Meet eight of Cork's most brightest budding playwrights

IT has been said that mentoring is less about mentoring, and more about helping people to discover what’s inside themselves.

This is easily applied to The Young Playwrights programme, a Graffiti Theatre initiative, run in partnership with The Everyman Cork and supported by Fighting Words Ireland.

In the programme, eight lucky participants receive such mentorship in writing from established Cork playwrights Katie Holly and John McCarthy, who have both been there from the start, back in 2018.

Their time together culminates in a reading of their work on The Everyman stage by professional actors and theatre directors on Sunday, August 20.

I sat down with the two passionate mentors as well as their deserving mentees: Shiv McGrath, Anna Gaytan, Eimear Sheehan, Elsa Forrest, Anna Dunlea, Aobha Lynch, Kellie-Ann Holmes, and Michael Corbett.

That sense of self-discovery and collaboration permeated our chat about their time together. The programme seems to be far more about learning together than any kind of one-way instruction from John and Katie.

High Quality

This might have something to do with how good the young writers are before the programme even starts, as mentioned by both mentors. The chosen eight came from an open submission call. It was a tough process, according to John, an experienced playwright from and based in Cork.

We got a really incredible response this year. Over 40 people applied so it was hard to pick the top 15, never mind the top eight. The standard was really high. We each looked at the applications and then came together to make the tough decisions.

Four people were involved in sifting through the applications, mentors John and Katie, alongside the Artistic Directors of the Everyman Theatre and Graffiti Theatre, Sophie Motley and Niall Cleary. Kel Menton, coordinator with Fighting Words, also played a vital role.

“We each shortlisted according to our subjective criteria and then came together to define what we were looking for. We focused on the theatrical nature of the programme; people who wrote sample scenes fared best.”

Alongside the mentoring process, through which they have been given an opportunity to road test their ideas, the lucky group have enjoyed attending shows on the Everyman stage, including exciting new work such as Mark O Halloran’s Conversations After Sex. Theatre is absoltutely at the heart of the programme, from start to finish.

Writer Feedback

Although the competition is open to young people aged between 15-22, this year’s group range in age from 16-19 and live in Cork, bar Anna Dunlea, who is from Killarney. For this sole Kerry participant, the structure of the programme has been ideal.

“It has really changed how I think about my writing and I learn a lot in each session. In between the workshops, I have time to work on my pieces and edit/improve sections. The feedback from the workshops is invaluable. It’s really fun and I look forward to each one. Attending the plays has also been a huge opportunity and we learn a lot from seeing different productions on stage and discussing them.”

Another participant, Anna Gayton, had a unique experience applying to the programme. For her, there was another challenge in being chosen – the 16-year-old had never written in English before.

“I originally shared the application with a friend, who is a talented young writer, and decided to try it too. 

I didn’t think I would actually succeed, because it was my first time writing in English, but I’m happy I did.

Aobha Lynch finds the opportunity to share work particularly useful: “When other people read out my script, it is very scary but it is interesting to hear others actually say the words [I’ve written], it makes me realise I’m writing an actual play.”

Elsa Forrest references the same opportunity, and the difference between writing for oneself and writing for others.

“During this programme, I’ve had to keep in mind that my piece isn’t just for me. My piece has evolved into a piece of fiction, which (hopefully) does the events and people that inspired it justice. Constraint is too strong a word, but it’s been interesting to see how I adapt my characters and plot to be more suitable for an audience instead of just for myself.”

The young writers are also building a sense of community around their writing, realising that the same challenges arise for all writers.

Kellie-Anne says: “I’ve learned that, although everyone has their own unique writing style, writers all go through the same occasional struggles, such as ‘writer’s block’ or struggling to fully realise an idea. Once I learned this, it made me feel comforted to know that it’s normal to feel completely stuck now and again!”

Mentor John McCarthy picks up on this as we chat.

“One thing myself and Katie noticed this year was that the group clicked really quickly. We didn’t have to teach them how to give constructive feedback; they did it naturally. Very quickly, they became a peer network for each other. They became a group of writers supporting each other in a very nurturing, evolved way. It has been really inspiring to see that and it meant that we could step back a bit.”

Both mentors were very impressed with what they saw.

“Katie and I always find that we are inspired and intimidated in equal measure. It is amazing to watch, that thing that is very hard to explain, how quickly writers can make dialogue sing on the page.”

I ask Katie if there was anything like this programme available when she was young.

“Absolutely not, no. Now, I was more interested in acting at their age. I sort of fell out of love with that later and started writing, probably in my late twenties. But as far as I know there was nothing like this around for young writers then.”

Katie feels her work as a mentor greatly enriches her own writing practice.

They have such a fresh and unique way of being in and looking at the world. They’ll come up with things I never would have thought of, or they’ll look at archetypes or stories in a new way. It’s really enriching to be around.

Final Thoughts

For Michael Corbett, the oldest member of the group, attending the shows at the Everyman has been hugely enriching and the idea of putting on his own work on the same stage is truly exciting.

“For me, the opportunity to see professional plays in the Everyman has been so important and rewarding. Not a show went by that I wasn’t writing the whole night after, high on inspiration, desperate to follow! Being in the Everyman working with actors and our director will be so surreal. I can’t wait,” he enthuses.

Eimear not only praises the programme, she is keen to promote writing; “Things I see every day inspire me to write, simple things. I would absolutely recommend other young people write. It can be a vessel for creativity and self-expression and you can create something amazing.”

Chatting with this inspiring, energised group leads me to believe this wonderful programme will be around for years to come, thanks to the dedication of all involved.