Choreographing Autonomy - Philip Connaughton & Marie Brett

Philip Connaughton is a choreographer from Dublin. Trained locally, he then studied at the Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance in London. Forming Company Philip Connaughton in 2014, he created a large-scale ensemble piece Tardigrade. Other work includes Dance Uncovered (sensational) Whack!! with Ashley Chen/Compagnie Kashyl (Paris) and Extraterrestrial Events, ASSISTED SOLO, and Mamafesta Memorialising at KLAP, Maison pour la danse.

Philip was awarded an Irish Times Theatre Award for his work on Rough Magic’s production of Much Ado About Nothing. In 2022 he created Party Scene with Phillip McMahon and THISISPOPBABY and No Control for Carlow Arts Festival. He choreographed and performed in THISISPOPBABY’s WAKE at Dublin Fringe Festival. In 2022 he shared Love Songs and then made TROJANS for Cork Midsummer Festival 2023. In 2024 he brought numerous productions on tour in Ireland and Germany, choreographedCarousell for The Princess Theatre Melbourne and Emma at the Abbey Theatre. His 2025 short film REBELLIOUS HOPE in collaboration with filmmaker Luca Truffarelli and composer Mel Mercier has received numerous awards.

Marie Brett is an award winning multi-disciplinary visual artist making artwork that addresses some of humankind’s most complex human rights issues, recurrently related to (ill) health and well-being. Art forms include audio-visual, sculptural and live installation, plus print, and publication. As one of Ireland’s leading socially engaged artists, she has extensive experience in cross-disciplinary collaboration with artists, field specialists and people with lived life experience of trauma and ill health. Her artwork is presented publicly in both gallery and unconventional indoor and outdoor sites. Recent work includes a global justice commission exhibited at Brussels’ European Parliament; an immersive 12 room live installation about human trafficking, modern-day slavery and drug-farming commissioned by Cork Midsummer; and a series of outdoor live performance events about healing lore, located at a number of Irish Holy Well sites.

Marie is a graduate of Goldsmiths College London University, with BA and MA Arts Degrees. Her artwork is held in the National Collections of IMMA, The Irish Museum of Modern Art, Birthrights, The Arts Council / An Chomhairle Ealaíon, and a number of Irish and UK Local Authorities. She has received considerable national awards and public art commissions; and has writing published in Ireland, The UK and Finland.

Currently Marie is working in a Public Art Commission for Laois County Council; is delivering artist mentoring for a number of national agencies; and is touring her ‘Yes, But Do You Care?’ audio-visual artwork nationally, supported by an Arts Council Touring Award.

Yes, But Do You Care? is a cross-disciplinary collaborative art piece series created by visual artist Marie Brett, working with dancer / choreographer Philip Connaughton and members of the Dementia Carers Campaign Network supported by The Alzheimer Society of Ireland.  

Yes, But Do You Care?  was funded by the Arts Council / An Chomhairle Ealaíon, plus The Bank of Ireland Begin Together Arts Fund in partnership with Business to Arts; Dublin City Council Arts Office and Dublin Dance Festival.

Age & Opportunity is the national organisation working to enhance wellbeing for older people through participation in sport and physical activity, arts and creative engagement, personal development, community collaboration and active citizenship.

The Bealtaine Festival, an Age & Opportunity Arts initiative, is one of our flagship events. The festival continues to grow with the support and collaboration of our partners and hundreds of organisers throughout the country, as well as all those who attend a Bealtaine event. We are grateful to all those who organised events and look forward to another creative and inspiring year of Bealtaine Festival.

Bealtaine Festival is an Age & Opportunity arts initiative funded by the Arts Council and the HSE.