Amplifying female voices onstage and beyond
Cessair
30th June - 03 July 2021, Chamber Square and The Civic Theatre
A participatory performance and sound installation directed by Jenny Macdonald.
Cessair is a story. Cessair is a little known story. It’s an Irish myth of a fierce and feisty woman who leads a brave journey in a time of floods. It is one woman’s story and it is every woman’s story. Cessair is denied a place on her grandfather’s boat. Rejected and dejected, she regroups and builds three boats of her own, asking for help from 149 other women. She is a leader and she knows how to work in a team. She has vision and she inspires others; she also admits that she needs help and that she doesn’t have all the answers. She is the kind of leader our world needs.
As the three ships journey from the north of Africa to Ireland, two are lost. 100 stories do not continue.
SoloSIRENs in partnership with Tallaght Community Arts remade this journey as a sound installation and performance at The Civic, Tallaght and Chamber Square in July, 2021.
As part of the process, we collected over 100 female, audio stories from South County Dublin, other parts of Ireland, and every continent of the world. We shared stories of difficult journeys, unsung heroines, deep love and deep care. We wanted to add one hundred female voices to a world that still doesn’t listen enough to women. And we wanted to hear the stories that haven’t been heard enough.
The stories represent the breadth of what it means to be female. We collected stories from women of diverse ages, cultures, bodies, and sexual identities. It is time to hear a wide range of stories from a wide range of storytellers. It is time for women to have autonomy over how their stories are told.
Cast and Production Team
Performer/Devisors: SoloSIRENs Collective
Melody Chadamoyo, Neltah Chadamoyo, Sumaira Chady, Pauline Dalton, Aoife Dempsey, Farah Elle, Sailí Áine Ní Mhurchú, Nicola Whelan.
Conceived and directed by Jenny Macdonald
Sound developed with Martha Knight
Produced by Jennifer Webster
Featuring original compositions by Pauline Dalton, Farah Elle and Martha Knight
Text by Neltah Chadamoyo, Jenny Macdonald and Nicola Whelan
Production Manager - Sorcha Shanahan
Sound Designer-Martha Knight
Musician - Farah Elle
Choral Facilitator - Pauline Dalton
Choreographer - Deirdre Murphy
Lighting Designer/Technician - Ciara Meehan
Set Designer - Pai Rathaya
Sound Engineer - Fia Kavanagh
Assistant Stage Manager- Sarah Devlin Sinnott
Stagehand - Holly Webster
Film Maker – Annette Barnaville
Photography – Hannah Levy
For Tallaght Community Arts:
Director - Tony Fegan
Administration - Ruth Clancy
Outreach/Production Support - Sharon Doyle
Outdoor Sound Engineer – Domhnaill Corrigan/Alt Ents
Artist/Maker – Tadashi Kato
Maker - Alex Boateng
Maker – Hamish Stokes
Social Media – Annette Barnaville
Graphic Design – FINK
