ABOUT CACKLE MGMT
We are Clíona Dukes + Caoimhe Connolly, female freelance professional Producers + Production Managers.
We are wise, fearless, wild women from the west of Ireland with over 20 years experience producing and presenting Live Events in the creative sector. We like to work fast and laugh loudly.
We also managed the refurbishment and opening of Smock Alley Theatre in 2012 and spent several years working together building programmes, artist + audience development, accesibility, funding and development, creating new partnships with Dublin City Council, Irish Theatre Institute, Theatre Forum Ireland and the Arts Council.
We managed the completion of the build through liaising with contractors, designers and decorators.
We created, implemented and communicated the theatres vision, mission and strategic place which included a 5 year business place with budgetary targets + timelines designed to grow the theatre’s offerings and diversify income streams. We also handled the financial management of the company; budget creation, analysis, tracking & review, accounts payable & receivable, payroll, lodgements, banking, petty cash & revenue compliancy and were responsible for private philanthropists or corporations. The theatre began with a staff of 3 in 2012 and by 2016 had a staff of 34.
In 2016, frustrated on behalf of the artist we were meeting ,and reacting to the lack of opportunities for new work we created Scene + Heard: The Festival of New Work.
The core ethos of Scene + Heard is that Art is supposed to reach and enhance the community it resides in. The festival has an excellent track record of targeting and developing its audience but more than that, it provides a unique opportunity for audiences to become involved in that process and in doing so secures a future audience for the work within the greater theatre landscape.
Scene + Heard is for those emerging from training and wishing to put on their first show, alongside those more established artists who want to trial new ideas for audiences to input & feedback on, and artists established mid-career who would like to move from one art-form or one role to another (actor to director, director-writer, trial of new or multi-disciplinary art forms). We aim to break down elitist barriers and democratise art. With such a diverse programme this also means that Scene + Heard attracts a very diverse audience which we are very proud of. The 2020 festival saw a record attendance of 11,270 theatre goers over the 3 weeks. On any given night you will find people of all ages, genders, and tastes in the theatre experiencing new work.
Scene + Heard presents over 100 new works over 3 weeks. Once programmed the artists receive one to one mentorship where the Directors assist them in determining the long term vision for their work and putting in place the steps required to achieve that. We also run a series of support and network events alongside the festival with our Partners in Theatre Forum, Irish Theatre Institute, Creative Ireland, Arts Council, and 15 venues and festivals through out the country.
