A Northern Ireland theatre couple is aiming to make the arts scene more accessible for all.
Clare McMahon and Benjamin Gould who jointly run Commedia of Errors met as teenagers in The Rainbow Factory in Belfast and since then have gone on to have both separate and joint success in the theatre world.
Having both studied at drama school in London the pair then decided to move back to NI to attempt to revitalise the theatre scene here.
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Alongside theatre work, the duo are dedicated to connecting with the community around them. From schools workshops, rehabilitation programmes and their work for older people, they aim to enrich and inspire the people of Northern Ireland with the power of live-performance.
Speaking to Belfast Live, the couple have shared their passion for making the theatre an accessible space for people of all ages and abilities.
Claire explained: "Part of our company’s ethos is to broaden and deepen engagement of the arts by overcoming barriers to arts participation. Our past productions have all engaged with groups who may not usually engage with live theatre. From schools audiences, to older audiences, women’s groups to those in rehabilitation. We always try to open up our work to a wider audience.
"Our Plays Aloud programme is a big part of our day-to-day work. We bring nostalgia-inspired performances to care homes, sheltered housing, supported living across NI. It’s something we’re very proud of. Especially through the pandemic. We managed to keep bring performances to those cherished audiences over the past two years."
In the spirit of involving all ages in the arts, the pair's latest play, The Gap Year aims to bring the theatre to older audiences.
Ben said: "The Gap Year is a new play written by Clare and directed by me. It’s for everyone, regardless of age. But the story is about three women in their 60s who take a gap year around Ireland. So Clare has put these women centre stage and in the spotlight, literally. It doesn’t happen very often, and if it does you rarely get three characters in one show.
"We’re really excited to be making it with the Lyric theatre and hopefully the audiences come along for the journey!"
With the arts sector in Northern Ireland being one of the hardest hit due to Covid, the pair are keen to see more investment in the arts scene here,
"An improvement in funding would always be welcomed. Per capita we are still the lowest across England, Wales, Scotland and a long way off Republic of Ireland and most of Europe. If there was more investment in the arts, then the vibrant industry we have here could shine. Work from here is of the same calibre as our neighbours but it rarely gets to leave this corner.
"As the Opera House and The Mac and The Waterfront welcome shows from all across UK and Ireland every week, shows from us rarely make it across the Irish Sea or beyond. "
Ben continued: "Greater support from the government in other ways would also be appreciated. There’s very little appreciation of what the arts bring to people here or of how high the quality is. The Republic of Ireland has been leveraging their soft influence across the world for generations and it’s built their standing on a world stage, both as artists and as a country in general. We need to look outwards with our work, there’s companies doing great work in this way but we need greater support on a political level to going further afield."
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