My name is Eilish and I am a theatre writer and director as well as being a proud alumna of the University of Essex. With this fundraiser, I aim to collect enough money to fund a three-day long R&D workshop for "when we are", a play which I have been working on for the last three years.
ABOUT THE PLAY:
Maldon, Essex, 1916.The Coopers have lost a lot, and Aunt Katharine has lost more than most. As Kat's mind is shuttled between the past and present, her sister Annie longs to reclaim order, not just for her, but for her whole family.
A non-linear play told in snapshots, 'when we are' is a moving and timely exploration of human nature and its resilience against all odds. This piece is particularly relevant now, as it explores the feelings of helplessness and yearning for faith brought on by every war. Through its complex characters, 'when we are' is a powerful hymn to survival, individual responsibility and inner strength.
ABOUT THE TEAM:
Eilish Mullane, writer of "when we are", is an early career playwright and director from East Anglia. Eilish has been shortlisted for the Kenneth Branagh Award for New Writing (2018), as well as Broken Silence’s ‘Voices From Home’ (2019/2020) and their Writer in Residence Programme.
Her writing has been staged as part of development events by HACK Theatre, Aktualise and Norwich Theatre, and her short play ‘On Account of Her Sex’ was performed as part of an event at the Pleasance Theatre in 2019.
Fiercely creative and passionately collaborative, Eilish has been working on 'when we are' for the last three years, creating a piece that defies time to pull the audience into the life of a family trying to survive the tragedy of global warfare, while exploring aspects of the conflict which are still rarely seen on stage; faith, mental health, women involved in service.
The intention with this current stage of the project is to enable a writer at the beginning of their career to engage with and learn from more established creatives, and to develop the work through exploration and with a dedicated cast and director, with an aim of preparing the script for future performances.
As a producer, Judi Amato has collaborated with a wide range of venues, such as Greenwich Theatre, the Vault and the Drayton Arms. In the last two years, Judi has dedicated herself to establishing strong ties with other creatives and arts organisations, with a particular focus on highlighting and championing emerging theatre creatives. As a writer, Judi is often inspired by news stories and the absurdity of real life. Her most recent play, "An Unexceptional Mother", was inspired by true events. In 2023, the play was shortlisted for the The Women's Prize for Playwriting.
In working together, Judi and Eilish aim to create an environment conducive to creativity and artistic growth for all involved to bring "when we are" from its current stage to a collaborative, fully-realised new play.
THE PROJECT:
We believe theatre is a collaborative, living thing, and that solo rewriting can only get us so far. Having worked on the piece for nearly three years, we are now seeking funding to share 'when we are' with other creative and collaborators. By sharing the play, we seek to receive valuable feedback from other theatre professionals in order to further develop the script and seeing the piece on its feet. We are hoping that our R&D workshops will also generate interest in the piece to support us when applying to future development and funding opportunities. We have found a brilliant venue for our R&D, which will take place on the 19th to the 21st of September 2024 at the Drayton Arms Theatre. But we still need your help to make the R&D happen!
Your donations will go towards
- paying our cast and fellow creatives for their time
- per diems for the creatives involved
- covering the cost of transport for cast and crew
- other costs associated with the creative process such as materials and advertising.
We are aiming to utilise this opportunity to champion emerging creatives whenever possible both on and backstage - this is particularly important for our team as an emerging playwright and early career producer. Offering a paid opportunity at this stage would make a huge difference to all those involved, and you can help us achieve this goal by contributing whatever you can today!
