Brokentalkers are a multi-award winning Dublin based theatre company, led by Co-Artistic Directors Feidlim Cannon and Gary Keegan with Creative Producer Rachel Bergin. Brokentalkers was founded in 2001 by Cannon and Keegan after graduating from De Montfort University in Leicester. For over a decade Brokentalkers have been making formally ambitious work that defies categorization and have built a reputation as one of Ireland’s most innovative and original theatre companies.
Their working method is founded on a collaborative process that draws on the skills and experiences of a large and diverse group of contributors from different disciplines and backgrounds. Some are professional artists, performers, designers and writers and others are people who do not usually work in the theatre but who brings an authenticity to the work that is compelling.
They make work that responds to the contemporary world, using elements such as original writing, dance, classic texts, film, interviews, found materials and music to represent that world in performance.
Their recent work includes: Bellow (Project Arts Centre, Droichead Arts Centre & The Everyman 2024), Manifest (Project Arts Centre, 2023) The Boy Who Never Was (Dublin Theatre Festival 2022), MASTERCLASS (Winner: The Scotsman Fringe First Award 2022, Premiered at Project Arts Centre as part of Dublin Fringe Festival 2021), The Examination (Premiered at Project Arts Centre 2019, followed by a run in both Edinburgh and Dublin Fringe Festival 2019; Winner of Best Production & Best Soundscape Irish Times Theatre Awards 2020, Winner of Best Production and Best Performer, Dublin Fringe Festival 2019), Woman Undone (Premiered at Project Arts Centre & Mermaid Arts Centre 2018, followed by National Tour 2019 & 2020), The Circus Animals’ Desertion (Dublin Theatre Festival 2016), This Beach (Munich Kammerspiele, Dublin Fringe Festival 2016, followed by National Tour 2017), Have I No Mouth (Dublin Fringe Festival 2012, followed by National & International Tour; winner of Total Theatre Award, Edinburgh 2013) and The Blue Boy (Grand Prix winner, Kontakt Festival, Torun, Poland, 2014).
To date Brokentalkers have presented their work in Australia, Belgium, Canada, England, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Scotland, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, New Zealand and the USA.
Their work has been performed at prestigious venues and festivals including: Sydney Opera House, Théâtre de la Ville, Festival de Liège, The Malthouse, Irish Arts Centre, Brighton Festival and Southbank Centre.
Shaun Dunne is a Dublin based writer and director who works extensively across film and theatre. He was the Arts Council’s Next Generation Film Artist for 2020 and is currently developing new feature-length narrative concepts with support from Screen Ireland.
In 2022, Shaun presented his debut documentary feature at Dublin International Film Festival. Adapted from his theatre show Rapids, HOW TO TELL A SECRET was made in collaboration with Anna Rodgers and Invisible Thread Films. It was awarded Best Documentary at Irish Film London and has screened at festivals around the world since its debut. The film was nominated for Best Documentary at the Irish Film and Television Awards in 2023 and has since been acquired by Netflix.
In theatre, Shaun has toured extensively across Ireland and is best known for his unique hybrid of documentary material with new writing and inspired fiction. Works of note include the multi-award winning Making a Mark, Restoration, The Wasteground Party, Rapids, Death of the Tradesmen, as well as his recent premiere of This Solution at Dublin Theatre Festival, 2023.
