Irish Aphasia Theatre Theatre Night 29th of March 2019

Artist Grainne Hallahan would like to invite you to her and the Irish Aphasia Theatre ( IAT) workshop showcase of research they have initiated  on the beneficial effects of theatre on those with a condition called Aphasia – Aphasia is the term associated with an acquired brain injury, it can affect individuals at any stage of life either as a result of stroke or trauma to the brain, it impairs  the individuals ability to communicate verbally,the condition could also be accompanied by other impairments depending on the cause, but in some cases it is just the speech and process of delivery.

Grainne Hallahan was supported in this project through funding awarded under our recent Infrastructure – Public Art Programme Emerging artist award and further through the Arts Council’s Artist in the Community Scheme administered by Create which funds ambitious projects for artists wishing to work in a particular community or place. Grainne is from Dublin 15 and has developed a close relationship, with Fingal County Council and Draiocht through this project. Fingal’s initial support helped Grainne to travel to Theatre Aphasique in Montreal, Canada, an organisation in existence for 25 years where they work with patients in the hospital there through theatre engagements as a way to mitigate some of the conditions effects and empower the individual to be in control of their creative life.Grainne, in her own work is open about her own disability and how she sees this process as a route to begin challenging norms and expectations through theatre.

Since last October, she and her Aphasia Theatre team have been working with a small number of participants on this theatrical process, conducting workshops from our local Arts Centre Draiocht and the Blanchardstown Library. The group would now like to share the outcomes and are in a position to invite interested parties to see partake and see how the method works and is delivered. The participants will also present some original work which they have collaborated on with IAT and we will screen a short film to give a snapshot of the project so far.

We would like to invite interested audience members to observe/participate in the workshop with the participants where you will also get the chance to ask questions or comments that might be relevant to your own groups or projects.

Workshop begins at 4.30pm – Presentations Commencing at 5/5.30pm in the upstairs space in Draiocht with a small reception after

Booking essential

Caroline Cowley
Public Art Co-ordinator
Fingal County Council
E: caroline.cowley@fingal.ie
01 870 8449