INVEST Artist Takeover: Northern Irish opera-maker Kate Guelke on Creativity, Travel, and Collaboration
Theatre and Dance NI is delighted to share the final edition of our INVEST Artist Takeovers for the 2024-25 cohort, shining a light on their career journeys. This initiative supports Northern Ireland-based theatre and dance practitioners with mentoring, professional development, and industry connections to help them take the next steps in their creative careers.
To close this year’s series, we hear from director Kate Guelke, who has spent the past year travelling between European capitals, developing work across theatre, opera and radio, and reflecting on what it means to be part of a creative community in Northern Ireland.
Recent Work and Projects
Recently, I have been brushing up my German and putting it to use at Deutsche Oper (Berlin); receiving mentoring from Katie Mitchell at Dutch National Opera (Amsterdam), Jessica Dromgoole at the Fish Factory (London) and Amanda Coogan at the Lyric Theatre (Belfast); and visiting poet Jennifer Lee Tsai at the Blue Coat Arts Centre (Liverpool) as part of the Irish Theatre Institute’s Gap Exchange programme.
I have had a really eye-opening year living and working in other capital cities, expanding my network of contacts across opera, radio and live art. But my favourite thing about being truly ‘nomadic’ for the past few months has been experiencing theatre in different contexts – from a polished premiere headlining the Dutch Opera Forward festival (‘We are the Lucky Ones’, Philip Venables) to a scratch night of queer work in Croyden (‘RAZE LABS: Triple Bill’). Travelling also enabled me to reflect on the work produced in Northern Ireland and realise that surprisingly – despite huge deficits in the sector – there is an abundance of ability here. My arts highlight for 2025 so far is still the ‘Front and Centre’ symposium that happened at the Brian Friel Theatre, Queen’s University in May. This platformed a wealth of female creative talent from NI (including INVEST artists Karis Kelly, Carley Magee, Emma Copland and Emily Foran). While it’s easy to despair of the promise and potential being squandered in Northern Ireland, ‘Front and Centre’ posited several exciting solutions that suggest people-power and talking through the problems can help us overcome strategic-level inequality, infrastructural failures and geographical isolation.
Currently I am working with sound designer David Thomas and composer Simon Slater on the edit for ‘A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian’ (a radio drama adapted by Tanika Gupta, after Marina Lewycka, for BBC Radio 4 – this is an International Arts production). I am drinking A LOT of coffee.
Upcoming Projects, Performances or Exhibitions
- The Makropulos Case – Assistant Director, directed by Katie Mitchell, Royal Opera House
- The Caucasian Chalk Circle – Directing for Stage Beyond at the Millennium Forum, Derry
- Looking at the Woman in a Bomb Blast – Research & Development with opera-makers Ian Wilson and Daniel Jewesbury for New Horizons
Key Takeaways from INVEST Mentorship
Other artists can be your best allies. It can feel easy to ignore them in favour of cultivating relationships with funders, venues, institutions, festivals – any major stakeholder that could be your next paymaster – but only artists can tell you what it’s like, boots on the ground, and help you navigate the tricky terrain that is freelancing. Some of my favourite moments of this year have been going out and having chips with the INVEST gang (honourable mention to Nathan Martin for the best voice memos). Don’t neglect the artists around you. They may be able to connect the dots in a way that you can’t. The community is there for you – use it.
For Artists Considering INVEST
Kates’s journey is a great example of how the INVEST programme helps artists in Northern Ireland:
- Build mentoring relationships with industry leaders.
- Access professional development opportunities in theatre and dance.
- Gain space to reflect on their creative practice and plan their career trajectory.
For emerging and mid-career artists, INVEST offers a rare opportunity to access tailored support and mentorship, while becoming part of a wider Theatre and Dance NI Membership Network.
Interested in applying for future editions of INVEST or becoming a TDNI member?
Visit our pages on INVEST and Membership to find out more.