Strollers Touring Network - PROPEL 2026

06 July 2026

Luke Casserly announced as Recipient of the Strollers Network Propel Programme Award 2026

Strollers are delighted to announce Luke Casserly as the recipient of the PROPEL Award 2026!

Following a competitive open call process, Luke Casserly was chosen for Strollers' PROPEL Award, which runs over 3 years.

ABOUT LUKE
Luke Casserly is a multidisciplinary performance maker from Longford, Ireland. His work weaves together ecological research, autobiography, sound art, and place as a way of carving out space for new possibilities to emerge between live performance and physical landscapes. His projects have brought audiences through city streets, back gardens, train stations, beaches, and a bog in the Irish Midlands which have led to the creation of a network of wildflower meadows across Ireland (1000 Miniature Meadows, 2020-23), the planting of 1000 indigenous trees (Root, 2021), and the development of an organic perfume made using botanicals from the Irish bog (Distillation, 2023). Luke is a recipient of the Arts Council’s Next Generation Award and was selected for the Norman Houston Multidisciplinary Commissioning Award with Solas Nua (Washington DC), as well as the International Forum at Theatertreffen (Berlin Festspiele). He was recently appointed as a Biodiversity Artist in Residence with Dublin City Council, and worked with the Irish Architecture Foundation and 12th Field as the Bog Bothy Artist in Residence throughout 2025. He holds a BA in Drama and Theatre Studies (Trinity College Dublin) and a Diploma in Art and Ecology (NCAD). Luke is currently Creative Placemaking Associate with Workhouse Union in Callan, Co Kilkenny.

"Receiving the Strollers PROPEL Award feels like a real milestone for me. It's an incredible investment in the future of my practice that will allow me to develop ambitious new work and continue expanding my place-responsive practice through new collaborations and partnerships across the country. I can't wait to see what the next three years will bring." - Luke Casserly

More About PROPEL

PROPEL is a three year-long artist development and mentorship programme designed and produced by the Strollers Network, a partnership of ten arts centres from across Ireland. The aim of the programme is to strengthen the ecology of the Irish theatre sector by supporting the development of new work by independent theatre makers and to support the sustainable development of artistic practice through a structured mentorship and training programme designed and delivered in consultation with the artist or company.

The programme offers a €35,000 bursary over 3 years to support the research and development of new work, and to cover the cost of ongoing professional development through training and mentorship. The award also gives access to development and rehearsal spaces in ten Arts Centres across the country, support and mentorship from a panel of experts in producing, fundraising, technical production, dramaturgy, publishing, marketing, finance, cultural entrepreneurship, audience development and engagement, and strategic business development and cultural business management. Finally, this will give the artist an opportunity to present a work-in-progress performance as part of a major Irish festival.

More About The Strollers Network

The Strollers Network is Ireland’s largest consortium of Art Centres. It is a partnership made up of ten venues from across four regions of the country. Collectively the network represents one fifth of all publicly funded Arts Centres nationally.

Since its establishment in 2010 the network has supported the production and dissemination of new staged works by some of Irelands leading theatre artists, companies and musicians including; Jim Nolan (Brighton, 2010), Julie Feeney (Clocks, 2011), Theatre Lovett (The House that Jack Filled, 2012); Fishamble: The New Play Company (Big Thing, Little Thing by Donal O'Kelly, 2013); Moonfish Theatre Company (Star of the Sea, 2014/2015); Monkeyshine Theatre Company (Voyage, 2016); Duke Special (Hallow, 2017); Fishamble: The New Play Company (Before by Pat Kinevane, 2018); and Joanne Ryan’s national tour of ‘Eggsistentialism’ (2019).

Past recipients of the Propel Programme Award have included: Clare Monnelly (2024), Choy-Ping Ní Chléirigh-Ng 吳彩萍 (2023); Shane O'Reilly (2022) and Roisin Whelan (2021).

2021 also saw the delivery of the networks strategic plan which focused on utilizing the networks existing infrastructure, resources, and wider network partnerships to support the sustainable development of independent theatre makers working within the Irish theatre sector.

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