Скачать или смотреть Virtual Interview Workshop for teenagers with Deirdre Sullivan - 4th May 2020

READ ON and Graffitti Theatre Company co-presented three online training sessions designed to develop the critical skills of young people and provide them with the vocabulary, structure and approach to expressing their opinions about a piece of writing. They were also assisted with their presentation skills and learnt how to conduct an interview.

The young people were offered a choice of three books by writers who were to appear at the 2020 West Cork Literary Festival, which has now been cancelled due to COVID-19 (though some online events are in the making!). They selected a book, read it and discussed it with members of Graffitti Theatre over a couple of sessions before interviewing the writer on a Zoom call.

The texts which were used were Juno Dawson’s Meat Market, Deirdre Sullivan’s Perfectly Preventable Deaths and Flying Tips for Flightless Birds by Kelly McCaughrain.


The first of these interviews took place on May 4, where a group interviewed Deirdre Sullivan about her book Perfectly Preventable Deaths. Feedback from both the writer and participants was extremely positive.

Deirdre said of the experience:

I am consistently blown away by the engagement and insight of the young people I work with, as a creative writing facilitator, and to see them being given the space and freedom to publicly engage with a literature that is theirs was a powerful and beautiful thing. They did a fantastic job, and I was reminded why I write for the audience I do, and energised to get to work on the sequel to Perfectly Preventable Deaths! It was so great to see them being given space to interrogate books that are written for them. So often it’s a role that’s assigned to gatekeepers or adult consumers of YA literature, rather than teens themselves.




READ ON is a 4-year project across 6 European countries and 5 languages, funded by the EU Creative Europe programme. It aims to reignite a passion for reading amongst young people and is specifically focused on those between the ages of 12 -19. The project is delivered through 7 partner organisations across 6 EU countries; Ireland, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom. The Irish component of the project is delivered by West Cork Music in collaboration with Cork County Library & Arts Service. READ ON is undertaken with the support of the Creative Europe programme of the European Union and the Arts Council.

Graffiti Theatre Company provides theatre and creativity for young people ensuring accessibility and empowering young voices. Graffiti value participation and champion young voices.
Graffiti Theatre Company is a professional theatre company that creates theatre for young audiences, aged 0 to 18. They are also home to Activate Youth Theatre (15 to 18) Activate Pre-Senior (13 to 15) and Activate Junior (10 to 13) which provides weekly drama workshops that lead to productions.

Graffiti’s Creative Learning Programmes are delivered in crèches, primary and post primary schools. They include: BEAG an early years project which uses sensory play and creative encounters in crèches, Fighting Words which delivers free creative writing workshops to primary and post primary students and the Young Playwrights Programme in partnership with the Everyman Theatre and Cork Midsummer Festival.

Graffiti also provide a range of outreach workshops: Wellbeing, Anti Bullying, Moving On and Raising My Voice. Graffiti Theatre Company believes that arts provision should be FOR children and Young People as well as BY children and Young People.