Slingshot Desk Space

We are thrilled to announce the Slingshot Desk Space participants that will be joining us in Festival House. Slingshot is in partnership with Creative Europe Desk Ireland.

Freya Gillespie 

Freya is a creative producer and designer for theatre and film with a vision for bold, experiential design. She is a co-founder of the production company Greener Grass. Whether working in established theatres, or transforming the bathroom of a rented apartment into an immersive set; she sees design as an opportunity for collaborative storytelling and world building. Recent theatre credits include set and costume design for Suzy Storck, Smock Alley, and You’re Needy (sounds frustrating) Summerhall Theatre. She is currently the interim producer for the Irish Society of Performance Designers (ISPD). 

Gráinne Holmes Blumenthal 

Gráinne Holmes Blumenthal is a multidisciplinary stage and screen actress from Mallow, Co. Cork, with a penchant for comedy. She creates and performs in works that tackle hard to talk about subjects through a humorous lens, incorporating movement and song. The Independent has described Grainne as a ‘mightily appealing stage presence.’ 

Amy Kidd 

Amy Kidd is an actor and playwright who trained at The Lir Academy, Dublin (BA Hons, Acting). She is a founding member of emerging company Anseo Anois Theatre. Recent acting credits include: Sergeant Alice Redcar in Sanctuary: A Witch’s Tale, Season 2 (AMC+/Sundance Now), Sylvia in The Pride, Aisling in Paler, Still, Sarah Curren in A Beauty That Will Pass, Jess in Love and Money and Mary Shelley in The Last. Last year, she assisted Conall Morrison on his direction of Janet Moran’s Quake and this year Amy’s debut play Breaking was produced by Fishamble: The New Play Company for the Dublin Theatre Festival 2024, directed by Jim Culleton. She is developing her next play This Is Not A Rom-Com with her company Anseo Anois, and last summer she was funded by Arts Council Ireland to write a new play, Kasbah, with support from The Abbey, Irish Theatre Institute and Fringe Lab. 

Matthew Malone 

Matthew is an actor and writer for stage and screen.  As an actor, he has worked with many of Ireland’s leading companies including The Abbey (An Old Song, Half Forgotten), The Gate (Once Before I Go), ANU Productions (Faultline), and most recently appeared in Fishamble’s Breaking as part of the Dublin Theatre Festival.  He is also an emerging writer interested in work that is socially engaged and theatrically experimental. He is currently writing a new play, One More Call, with support from Arts Council Ireland, Project Arts Centre, and Irish Theatre Institute.  

Zoe Ní Riordáin 

Zoe is a theatre and filmmaker from Dublin, committed to making challenging and heartfelt work with a spirit of adventure. Her practice as a writer, director, songwriter and performer is based on collaboration and drawing from a wide range of disciplines. Zoe is co-artistic director of One Two One Two with Maud Lee. Their award-winning work in theatre, film and music has toured nationally and internationally since 2014. Recent projects include Tar Anseo (come here) short film featuring Seána Kerslake and Peter Coonan (Best Director award at Fastnet Film Festival ’23, Dúirt Tú (you said), short film, received Best Director award at Cork International Film Festival 2020; Everything I Do, theatre/music piece (winner of Best Performer at Dublin Fringe Awards 2019-“Thrilling gig theatre”-The Guardian, “Zoe Ni Riordáin’s heartfelt, uplifting exploration of love and hope is utterly compelling“ -Tony Trigwell Jones, British Theatre Guide review, Recovery; (received Romilly Walton Masters award for experimental theatre 2018). One Two One Two are resident artists at Project Arts Centre Dublin. Zoe is a 2023 Clore Fellow. She was selected as a participant in X-Pollinator, a film initiative of Screen Ireland in 2024. Zoe is currently directing a piece with Kabin Studio, Cork with Irish National Opera. 

Em Ó Ceallaigh 

I’m a theatre maker with a focus on directing, dramaturgy, facilitation, writing/devising. My work is participatory, multilingual, and audience/community-focused. I’m interested in exploring shame and how the stories we tell about ourselves and others impact us. I am really excited to have this base for next year to be able to develop work more deeply.