Maeve leaves her mark on Branar’s latest production at former airport

Branar Téatar do Pháistí is one of the top Irish companies making children’s theatre – and it’s based here in Galway.

Branar’s latest and most ambitious project to date is set in Galway Airport at Carnmore and uses performance, music and a huge variety of visuals to explore the evolution of the Irish language. Sruth na Teanga opens this week and runs throughout March.

Branar has consistently produced visually beautiful shows and this one, designed by Maeve Clancy, is no exception. The rooms of the former airport have been transformed into a series of spaces that reflect the journey of Irish over thousands of years. These include forests, islands and lakes, with videos and animation throughout, all connected by a series of tunnels.

Maeve, who lives on Achill Island, loves working with Branar, a company she started collaborating with in 2011 when its founder and artistic director Marc Mac Lochlainn approached her about a show he’d planned for the 2013 Galway Arts Festival. That was Bláth, a world for children made entirely of paper. Maeve had previously created pop-up books and paper cut-outs for singer Lisa Hannigan’s videos and that’s where her fascination with this type of art evolved.

Working with Branar to fulfil Marc’s vision for Bláth made sense to her. And it’s been a fruitful relationship.

“With Branar, I always make something that’s better than I’d make on my own,” she remarks.

Maeve loves the Branar way of working; the initial playfulness that allows her imagination to be given full rein, combined with a professionalism that ensures the finished set is what works best for the performers and the story.

With Sruth na Teanga, she praises the technical crew, led by production manager Adam Fitzsimons.

For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.

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