Putting peace centre stage

PROMOTING peace in Northern Ireland and along the border is the aim of ‘The Memory Project’, which uses drama, theatre and television documentary to understand the past and build pathways for the future.

The project has been launched by Dublin’s Smashing Times Theatre Company, in partnership with Belfast’s Corrymeela Community and Dublin’s High Wire Limited (a TV production company).

The project, funded by the EU’s Peace 111 Programme, is in association with CAIN (Conflict Archive on the Internet) and the University of Ulster INCORE International Conflict Research Institute. ‘The Memory Project’ will be filmed for a documentary.

Smashing Times Theatre Company is inviting participants to a ‘storytelling through drama’ workshop in the Barbican, St Peter’s parish centre, in Drogheda, on Apr 13. It will be facilitated by Idan Meir, from Israel, who has worked with Theatre of the Oppressed and Combatants for Peace, using theatre to bring together Israelis and Palestinians.

Meir will use drama to draw out the memories and experiences of people who have lived through the conflict in Northern Ireland and the border counties.

Smashing Times artistic director, Mary Moynihan, says the organisation “is first and foremost an arts organisation. We believe that theatre and drama are very inspirational forces. Obviously, they can be used for entertainment. But they can also be used for the empowerment of individuals and communities. We’re interested in opening up access to that empowerment process.”

Moynihan says Smashing Times “is under-pinned by a rights-based approach. We’re artists who want to use our work for social engagement. Sometimes, the issues we work on can arise from the artists and from the communities we work with.”

Trained as an actor and director at Focus Theatre, under the tutelage of Deirdre O’Connell, Moynihan co-founded Smashing Times in 1991.

“We’re interested in trying to make the world a better place. We’re not saying how this can be done. We’re trying to engage people in debate around that, and promoting values and processes. Drama is a very inclusive process. It’s accessible to everyone. It can bring great personal benefits, in terms of confidence-building, communication skills, self-expression and transformation,” she says.

The past informs the present, says Moynihan. “When you’re looking at issues through drama and theatre, you want to engage the emotions and engage people directly in the story. We don’t do therapy. We’re all about storytelling, which opens up dialogue. We have a structure built around workshops and performances and we always have post-show discussions.”

At these discussions, artists, and an expert on the particular issue, talk through what the audience has seen.

“It’s a kind of paradox. In a drama workshop, you have to set up a safe environment to encourage people to take risks,” she says.

Moynihan says that while the conflict in Northern Ireland may be over, sectarianism is still a big issue. “We can’t just forget about it. We’re trying to reach out to people and explore the fears that they have.”

Apart from the storytelling weekend in Drogheda, other Smashing Times’ projects include ‘Creative Connections.’ This project uses theatre to promote human rights and non-violence. A ‘Creative Connections’ seminar will be held on May 17 at the Millennium Forum, in Derry, followed by a seminar at the Regional Cultural Centre, in Letterkenny, on May 18. On June 7-8, at The Dock, in Leitrim, there will be a seminar on the ‘theatre of conflict’. Its key elements are creativity, clowning and peace-building.

* www.smashingtimes.ie.