DkIT staff and students share research insights at Irish Society for Theatre Research conference in IADT

Dr Fiona Fearon presented a paper on her current research into popular performance in Co. Louth before and after the Rising, while two of her PhD students presented papers for the first time. Barney Reilly who is funded by the TUTF and co-supervised by Dr Aoileann Ni Eigeartaigh, presented a paper on ‘Performing Empire to a colonised community: Newry 1898-1925’.  Barney is entering the final year of his PhD studies conducting a detailed archival analysis of popular performance in Newry which mirrors Dr Fearon’s work on Dundalk.

Wendy Nicole Malone, a graduate of the Theatre and Film Practice and Drama and Performance Ba Hons and who is one of our first MU-DkIT PhD students and is co-supervised by Dr Richard Mc Elligott, presented a paper on ‘The Intersections of place and Performance in Gaelic Ireland’s Empires: Making History by Brian Friel by Ouroboros Theatre (2007)’. Her research is analysing the intersection between space, place and performance in the context of history and commemorative performances during the Decade of Centenaries.

Ben McCabe presented his research on sustainability in theatres and arts centres under the supervision of Dr Adèle Commins, Dr Bridget Kelly and Dr Daithí Kearney in the Creative Arts Research Centre at DkIT. Developed from his project funded under the CREATE-DkIT scholarship, co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Union through the ERDF Southern, Eastern & Midland Regional Programme 2021-27, Ben is focusing on An Táin Arts Centre in Dundalk and Íontas Theatre in Castleblayney. His work considers how theatres and arts centres are spaces with potential for multimodal engagement with climate action and sustainability. Both on and off stage, theatres engage in sustainability of cultural traditions, the built environment, community, biodiversity and climate action.