What's On
Welcome to the tenth Scripts: Ireland’s Playwriting Festival, a celebration of contemporary Irish theatre in Birr, County Offaly.
This vibrant event transforms the historic Birr Theatre & Arts Centre into a creative hub, featuring staged readings, full productions, and engaging workshops led by talented Irish artists. Scripts is dedicated to showcasing the finest new plays and fostering fresh voices in Irish theatre.
This year, selected writers Dee Roycroft, Conor Montague, and Áine Ryan will work with mentor Eugene O’Brien to develop their plays, which will be performed as rehearsed readings with professional actors at Nurtured New Works on Sunday, 14 July, where a winner will be announced.
The theme of this year’s festival is TIME, reflecting our era's rapid change, uncertainty, and reflection. Through historical events, dystopian futures, and fleeting human experiences, the plays explore how TIME shapes and is shaped by our world, offering poignant reflections for today’s audiences.
11-14 July
Birr, Co. Offaly
Box Office
(057) 91 22911
Theatre
Sugar
Written & Performed by Michael Patric
July 13, 2024 at 7:00:00 PM
Birr Theatre & Arts Centre
Set in Mallow sugar factory prior to its closure, Danyl describes his last days as an Irish Sugar employee. As much as he tries, he can’t help veering off towards “the craic” and taking us on a journey of hilarious shenanigans.
Workshops
Playing with Time
Rian Smith, The Abbey Theatre
July 12, 2024 at 1:00:00 PM
Birr LOETB
The workshop will first offer some fundamentals on character and story structure, before engaging in writing exercises about how time relates to playwriting, how considerations around time shape how the play is told. The workshop will end with a general Q&A on dramaturgy and the Abbey.
Where The Stage Meets The Digital Age
With Niall Austin
July 14, 2024 at 1:00:00 PM
Birr Castle
From hybrid ‘eGaming / Storytelling’ to AI Generated Scripts, this interactive, 'hands-on' workshop for both emerging and advanced theatre-makers, explores the relevance of emerging digital technologies into Arts Practice & Performance.
Promoting Female Writers In Association With Minding Creative Minds
Pamela McQueen
July 13, 2024 at 2:00:00 PM
Birr Castle
It's no secret that despite huge efforts from many stakeholders, it can prove challenging for female writers to sustain a career. In this workshop, Dramaturg Pamela Mc Queen will host a discussion and share practical tips on how to develop a sustainable career as a female writer.
