During Cian’s residency he will work on a show in development - CHOP - Through humor, physical comedy, and storytelling, CHOP explores the profound impact of human actions on the environment, intertwining themes of loss, resilience, and the inherent connection between humanity and nature.

While at Shawbrook Cian will create new material with a focus on tree's, building a story around trees, their sacredness, their abundant uses and work with collaborators exploring movement and materials. He will spend time in the woodland to allow the natural setting to have inspiration and effect on the creation process. Utilising the surrounding forest and outdoor stage

Cian will build on previous developmental stages material, rehearse, refine and work towards a performance.

FREE Sharing of work Thursday 13th February @7.30pm

Astrid will use her two-week residency at Shawbrook to start her first phase of research for a new solo work in collaboration with a musician and dramaturg.

“My proposed research involves investigating the rhythmic nuances and the symbiotic relationship between Irish dance tap shoes/rythmic footwork and various surfaces such as wood, plastic, and earth. Beyond the physicality, these shoes hold symbolic significance, acting as a vessel between the performer and the ground beneath. By examining the acoustics of Irish dance shoes on different grounds, I aim to evoke a sense of diaspora, of longing, projection and struggling to belong.

Additionally, I want to explore the idea of failure—of failing to meet, become, or achieve certain standards—within a dance form with such a specific identity and parameters. How can my dancing body from ten years ago coexist with its current form? How might I approach these shoes from a new perspective, free from their original purpose, expectations, and imposed techniques? How can irish dance exist in a fluid form?”

FREE Sharing Thursday 27th March @7.30pm

Robyn will return to Shawbrook to complete Queen of the Meadows. Research for this show began in Shawbrook and last year Robyn used her 2024 residency to focus on sound design and choreography.

During her 2025 residency, she will focus on the remaining design elements—set, costume, and lighting—and how they can enhance and transform the choreography.

“Specifically, I want the set to interact with the movement, incorporating design elements directly into the performance. This phase will be crucial in shaping the final version of the show before our preview at Backstage Theatre on April 17, 2025.”

PREVIEW Thursday 17th April Backstage Theatre Longford

Symmetry Circus is a contemporary, street theatre and circus company based in the Irish midlands. Their aim is to create accessible and exciting, comedic, ground based street theatre which is influenced by themes of science and the natural world.

“We want to investigate an idea for a new interactive street performance which will fuse prop manipulation, physical theatre, dance and crowd interaction. The basis of this idea is to investigate a wheelbarrow as a center piece, this is an object of great functionality and we aim to celebrate it and also create an accessible piece of work which will engage and also enable the audience to get involved.

We have chosen a wheelbarrow as it relatable, multi cultural and commonplace. Taking this object which is often overlooked and placing it into a another context we can see it in a new way and reappreciate it for all that it does and also look at it in new ways.”

FREE Sharing Thursday 24th April @7.30pm

Luncheonette is a long term art project centred around hospitality and food, started by Jennie Moran in 2013.

It is a prolonged exploration into the complex alchemy of placemaking, centred around the provision of shared experiences using nourishment, shelter, comfort, warmth, light, and tone to treat places so that they feel easier for people to be in and more poetic.

“We have to work on a piece called ‘The Story of Hospitality’.

This is a multidisciplinary essay about the origins of humans welcoming each other; the roots of this poetic practice, the risks involved, the philosophy behind it, the strict rules, the honour attached to it, the folklore that surrounds it. There is an urgency around highlighting the beauty, pride and humanity of the practice of hospitality. Conflicts and climate emergencies require us to take a more active role in looking after each other and indeed our planet. ‘The Story of Hospitality’ is a reminder that welcoming others is in our DNA. It is a gut instinct that we humans have for generosity and coexistence. We need to make sure this story is relatable and captivating.”

FREE Sharing Thursday 8th May @7.30pm