Sian Ní Mhuirí Awarded Draíocht’s CCI Residency Award 2019/2020

Sian is a writer and theatre-maker, based in Dublin. Previous writing credits include award-winning children’s play Aunty Ben (UK and Ireland Tours, 2014 & 2015), 16 & Rising (Dublin, Galway, Laois 2016), Mysteries of the Deep (or Why The Basking Shark Opened It's Massive Mouth) (Dublin 2016) and Te Rōhi (premiering New Zealand, 2019/2020). Sian was one of sixteen emerging artists awarded the inaugural Next Generation Bursary by Arts Council Ireland in 2016, presented by President Michael D Higgins. Previous residencies include an ASSITEJ Next Generation residency at Starke Stücke Festival 2015, Frankfurt, and a Community Writer Residency at New Zealand Pacific Studios, where Sian was the 2017 RAK Mason Fellow. Sian is a drama teacher at with the National Performing Arts School and the Islamic Cultural Centre Ireland, Clonskeagh. She is interested in multi-lingual and multi-cultural work, and is currently collaborating on a trilingual theatre in English, Irish and Te Reo Māori with Te Pou, Auckland’s home of Māori Theatre

Sian is working on Knapsack, a survivalist romp for ages 8+ which asks the audience ‘What would you pack in your bag if the world ended, and you had to run away?’ Unclear as to whether the central character is seeking shelter from rising seas, escaping a zombie apocalypse, a vengeful dragon, a war, or an evil step-parent, Knapsack instead focuses on whether a torch or a teddy is a better choice, whether sentimentality or brutality saves you in a crisis, and what tools children need when they’re far from home.

Draíocht is delighted to continue our partnership with CCI, supporting an artist to travel to Paris to participate in the 2019/2020 Residency Programme, tapping into the resources of the CCI and the city of Paris, as well as having the opportunity to showcase their work on an international stage. The recipients of Draíocht supported residencies are artists working in any discipline with a clear focus on children and/or young people.