.
Greta Curtin.
SIAMSA Tíre has announced Máirtín Ó Cathasaigh and Greta Curtin as the two young people who will join the NASC Network Young Curators programme for 2023/24.
Siamsa Tíre and its partner venues in the Nasc Regional Venue Network have teamed up to present a national festival across eight regional theatres – from Tralee to Letterkenny, from Galway to Dun Laoghaire – in June 2024 and programmed by the team of young people selected through a nationwide open call.
Throughout the year, the Young Curators will have the opportunity to meet up with curators from the other venues across the NASC Network.
Continued below…
.
They will each receive mentoring from industry professionals in marketing, touring and venue management and will learn about negotiating deals, how to approach artists and companies, and how to manage budgets.
They also visited the Galway International Arts Festival last week to experience arts programming in the flesh. In Spring 2024, the Young Curators will work towards programming events for a week-long festival which will take place between 3rd and 8th of June, 2024.
Máirtín Ó Cathasaigh
Máirtín Ó Cathasaigh is a singer, musician and actor from Lispole. He has been a member of the National Folk Theatre and the Community Cast of Siamsa Tíre for many years and is now a student in NUI.
Máirtín was chosen as a Young Curator last year and is keen to continue what he started in this year’s programming, bringing his artistic flair and youthful enthusiasm to Siamsa Tíre’s programme of events.
Greta Curtin, hailing from Brosna, Co, Kerry, began playing music at the age of 4. She has a special love of Polkas and Slides, which are very popular in the Sliabh Luachra area.
She has dedicated her time solely to music and is now teaching music full time at Brosna CCÉ and is the resident concertina teacher in Killarney School Of Music. Greta has had great success at Fleadh Cheoil over the years in solo, duet, bands and group competitions.
She has visited many locations all over Europe, the United States and Russia performing with Gaelforce Dance, Celtic Legend and other groups.
During the summer she is show supervisor in Siamsa Tire, the National Folk Theatre of Ireland and was musical director in its production “Cultúr”, A Decade of Centenaries event.
In recent years she has teamed up with Jessie Healy (fiddle) and Darragh Horan (guitar) to form a trio. They are currently rehearsing to record an album together under the Sliabh Luachra label.
The Young Curators Programme, based on a project originally conceived and delivered by Backstage Theatre, Longford in 2020, is targeted at young people between the ages of 18 and 25 who want to gain experience in working in the arts, especially those interested in venue and festival management and programming.
The curators were selected on the basis that they were from, live in or have a strong connection to Tralee or County Kerry and its communities; had a passion for the arts and for attending performance; enjoyed working with a small team; liked organising events and making things happen; and being able to make the commitment to the programme if selected.
The project is about programming and producing creative work in the performing and visual arts – selecting shows that they may have seen for Siamsa Tíre’s programme of events or making a show in collaboration with the young curators in other venues. Curating will include managing the event from the first conversation with the artists to the day of the performance, making sure everything runs smoothly on the day. In this, the young programmers will be supported by the team here at Siamsa Tíre, the young curators at the other participating venues, and the professionals hired to support the programme including project co-ordinator Maisie Lee.
Established in 2006, the Nasc Network is a partnership of eight venues who work together to present touring projects and share marketing and other areas of expertise.
The Nasc Network Venues are An Grianán Theatre (Letterkenny), Backstage (Longford), Dunamaise (Port Laoise), Glór (Ennis), Lime Tree Theatre (Limerick), The Pavilion (Dun Laoghaire), Siamsa Tíre (Tralee) and Town Hall Theatre.
The Young Curators Programme is based on a project originally conceived and delivered by Backstage Theatre, Longford in 2020.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
