the arts in engaging communities with their environment. I have been working as a drama practitioner and facilitator for the past 5 years with children and young people in Ireland and the U.K. I believe that theatre and performance are incredibly powerful means of expression which should be available to all, and that stories can enable us to understand our lives in valuable ways.

I'll be working with two National schools in the Clifden area - Scoil Mhuire, which has around 200 students, and Kingstown National School, which has about 50 students. 4th, 5th and 6th classes of each school will get two weekly drama workshops over the course of 5 weeks which will explore the story of how Clifden was founded, using process drama, in-role work and interaction with artefacts. Through this process the children will develop a performance, and they will work with visual artist Shelly Mac Donnell to design set around their ideas.

At the end of the 5 weeks the children from both schools will come together to take over a disused supermarket building in the centre of Clifden and transform it into a marketplace from the 1800's. On the 2nd and 3rd of June the public will be invited to come and experience the atmosphere, and interact with the young actors who will be running the market along with a team of local volunteers. The audience will then be treated to the children's performances, and the event will culminate with traditional music and a celebration. Gina Pryce a local photographer, will also be exhibiting a selection of photographs of the project in the space.

As of yet the project is unfunded, so we are relying on the generosity of Fundit supporters to cover our costs and make sure the children of Clifden get their chance to contribute to the Bicentenary celebrations! The money from Fundit will buy costumes for the children and volunteers taking part in the performance, the materials for building the set, the photographer's costs, and refreshments for children and volunteers.

Any amount, no matter how small will be hugely appreciated - we have received no funding to pay for labour on the project so the money from Fundit will at least cover the costs to ensure the project can happen. Shelly Mac Donnell has kindly donated a limited number of prints and an original painting towards our rewards : an unmissable opportunity to get your hands on some amazing artwork for a very affordable price!

Thanks a million!

Megan.