What position do you hold at Uversity?
I am a mentor at Uversity and work with the students whose creative process and interest is in theatre. I work as artistic director at Fishamble, which is a company dedicated to discovering, developing and producing new plays. We tour many productions nationally and internationally, and always enjoy engaging with audiences overseas.
It is very rewarding working with international students who have come to Ireland, and sharing our views of Irish culture and its perception abroad. The students I mentor are dedicated to theatre, like I am, and they write and direct for theatre, so it is a pleasure to help guide them through their year in Ireland.
What does the future hold for Uversity – any exciting new programs to share?
Ireland is a country full of creativity, a ‘Republic of Creativity’ as President Michael D Higgins called it. Uversity offers students the amazing opportunity to design their own course, choosing from a range of courses at twenty-four academic institutions. This structure has huge variety and potential to grow in the future.
The current students whom I am mentoring are really enjoying the freedom to choose that Uversity gives them, learning lots from the modules, but also really enjoying being in Ireland and living in a number of different parts of the country during their year here. There is a lot of creative activity to experience!
How have you changed/grown since working for your university?
It is always important to question your own work, to challenge what you do and to be open to external influences. Even though I am mentoring the students, I am also learning lots from them, their view of theatre, their first experience of Ireland, and so on. Their energy and enthusiasm is also infectious!
The students took part on a Fishamble playwriting course recently and their work was superb. It was also interesting seeing them engage with other artists in Dublin, a city that is much smaller than where some students are from, and much bigger than where others have studied previously.
Describe a time when you felt especially proud to be part of the Uversity team.
Uversity is an excellent operation, balancing top notch organisation with a dedication to create environments where creative discussions and activity can flourish. I remember going to Limerick where Michael O’Suilleabhain and Helen Phelan were teaching the students at UL in the gorgeous Irish World Academy, and I was working with my students on their progress so far. We had a wonderful exchange of ideas with tutors, students and mentors all engaging with each other in a vibrant and respectful setting and I felt particularly proud to be part of it all.
Universities are places where thoughts can be expressed and analysed; culture and creativity allows people to think laterally and find solutions in an innovative way. Uversity seems to have found a way to combine the best of both.
What does Ireland’s culture value that is taught in your program?
Ireland values its cultural heritage and is proud that it is a place where music, poetry, drama and art are an integral part of life and who we are. Whenever I travel abroad, people always talk about our writers, poets, musicians and artists when Ireland is mentioned. The Uversity program allows students to engage first-hand with artists and thinkers that can help shape their future careers.