Do you produce or perform literature events or projects? Are you keen to programme evermore exciting, engaging and ambitious events and develop your audiences? If yes, this is the Forum for you. An unmissable opportunity for creative producers, festival staff, publishers, librarians, production companies, resource organisations… and of course, writers.

More and more theatres and venues across Ireland are hungry for quality literature programming ideas, while funding bodies want to see quality, ambitious literature events and projects touring Ireland and abroad. At the same time, Words Ireland and its member organisations are working with regional venues to develop literature audiences. We want to support literature programmers and producers to realize their ideas in whatever setting or context you work in. There are growing opportunities for producers with quality programming ideas, and Words Ireland is keen to inspire great programming ideas, and connect you with funding avenues and audiences.

Informative and inspirational, the Literature Producers Forum will also showcase Words Ireland’s ambitious first production of Mirrors, created by Dani Gill.

The Forum will:

Examine the spectrum of ‘literature programming’ (such as performances, education programmes, residencies, collaborations), and discuss best practice.

Experience a dynamic presentation from UK producer Julia Bird of Jaybird Live Literature on creativity and process.

Get the inside track from venue managers and festival directors as to what audiences really want.

Reveal the funding avenues available to producers. An unmissable opportunity for programmers, funders or producers of literature events and projects!

10.30am  |  Registration

11.00am  |  Jaybird Live Literature: Presentation

Authors. Audiences. Alchemy. Jaybird Live is a literature production company based in south London that turns literary texts into performance pieces and projects for the theatres, galleries and other special places. Director Julia Bird will deliver a dynamic presentation on what Jaybird does, with images and footage of previous productions. You’ll hear about the creative method of bringing shows together, and explain how venues and funders have supported her productions. Jaybird provides an interesting model that Irish producers and programmers can learn from.

12.00am  |  Curation: The Outer Limits of Literature Production
Discussing the breath of possibilities and bright ideas in literature event and project creation at home and abroad. The panel will cover the hows and whys of cross-arts collaborations between literature and other art forms. Expect your imagination to be stretched and to come away with new ideas percolating in the back of your mind.

Confirmed:  Ruth McGowan (director of Dublin Fringe Festival), Dani Gill (writer, producer, and Lit Audience Dev Officer for Words Ireland), Sarah Webb (children lit. programmer and writer). Chaired by Martin Colthorpe (Director of ILFDublin)

1.15pm  |  BREAK FOR LUNCH

2.15pm | What Audiences Want: The Venues’ Perspective

A panel of venue directors, festival curators and tour managers will share valuable insights into what their audiences love. They’ll talk about the differences between events that sell 20 tickets and 200 tickets, and outline the kinds of events and project ideas they want arriving in their inboxes from literature producers. You’ll also hear about audience development strategies, and be given time to pick their brains through Q&A.

Confirmed: Mona Considine (Backstage Theatre), Linda Geraghty (Riverbank Arts Centre), Paul Perry (writer, Ennis Book Club Festival & AWPIreland), Sharon Rollston (CEO of Music Network). Chaired by Maureen Kennelly (Poetry Ireland)

3.15pm  |  COFFEE & CONVERSATION

3.45pm  |  Making It Happen: Funding & Producing

Looking at the variety of funding avenues and partnerships open to writers, producers, festival directors and organisations to get their events and projects funded, from one-off events to Irish and international tours. Sharing successes and learnings from other art forms, and plenty of time for audience Q&A.

Confirmed: Sarah Bannan (Literature Officer, Arts Council), Ciaran Walsh (Programmes Manager, Culture Ireland), Anne Clarke (Landmark Productions), more panellists tbc. Chaired by Elaina Ryan (Children’s Books Ireland).

4.45pm  |  Words from Words Ireland’s Chair, Michael O’Loughlin (5 minutes)

6.00pm  |  Mirrors  (free for Forum ticket-holders)

The premiere of Words Ireland’s first literary production for the stage – a literary hybrid weaving together film projection, holographics, audio and live performance with the writings of author Nicole Flattery and poet Jessica Traynor, directed by Dani Gill.

Produced in association with Words Ireland