Selected writers for Theatre for One announced

The line-up of writers for Theatre for One: This Ireland at Cork Midsummer Festival in June has been announced. It will include six emerging writers – selected from a nationwide public call-out – who will write original 5-minute plays for a specially-designed, state-of-the-art theatre booth for one actor and one audience member at a time. Over 500 people submitted ideas through the public call-out, and the submissions were read anonymously at every stage in the process.

Theatre for One is part peep-show booth, part confessional, and completely visceral. And it’s free.

A total of 12 plays will be presented; six from the emerging writers and six from the original Theatre for One writers.

The six emerging writers are: Iseult Deane, Susannah Al Fraihat, Aoibhéann McCann, Joy Nesbitt, Ois O’Donoghue and Aoife Delaney Reade. Collectively they bring together a mix of diverse voices, reflecting the vibrant community of artists currently working in Ireland. They will be paired with the original writers, whose Theatre for One plays were performed at Cork Midsummer Festival in 2019: Marina Carr, Stacey Gregg, Emmet Kirwan, Louise Lowe, Mark O’Rowe and Enda Walsh.

Each of the writers will be paired with one of the six leading playwrights and will receive one-to-one mentorship as they work on their plays. The pairings are as follows.

Marina Carr will mentor Iseult Deane
Stacey Gregg will mentor Aoibhéann McCann
Emmet Kirwan will mentor Susannah Al Fraihat
Louise Lowe will mentor Ois O’Donoghue
Mark O’Rowe will mentor Aoife Delaney Reade
Enda Walsh will mentor Joy Nesbitt

Theatre for One was conceived and created by the Olivier award-winning designer Christine Jones and designed by LOT-EK architects. When it premiered at Cork Midsummer Festival in 2019, six of Ireland’s leading playwrights – Marina Carr, Stacey Gregg, Emmet Kirwan, Louise Lowe, Mark O’Rowe and Enda Walsh – presented original 5-minute plays to 5-star reviews across the board. In June 2024, six emerging playwrights, chosen through a public call-out (the successful applicants will be announced in Jan 2024), will join them to showcase a combined total of 12 plays – six from the original writers and six from the call-out.