What a cool project! Playwright and Limerick native Helena Enright is looking for people to talk to about the River Shannon and how it has figured into their lives.
Helena is collecting stories of the Shannon – from folklore passed down from Irish emigrants in America to modern first-hand experiences of life in Ireland. Read on to learn more about the project and how to contact Helena…
From The River Shannon Project Facebook page
For immediate release: Tuesday 4th March 2014
The River Shannon Project begins with your stories.
Limerick City stands at the point where the River Shannon meets the sea water of the estuary. It is an integral part of the landscape and the folklore of the city. How do you relate to the river? What does the River Shannon mean to you? Perhaps you have a story to tell about the River Shannon or know of friends or relatives who have?
Viva Voce, in collaboration with Limerick born playwright and actress Helena Enright, are creating and developing a new performance which will celebrate the people of Limerick’s real life associations with the River Shannon. The play will be performed on a boat on the river in Limerick as part of the Limerick City of Culture 2014.
‘I am look for all sorts of stories relating to the river Shannon. As our longest river it has a special place in the folklore and literature of the country and I am interested as to how it features in people’s lives today. Perhaps people have Irish ancestors who have told stories of the river or perhaps they themselves have visited Ireland and made a special connection to the river. The main focus of the project is oral testimony so I would like to interview people about their memories of the river or what the river means to them. I cannot make this project happen without the people of Limerick both here and abroad. I would love the project to include memories and stories from Limerick people all over the world.’
A Facebook page has been set up where people can upload pictures and comments about the River Shannon. There is also a Twitter page @rivershannonpro and we are encouraging people all over the world to leave a tweet describing the river in 140 characters or less. You can also follow our board in Pinterest http://www.pinterest.com/Hels75/the-river-shannon-project/
The River Shannon Project began as part of the Elemental Arts and Culture Festival in Limerick in 2012 and in for the 2013 festival Helena created an audio walk along the banks of the river. There are also plans to stream the play live on a boat in Boston and New York. Helena will be visiting New York and Boston in early April to meet with and interview people.
Dr Helena Enright is an experienced researcher and freelance theatre practitioner whose has been working in the arts for over twenty years. She has worked as an actress and producer in both theatre and film, and also as a teacher and facilitator on many outreach, community, school and university theatre projects in both Ireland and the UK. She is also an award winning playwright and director whose plays include Less Than a Year (2006), Walking Away (2007), Under Pressure (2008), Aquéro (2010) and The Exeter Blitz Project (2012).
Four of these plays have incorporated the testimony of real people and have dealt with subjects such as domestic violence, cancer, road fatalities and war. In 2011 she completed a PhD in Performance Practice at the University of Exeter on the staging of personal testimony.
Media Contact:
Helena Enright, Artistic Director
Tel: +353 87 3975526
Email: rivershannonproject@gmail.com
@rivershannonpro on Twitter, use #rivershannonpro
http://www.facebook.com/RiverShannonProject
Click here to view and download the flyer for The Shannon River Project.
