Theatre and Dance NI, in partnership with Belfast International Arts Festival and with support from Arts Council of Northern Ireland and British Council Northern Ireland, are delighted to announce the recipients of the Edinburgh Fringe Fellowship 2024 bursaries.
The Fellowship Programme offers bursaries to support four early to established Northern Irish artists, directors and producers who are intending to take work to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in the future and promote themselves and/or their work to international arts industry presenters and promoters.
The bursaries provide financial support of £600 that can be used towards travel, per diems, accommodation, tickets, or expenses while at the festival. The Fellowship Programme provides networking support alongside the opportunity to see high quality work and share learning and considerations when taking work to Edinburgh.
Pictured recipients are (clockwise) Amanda Doherty, Clara Kerr, Christopher McAuley and Eileen McClory.
Amanda Doherty
Amanda Doherty is an award-winning actor and theatre maker with classical training from Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts, London.
Her original work elevates the narratives and experiences of oppressed communities, exploring themes of resilience and vulnerability and has toured across Europe and the USA, including the Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Reykjavík Fringe Festivals. Her award-winning show ‘Inheritance’ has also played at Theatre Row, 42nd Street, NYC. Her work Eist Moran // Can Beagan [Hear Much//Say Little] was selected for the Biennial of Emerging Artists, Bucharest and has since toured across Europe.
Acting credits include: The Fall (BBC), Seanchaí (BBC NI), Scúp (BBC NI) and forthcoming feature film An Irish Angel (Apple TV). Amanda is a company member of Archa Theatre which toured in 2022-2023 across central Europe with ‘Eight Compositions on the lives of Ukrainians for a Western Audience’.
As a writer, she was recently selected for BBC Voices 2023 and holds additional experience in stand-up comedy.
Amanda will be premiering Bird about Town at the Dublin Fringe Festival, 2024, with her creative partner, Jessie Doyle. Initially developed at the No Touching Theatre Festival, Belfast, Bird about Town has been supported by Fringe Lab and the Irish Theatre Institute.
Clara Kerr
Clara is a County Down based Dance Artist who trained at LIPA, achieving a 1st class BA (Hons) Dance. Recent work includes ‘Silver Linings’ commissioned by Macmillan and ‘Line of Life’ an interactive projection and dance piece commissioned by Maiden Voyage Dance. Clara has also performed extensively including new production ‘Roots’ choreographed by Eileen McClory as part of Belfast 2024 and The Belfast International Arts Festival, ‘House!’ tour with Fidget Feet, and a national tour with ‘Fairytale of New York’. Clara has most recently founded Seen Dance Company, a new energetic dance company who tells Irish stories old and new.
Christopher McAuley
Christopher McAuley is an award winning, Northern-Irish/Netherlands based circus artist. Since graduating in June 2020 from Codarts University Rotterdam with a Bachelor in Circus Arts, Christopher has spent the past few years refining his approach to performance. His contemporary work addresses human emotion, vulnerability and queer identity, seeking authenticity throughout creation. His new work – Itch – delves into the human condition of being visibly different. Speaking about the life with a chronic skin condition through trapeze, projections and witty humour.
Eileen McClory
Eileen was the recipient of the Arts Council Northern Ireland Major Individual Award Artist 2022, the highest value honour bestowed on artists in Northern Ireland, the inaugural Belfast City Council Artist Bursary 2021, and Belfast International Arts Festival Artist in Residence 2020/22.
Eileen is fascinated by the potential of creating experimental, original, and innovative work through collaborative interactions with different practices in arts and media. Leading a diverse range of choreographic commissions, including Quotidian: Word on the Street BIND 2021 (dance film), Maiden Voyage Dance Company’s Epilogue 2021(film installation) and BRINK 2020, The Playhouse Derry’s TURF 2018, and Tinderbox Theatre Company’s CUCK 2017. As the creative director of Off the Rails Dance, Eileen has choreographed and produced ROOTS, 2024, GUTTER 2023, The Dutiful Wife 2016, and S(3)nsored 2011.
Her residencies include CCN2 Grenoble in 2021, Creative Europe/Galway Theatre Festival’s Make-a-Move: Incubator Lab in Galway 2018, Dansmakers Amsterdam in 2016, and HATCH Artist at The MAC Belfast in 2013/14. In 2020, Eileen completed an MA in Contemporary Performance Practice from Ulster University with Distinction.
She was thrilled to be one of 17 large-scale commissions for BELFAST 2024 as lead artist/choreographer on ROOTS, an ambitious, site-responsive dance theatre project with a specially designed interactive garden at Black Mountain Shared Space in West Belfast, premiered in August.
Delivered by Spotlight on Theatre and Dance from Northern Ireland Working Group
Theatre and Dance NI
www.theatreanddanceni.org
Niamh Flanagan – Executive Director
Arts Council of Northern Ireland
www.artscouncil-ni.org
Caoileann Curry-Thompson - Arts Development Officer: Drama & Dance
Siobhán Molloy – Arts Development Officer: Festivals/Venues/International
Damian Smyth – Head of Literature/Drama (Job Share)
British Council Northern Ireland
https://nireland.britishcouncil.org
Colette Norwood – Arts Manager Northern Ireland
Belfast International Arts Festival
www.belfastinternationalartsfestival.com
Richard Wakely – Artistic Director and Chief Executive