A More Social Form of Theatre. Part 3.

(The High Hopes Choir as part of THISISPOPBABY's 'Where We Live' Festival, 2018)

Following her work with “Dalliance”, and the acclaimed shows Green and Complexity covered in part two, Vanessa’s work with diverse groups continued. During this time, she worked with the High Hopes Choir for homeless people, created Home - a performance piece for THISISPOPBABY’s festival ‘Where We Live’, alongside prisoners and young offenders making ‘Iron’ by Rona Monro, migrant groups, women in recovery, and sexual health leaders among others. Collaborating with these varied groups allowed Vanessa to build extensive relationships that would inform her future projects.

(Eileen Pollock and David Gorry in Iron by Rona Munro, 2011)

One of Vanessa's other notable works was “The Browbeating Project”, which involved 100 women from the North inner city, exploring the effects on women of the gangland culture and their intimidation. It was a collaboration between The Complex and the Abbey Theatre, beginning with an Assembly, an initiative by Phil Kingston involving women artists from all disciplines to present artworks with the aim of provoking both discussion and involvement amongst the women. 

(Denise McCormack in Dublin Will Show You How, 2019)

After prolonged research, and their involvement in the pre-production to ensure its authenticity, this process led to the critically acclaimed theatre production of new play Dublin Will Show You How, by Tracy Martin which ran at both The Abbey Theatre and The Complex to sell out shows. Audiences were seated on either side of a courtyard, flanked by two large scale sets of windows behind which the unseen, unheard parts of the story took place. 

The set was immersive with actors appearing from aisles, the back rows, transcending the normal audience only areas. Vanessa directed this production, continuing her tradition of using a large cast of predominantly working-class actors. This project highlighted her commitment to collaborative leadership and community integration and earned a Best New Play nomination and won Best Supporting Actress for Denise McCormack in the National Theatre Awards in 2020.

(Liz Fitzgibbons in Dublin Will Show You How, 2019)

This November, Vanessa is set to direct On the Waterfront, staging the play’s Irish premiere. Featuring a cast of well-known Dublin actors led by the exceptional Lloyd Cooney, the play will be staged in an immersive recreation of New York City’s docks, and is guaranteed to be a memorable experience for theatre-lovers. Early-bird tickets are on sale now, for a limited time online, grab yours here.

For a deep dive into Vanessa's translation of The Rose Tattoo in 2019 head over to the fourth and final blog here!