The Age & Opportunity inaugural Creative Ageing Writing Bursary aims to generate discussion, debate and knowledge about creative ageing in Ireland.
The bursary is intended to afford time and space for an artist or writer to reflect on their practice as it relates to creative ageing – the learnings, insights but also challenges they have faced as they have gotten older. In the coming years, we hope to contribute to this growing body of knowledge of creative ageing in Ireland as we continue to offer this award.
The bursary, worth €1000, was announced in February 2021, and the first awardee is Dublin-based theatre-maker, playwright, and performer, Michelle Read.
We are delighted to share Michelle’s resulting essay commissioned by Age & Opportunity, which reflects on her learnings as an artist and her experiences of ageing creatively.
Michelle’s essay is available to read in full here.
Michelle Read is a Dublin-based theatre-maker, playwright and performer with a background in comedy. Her focus often lies in exploring female perspectives and identities. Plays include The Other Side (READCO, Project Arts Centre), Snakelight (Mountains to the Sea Festival), Performed Memories (Cabra Community Development & Bealtaine Festival), The Nation’s Assets (Fishamble Tiny Plays, Project Arts Centre), Toxic (Gaiety School of Acting, Project Arts Centre), Game Over (Dublin Youth Theatre), Romantic Friction (Irish and UK tour). Her writing awards include the Stewart Parker/BBC NI Drama Award, the Hugh Leonard new play award, an Ondas Spanish broadcast award, and an Edinburgh Fringe First. Michelle has been playwright-in-residence with the Civic Theatre, and is a regular playwright-in-schools with Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown Arts Office. She recently produced the memoir piece On A House Like A Fire in collaboration with the composer Brian Keegan for the Bealtaine Festival At Home. Her new play Bang! – about love and identity – is due to premier this Autumn as part of the Dublin Theatre Festival.
For more information on this and our other arts development initiatives please see the Age & Opportunity website.
