At SCENE + HEARD We believe that Art is supposed to reach its audience. We believe that it is the prerogative of the work to sometimes not work. We also believe the audience should be instrumental to the development of Art. It is for that reason Scene + Heard was born. In its inaugural year (2016) Scene + Heard saw 85 pieces of new work being showcased to an audience of 4,800 people. By 2020 the festival had grown to 109 new works spanning all genres and attracting an audience of 11,270.
We support new practice by artists at all stages of their careers. Applications for the Scene + Heard Festival come from a range of artists – those emerging from training and wishing to put on their first show, 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 accept submissions across all genres - music, comedy, theatre, dance, poetry, puppetry, children’s theatre, drag, circus, visual art etc provided the work is an original and adventurous idea never before staged.
Audience feedback is invited for all performances, either via in-person secret ballots, Q&A, digital forms, or on social media. The feedback is given directly to the artists, providing a vital insight into audience perceptions and helping them develop their work. This means that you, the audience, get to shape, and help create, the future creative landscape.
We also offer a series of events to support & help the companies who will present work such as Producer workshops, Design workshops, Networking opportunities, Resource sharing, Casting Information, Technical Support, Dramaturgy, Development & Mentoring.
Scene + Heard began to give much needed support to artists and to engage the audience in the creation of work. Since 2016, we have presented over 650 shows, many of which have toured nationally and internationally, appearing on TV and Radio, showcased at festivals far and wide and winning many prestigious awards.
Scene + Heard is a curated festival. The team is small but effective. Festival Directors Caoimhe Connolly + Clíona Dukes shortlist pieces for inclusion in the festival. The Directors engage with programming, design, sponsors, partners, the wider industry + provide one-to-one mentorship to all programmed companies. In Jan our Festival Team come together +begin to facilitate scheduling, get-ins, box office, marketing, volunteer management, front of house, feedback and much much more. We also welcome 50+ Allies each year who encourage audience feedback.
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Scene + Heard 2025 is presented in association with Smock Alley Theatre. We are funded in 2025 by The Arts Council of Ireland (Festivals) and Dublin City Council Arts Office. We are kindly sponsored by Select Hire, who create our buzzy beautiful artists' hub.
