“don’t corset it with preconceived ideas of form”

Quote

Let it drift as it wishes.

In this note towards Dancing at Lughnasa (1990), we can see Friel reminding himself of the need to allow the play to develop freely without becoming bogged down with preconceived ideas of form.

“Dig back to move forward more clearly.” – Jessie Keenan

Portrait: Michelle O'Rourke

Michelle O’Rourke is a singer based in Dublin, Ireland.

The Creative Process

Dance solos, 31 August 2020

These are early versions of dance solos by Lucia Kickham, Marion Cronin, and Sarah Ryan. Each solo was created using some of the listening and responding techniques developed by Jessie Keenan and adapted for Zoom workshops held in April 2020.

Lámhscríbhinn Ghaolmhar

At least it is a starting point.

In this note, dated 19 May 1989, Friel was struggling to choose a time period for Dancing at Lughnasa (1990). In the end, he decided to go with his intuition, reasoning that all starting points are ‘arbitrary’ before they become ‘an essence’.

“A line on a page isn’t a solemn commitment.” – Brian Friel