Postponed: Insurance Ireland’s TV transformative project with ShinAwil/RTE

Insurance Ireland’s TV transformative project with ShinAwil

In brief, Insurance Ireland on behalf of the insurance industry is collaborating with ShinAwil, the production powerhouse behind some of Ireland’s biggest entertainment series’, and RTE in an exciting new partnership to produce a re-imagined version of Sean O’Casey’s landmark play, “The Plough and the stars”, in the Abbey Theatre on the 21st March 2020. The play will be staged by amateur and first time actors drawn from the local East Wall community in this business to arts project. In addition, ShinAwil are shooting two documentaries to be aired on RTE which will chart the highs and lows of this daunting feat of creativity brought about through collaboration with local communities. The documentaries will also focus on some of the big themes of the play and look at how some of these issues, such as housing and economic opportunities, have changed for the East Wall community or not over the 100 years since the first staging of the play in the Abbey.

Why our involvement?

Scroll down to read more and see previous posts.

What’s happening now

Covid 19 has also impacted this project. The performance in the Abbey has been cancelled.

Rehearsals were also stopped to comply with social distancing advice.

ShinAwil believes it has sufficient footage to complete the 2 documentaries that are to be aired in May. More information will be posted on this in due course

Feb 2020

We are delighted to announce that Kristen Foran, National Sales Director, Zurich Life, and her daughter, who are residents of the East Wall, have been selected for key roles in the play.

Kristen has taken on the additional role of video diarist at the daily rehearsals.

You can keep up to date with Kristen’s video posts here.

Kristen’s video diary updates

 Kristen’s video Diary 8, Insurance Ireland’s O’Casey in the Estates Project
 Kristen’s video Diary 7, Insurance Ireland’s O’Casey in the Estates Project
 Kristen’s video Diary 6, Insurance Ireland’s O’Casey in the Estates Project
 Kristen’s video Diary 5, Insurance Ireland’s O’Casey in the Estates Project
 Kristen’s video Diary 4, Insurance Ireland’s O’Casey in the Estates Project
 Kristen’s video Diary 3, Insurance Ireland’s O’Casey in the Estates Project
 Kristen’s video Diary 2, Insurance Ireland’s O’Casey in the Estates Project
 Kristen’s video Diary 1, Insurance Ireland’s O’Casey in the Estates Project

Please circulate amongst your colleagues and let them them know about how the insurance industry is involved with the local residents in the heart of our financial services community here in Dublin. We would ask that you not circulate on social media platforms, other than linkedin for now. There is an RTE embargo on external publication for the next few weeks.

Please click back for more video diary updates.

Please also check our News & Publication section to pick up the latest stories on the project. 

Dec 2019 / Jan 2020

Second round auditions are taking place this week to select the final cast of 12, all drawn from the local community. There is a mix of amateur actors and complete novices. Well known Abbey director Caitriona McLaughlin will be directing proceedings. We are delighted to announce that one of our own, a senior member of one of our member companies and her daughter who are residents of the East Wall, have made it to the final round.

Rehearsals will officially start in February 2. The ShinAwil series producer has informed us that they will be run in a bootcamp style, with daily rehearsal as the cast and crew work to the looming onstage date of 21st March.

We hope to have secured a suitable large space for rehearsals by mid next week: it needs to be available evenings and weekends and allow for the staging to be marked on the floor for the duration. Thanks to our member company volunteers for helping us in this endeavour.

We will be updating you on the various aspects of the project throughout the duration.

If you have any questions of you think you have expertise to offer please get in touch with una.coleman@insuranceireland.eu

Project History – previous posts 

Following our call for contributions to get involved with an exciting new partnership between Insurance Ireland on behalf of the insurance industry, RTE and ShinAwil (the production powerhouse behind some of Ireland’s biggest entertainment series’), we now have a team of volunteers who are participating in the project. Our member companies who are involved are:

Why our involvement?

Our future depends on inter-community connections — the promise of increased understanding between people who maybe have little in common on the surface. The IFSC sits in the middle of the East Wall community and this is a unique opportunity for our industry to collaborate more deeply with our local community on this “Business to Arts” project. The project is a community driven initiative that offers an opportunity for our sector to create stronger bonds with our surrounding communities. We can choose to move forward together and harness the transformative power of the arts locally.