Pushing boundaries together

Not just another panel

Premiere May 20, 8 pm

Free - no booking required

Watch a panel of independent artists and arts workers discuss diversity and language in the realm of theatre.
Thought-provoking, friendly chats surrounding authenticity and preconceptions of accents, misrepresentation of cultures, the language of
movement… No need to be an academic to be inspired by discussions about artists insecurities when working with a language that is not their mother tongue. They also delve into the topic of dealing with new identities, being a speaker of multiple languages and accents will experience.
Are our thought processes differ depending on the language we are using?
Our panellists explore their beliefs on accepting yourself and freeing oneself from personal boundaries and limitations, which we place on ourselves as well as from the outside world.
Discover the new definition of the F. word and join the conversation with your thoughts in the comments on the video.We want to know what you think.
Is conversation a step forward?
Are we just conversing and is it time to do more?

Curator & facilitator

Romi Cruañas

Romi has been living in Ireland since 2007, She holds a BA in Drama and Theatre Studies from TCD and is now pursuing a MA in Playwriting and Dramaturgy at NUIG.
Her upbringing as a bilingual child and passion for languages and diversity made her an advocate for equity and social cohesion through arts. She speaks English, Italian, Spanish, French and German and has a geeky adoration for puns. Co Founder of Rather Gather Inclusive Arts Collective she also worked with Five Lamps Arts Festival, Chinese New Year Festival and Body and Soul.

Panelists

Cathy Coughlan

Cathy Coughlan is a multidisciplinary artist working across visual arts, film and dance-theatre contexts to create hybrid works for gallery and theatre spaces, as well as devising site specific and community responsive projects Nationwide.
Supported by The Arts Council Cathy trained as a professional dancer in the UK (1994-97) and continued her arts training with The National College of Art and Design, gaining a B.A. in fine art (2005), where her practice, deeply rooted in dance, primarily developed through video installation and performance.
In 2020 she began working at Project Arts Centre, as Project Potential Coordinator.
She is currently researching a new work – RISK – which examines our risk averse society and considers the physical impact of the systems and policies that are supposed to keep us safe. The first research phase was supported by an Arts Council Bursary (2020) and a residency at Dance Ireland.
Cathy is producer for Dance2Connect Festival.

Kelvin Akpaloo

Kelvin is a facilitator and spoken word artist passionate about promoting human rights, inclusion, integration of minorities, and community and youth development. He works at both a national and international level, using the creative arts,
especially spoken word, poetry, and dance. Kelvin has more than five years of practical experience as a spoken word artist, youth leader, creative director, choreographer, facilitator, and artist director.
On a national level, Kelvin worked extensively with the National Youth Council Ireland on several programmes. Kelvin also works with Eurobug International and Tallaght Community Arts, and has hosted workshops for a number of non-government organisations e.g., Amnesty International, the Intercultural and Refugee Programme, and the No Hate Speech Network.

Maca Losada

Maca Losada is a Chilean theatre practitioner (director and playwright) with work produced in South America, Spain, Italy and Ireland. She is currently in her 2nd year of PhD in Drama at Queen’s University Belfast. Her current research is related to theatre translation and the psychophysical task of actors in the rehearsal room. Her native language is Spanish. Victor Henriquez is a Chilean musician, a psychotherapist in private practice, and a Spanish tutor at Queen’s University Belfast. With his Latin-Flamenco band ‘Los Dramaticos’, he has recorded and performed in Ireland, UK and beyond. His work in community arts in Belfast in recent years has led him to develop projects where ideas about communication, ability, disability and music improvisation converge creatively. His native language is Spanish.

Claudia Lamantea

Claudia Lamantea is an Italian artist based in Dublin since 2011. In 2018, after ascertaining a First-Class Honours Degree in Stage Management and Technical theatre at The Lir Academy, she has been working in mostly theatre and film as a scenic artist, designer and maker. She is the co-founder and co- artistic Director of ClaudiKat, a creative collaboration which uses Puppetry, captivating visuals and physical theatre as the main storytelling tools to create atmospheric multi- sensorial experiences for a wide range of audiences. Claudia is currently completing a Master Certificate in Art Direction for Film and Tv at Limerick School of Art and Design.

Check out the Full Programme!

Join us, as we celebrate Ireland’s rich artistic and linguistic diversity with plenty of thrilling events and workshops from dumpling making to clowning practices for all ages.
Tickets are available through Eventbrite.