Unscripted and Unchoreographed

Masha is an actor and theatre-maker originally from an eastern border city Kharkiv in Ukraine, where she had over 14 years of theatrical experience. She began performing in 2009 with the National Children’s Theatre of Ukraine (‘Sorvantsy’), and later earned a degree in Marketing and Public Relations from Kharkiv National University. After relocating to Ireland, She joined Lúminaria’s national children’s show tour in 2022, which re-ignited her passion for performance, resuming her work in theatre. Since then, Masha has continued to study acting and expanding her theatre practice in the following years, as an actor, theatre maker, stage manager and marketer in theatre productions. Currently, Masha serves as a Young Curator at Backstage Theatre as part of their Young Curators Programme (2026), and working on the theatre piece ‘Back Home’ which will be shown as part of Scene and Heard Festival of 2026.

Chander van Daatselaar is a movement director, dancer, choreographer, and dance teacher from The Netherlands.Chander began his formal training at RijnIJssel, completing the Fast Track Dance program in 2016. He further developed his skills in Modern Dance Theatre at Fontys School of Art in 2017 and earned a BA (Hons) in Contemporary Dance with Foundation Year at the prestigious Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in the United Kingdom, graduating with first-class honours in 2022. He completed an MA in Movement: Directing and Teaching at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in 2024. Throughout his career, Chander has collaborated with renowned artists and companies. He walked and performed for S.S. Daley's SS22 collection at London Fashion Week and worked as a dancer for distinguished choreographers and collectives, including Alison Curtis-Jones, Fubunation, Jorge Pérez Martínez, Jose Agudo, K2CO, and SID.​As a choreographer, Chander created 4 Seasons for the Waterperry Opera Festival and has contributed to theatre and musicals as a movement director. His credits include Conjured! at the Golden Goose Theatre and Much Ado About Nothing at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, as well as plays such as Happy Days at the Arcola Theatre and The Penelopiad at East 15 Acting School. He also served as Cover Assistant Choreographer for the acclaimed musical Passing Strange at the Young Vic.

Sarah McKenna Dunne is an award-winning writer, storyteller and arts facilitator known for her work in theatre, film, and socially engaged arts projects. Her writing credits include A Border Cure (Scene+ Heard 2026), The Girls of the Sacred Heart (Culture Night 2024), a tribunal play on the Cavan orphanage fire, and Grief of the Seventh Child (Creative Cavan 2023), an upcoming documentary on traditional cures in the border region. Sarah has received numerous awards including the Arts Council Agility Awards (2021, 2023), Creative Cavan Awards (2021, 2023, 2024), the Professional Artist Award from Cavan Arts Office (2023), and the Emerging Artist Award (2020,2022). Additionally, she was awarded a Playwrighting Scholarship by Cavan County Council and Town Hall Theatre in 2022 and was recognized with a short play bursary from the International Dublin Gay Theatre Festival (2020), with her work published in their anthology Plays Inside. A UCD graduate with an M.A. in Theatre Practice, Sarah's creative work often explores Irish folklore, mythology, queer representation, and trauma related to children and women. As an arts facilitator, she is dedicated to empowering young people and marginalized communities through storytelling and performance.

Anna Buchmueller is a Dublin-based, New York-born Creative Producer and Theatremaker. She holds a BA in Theater and American Studies from Wesleyan University (High Honors). In the United States, Anna has worked with several theatre companies, including Colt Coeur, Keen Company, and Ojai Playwrights Conference. In Dublin, she has produced the sold-out runs of RESIN by Robert Downes [Scene + Heard Festival, 2024] and / Want to Speak to Your Manager (How I was Radicalised and Became...Karen) by Holly Hughes [Dublin Fringe Festival, 2025]. Upcoming: BODY COUNT by Siún O'Kane [Scene + Heard Festival, 2026]. She is currently undertaking an MFA in Theatre Producing at the Lir Academy.

Daniela Poch is an interdisciplinary artist working across theatre, dance, music, and education. She holds a BA in Acting (Practice and Body Studies) from Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile and an MFA in Movement Directing and Teaching from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama (RCSSD), London. Her training includes advanced international programs such as ImPulsTanz Vienna.Her practice integrates acting, music, and dance, engaging with puppetry, medieval performance, and somatic approaches. She has collaborated with choreographers Amanda Piña (Climatic Dances, GAM Cultural Center, 2023), Elizabeth Rodríguez (Santiago a Mil Festival, 2019), and Álvaro Pizarro (Devenir, Teatro UC, 2021), presented original work at Bestias Danzantes Festival, and collaborated in visual and experimental art contexts, including Perrera Arte with Antonio Becerro.As a movement director, she has worked on The Barber of Seville (Waterperry Opera Festival) and A Respectable Wedding (MMU Theatre School). In 2025, she directed The Uniqued Mind at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. In 2026, she will direct and perform in two original works selected for the Scene & Heard Festival.Daniela has taught at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, East 15 Acting School, RCSSD, and Manchester School of Theatre. Her pedagogy is rooted in somatics and corporeal dramaturgy, fostering embodied creativity and collaboration.

For our final episode of Season 1, we’re joined by Jeffrey Gormly, a multidisciplinary artist whose work spans theatre, dance, choreography, and the social sphere, as both an advocate and practitioner of creative process. As a signature artist, Jeffrey has written numerous plays, essays, and publications, while his collaborative projects have connected him with theatre and dance artists, social creative practitioners, and community and mental health organisations. His performance work has featured at IMMA, Under the Radar NYC, Moderna Museet Stockholm, Athens Festival, Hayward Gallery London, Siamsa Tíre, Kilkenny Arts Festival, and many more. His writings on dance and choreography are studied on university curricula worldwide, and he has contributed to creative policy development at both national and European levels. A passionate advocate for creative participation, Jeffrey champions creative citizenship as a practice and campaigns for basic income for all, to ensure equal and democratic access to creativity. He has been commissioned by The Abbey Theatre, CREATE, Dance Ireland, Daghdha Dance Co, and Clonmel Junction, with work funded by the Arts Council, Culture Ireland, Enterprise Ireland, the Research Council of Ireland, ESB Funding for Generations, and Creative Ireland. His awards include the Dublin Corporation Drama Award, Google Adopt-a-Startup, and Bank of Ireland Startup of the Year (Shortlisted), as well as recognition from Social Entrepreneurs Ireland. He is currently Artistic Researcher at the Laboratory for Social Choreography, Duke University. Join us as we wrap up Season 1 in conversation with Jeffrey , exploring art, movement, and the creative processes that connect us all.

On this week's episode we chat to Heather Hennessy who is an exciting up-and-coming theatre maker based in Dublin (and occasionally Monaghan!). A recent graduate of Coláiste Dhúlaigh, Heather has already built an impressive portfolio, with credits including Bullied, Madeira, and Dublin Touring Theatre’s upcoming productions Sally’s Return and Tropical Fish in the Tolka.

This week we chat with filmmaker and animator Steve Woods about his new book on the history of Irish animation and the impact animation has had on Irish television. Steve also shares insights into his work on dance films, including collaborations with choreographers like John Scott of the Irish Modern Dance Theatre.With a career in film since 1988, Steve’s work spans animation, documentaries, experimental films, and dance for camera. He co-founded the Galway Film Fleadh, has programmed Irish animation at festivals worldwide, and teaches at the National Film School, IADT.His award-winning films include Ireland 1848, The Polish Language, ’Twas Terrible Hardwork, and After You. In 2023, Steve received the Jimmy Murakami Award at the Dingle Animation Festival, and the Galway Film Fleadh held a retrospective of his dance films.Tune in for a fascinating conversation about creativity, collaboration, and the evolution of Irish animation and dance on screen.Connect with us:⁠Instagram:⁠ https://www.instagram.com/confession_boxcollective/⁠Website⁠⁠: https://confessionboxcollective.com/⁠Facebook⁠: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61562754885256⁠LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/confession-box-collective/Book a podcast recording with us: https://calendly.com/confessionboxcollective/pod-recording

On this week's episode we chat to Marie Riley, who is a Yorkshire-born movement director and dancer who works in theatre. Having graduated with a Drama degree from the University of East Anglia, she combined acting with her movement and dance heritage to fuel her practice. She is fascinated in how movement work impacts character development and physical storytelling. The MA Movement: Directing and Teaching course at Central has been a crucial opportunity for Marie to investigate her movement heritage and gain experience working in the process of actor movement training. Currently, her research seeks to investigate deep mechanisms for inclusive and accessible movement training practice.

On this week's episode we chat to Marie Riley, who is a Yorkshire-born movement director and dancer who works in theatre. Having graduated with a Drama degree from the University of East Anglia, she combined acting with her movement and dance heritage to fuel her practice. She is fascinated in how movement work impacts character development and physical storytelling. The MA Movement: Directing and Teaching course at Central has been a crucial opportunity for Marie to investigate her movement heritage and gain experience working in the process of actor movement training. Currently, her research seeks to investigate deep mechanisms for inclusive and accessible movement training practice.

This week on the pod, we’re chatting with Deo Laguipo!Deo’s a photographer, videographer, tattoo artist, and freelance illustrator — basically a creative powerhouse. What makes her story even cooler is that she actually started out as a Mechatronics Engineer working in the semiconductor industry before deciding to ditch the 9–5 life to chase something more creative.We talk about what pushed her to make that leap, how she found her way into photography and videography, and what it’s been like building a career across so many creative fields. Deo also chats about her work as a freelance illustrator, including getting her art published in American comics (so rad!).Plus, we get into the hot topic of AI in the art world — from the risks of AI replacing illustrators to the challenges it’s already bringing for creatives like Deo.Connect with us:⁠Instagram:⁠   / confession_boxcollective  ⁠Website⁠⁠: https://confessionboxcollective.com/⁠Facebook⁠: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?...⁠LinkedIn:   / confession-box-collective  Book a podcast recording with us: https://calendly.com/confessionboxcol...

This week on the pod, we’re chatting with Deo Laguipo!Deo’s a photographer, videographer, tattoo artist, and freelance illustrator — basically a creative powerhouse. What makes her story even cooler is that she actually started out as a Mechatronics Engineer working in the semiconductor industry before deciding to ditch the 9–5 life to chase something more creative.We talk about what pushed her to make that leap, how she found her way into photography and videography, and what it’s been like building a career across so many creative fields. Deo also chats about her work as a freelance illustrator, including getting her art published in American comics (so rad!).Plus, we get into the hot topic of AI in the art world — from the risks of AI replacing illustrators to the challenges it’s already bringing for creatives like Deo.

On this week's episode we chat to Chen Ching. Who is an actor, dancer, and movement director from Taiwan, currently based in London. With a background in acting and over 15 years of professional dance training including Martial Arts, Contemporary Dance, and Chinese Dance-working across theatre and film. Recent credits include The Fishbowl Girl (Golden Horse-nominated, Clermont-Ferrand 2025)and The Trio Hall (Berlinale Forum 2025).

In this episode, we sit down with Ingrid Nachstern, Artistic Director of Night Star Dance Company, to go behind the scenes of her new award-winning film PINS IN HER EYES (2025).We chat about the importance of the Income for the Arts scheme, her creative process, and the journey that brought her from translator and classical ballet teacher to internationally acclaimed choreographer, filmmaker, and performer.Ingrid has created 15 works and four films (Table Manners/Stopping at Red Lights, Freedom—to go!, Shoe Horn/Office, and Pins in Her Eyes), which have been screened in New York, Los Angeles, London, and beyond—earning multiple international awards.As Director, Screenwriter, Choreographer, and Performer, Ingrid’s work bridges dance, film, and performance art. Her career highlights include performing at DTW (solo work), MoMA New York (in Steve Paxton’s work), the Lincoln Center (with Buglisi Dance), as well as projects in Barcelona (BIDE), Buenos Aires (BAIDE), and more.She has also served on the Experimental Jury for the Brooklyn Film Festival (2020–2023) and for Ethnografilm Paris (2020–2024). Splitting her time between London and Dublin, she now plans to spend more time in Paris—while still taking daily ballet class.Tune in for a fascinating conversation with one of the most dynamic voices in contemporary dance and film.Connect with us:⁠Instagram:⁠ https://www.instagram.com/confession_boxcollective/⁠Website⁠⁠: https://confessionboxcollective.com/⁠Facebook⁠: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61562754885256⁠LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/confession-box-collective/Book a podcast recording with us: https://calendly.com/confessionboxcollective/pod-recording

On this week's episode we chat to Al Bellamy. Al Bellamy first became interested in challenging traditional direction methods with her debut production, Anne (Samuel Beckett Theatre, 2019) where she self-directed her foray into ethics and intimacy onstage. She spent some years engaging as Creative Producer and Production Manager for works such as DUBH (Dublin Theatre Festival, 2021), The Tolu & Feli Show (YouTube & Spotify, 2021), Tough Meat (YouTube, 2022). She first took the leap into Disability-Inclusive practice through Jody O’Neill’s What I (Don’t) Know About Autism (The Peacock Stage, The Abbey Theatre, 2021) as the captions operator, working closely with the cast and production team to ensure the production was fully captions-accessible. She followed this up as Production Manager on Aine O’Hara’s The Rest Rooms (Dublin Fringe Festival, 2022). She has also explored film mediums for her work, completing the X-Pollinator Elevator programme in 2021 with an honourable mention for her pitch, and was awarded the Project Arts Centre’s Short Cuts Award to produce and direct The Merrow in 2022. Al Bellamy’s directing credits include: The Amanda (Saoirse) Show (The DLR LexIcon Theatre, 2022) and Yellow written and performed by Jody O’Neill (Borris Festival of Writing and Ideas, 2022) and later performed by Eleanor Walsh (Draíocht Arts Centre in Blanchardstown, Granary Theatre in Cork, Neuroconvergence in Dublin, National Festival of Youth Theatres in Kilkenny, Bounce Disability Arts Festival in Belfast) from November 2022 to September 2024. She was Director and Co-Lead Artist with Jody O'Neill for Cork Midsummer & SUISHA Inclusive Arts Organisations' Be Part project in Cork Midsummer 2023, workshopping and creating a new script around the themes of disability justice with a group of disabled artists in Cork. She continued as Director of this production, Home Sweet Home, which premiered in the Granary Theatre Cork in Cork Midsummer Festival 2024. In 2022, Al Bellamy was funded by the Arts Council Agility Award for Mythics, creating a space for neurodiverse people to explore and discuss reworkings of Irish Folklore and Mythology. In 2023, she received the Arts Council Theatre Bursary to develop a holistic methodology for disability-inclusive productions. In 2024, she received an Arts Council Arts Participation Project Award for her project Home Sweet Home in Cork Midsummer Festival 2024. She also gave a Masterclass in Disability Inclusive Theatre to final year and MA Directing students in the Eduard Smilgis Theatre, Riga, Latvia, and created and led Embedding Access: A Workshop for Disability Inclusion in association with Draíocht Arts Centre for Dublin Fringe Festival 2024 and Cork School of Music. Recently, she has completed The Next Stage with Performing Arts Forum and Dublin Theatre Festival 2024.

On this week’s episode, we chat with Emma Browne – a ballet dancer, teacher, and the Founder and Principal of EmBrace Dance Academy.Emma shares what it was like to move from Ireland to Russia to pursue ballet training after just two years of dancing, and the challenges and lessons that came with that experience. We also discuss the importance of creating a nurturing and supportive environment for students, and how that can shape their journey in dance.Trained in Dublin, St. Petersburg, and Brussels, Emma has toured with Swan Lake, performed on public stages and at private events, and even appeared on RTÉ television. After facing ill health, she returned to Ireland where she qualified as a registered teacher with the Association of Russian Ballet & Theatre Arts.Now, as a certified Progressing Ballet Technique instructor and Barre Fitness instructor, Emma is passionate about teaching through kindness, empathy, and encouragement — values that lie at the heart of her academy.Connect with us:⁠Instagram:⁠ https://www.instagram.com/confession_boxcollective/⁠Website⁠⁠: https://confessionboxcollective.com/⁠Facebook⁠: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61562754885256⁠LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/confession-box-collective/Book a podcast recording with us: https://calendly.com/confessionboxcollective/pod-recording

On this week's episode we chat to Jools Gilson, a Cork based dance artist who has been doing professional work for dance / theatre venues, galleries and broadcast radio for thirty years. Her practice is knotted, knitted and woven between the disciplines of dance theatre, writing and textiles; choreographies linked to ancient bog bodies and their textiles; 30,000 sewing needles hung from a gallery ceiling; stories about wars waged through embroidery. Recent awards include an Arts Council Dance Bursary (2023) and Science Foundation Ireland (Insight) Awards (2023 & 2024). Her large scale textile work The Knitting Map (2005) toured the US as part of the Mapping Climate Change exhibition from 2021 - 24; The Art Museum, West Virginia (2024), Wriston Art Galleries, Wisconsin (2023) and The Berman Museum of Art, Pennsylvania (2021). Recent performances include Mary Wycherley's Weathering at Dance Limerick (2023) and extracts from Tempestries at Reach '24, Arts & Sustainability Festival, Queen's University Belfast. She is Professor of Creative Practice at University College Cork.

On this week’s episode, we chat with Inma Pavon, a Spanish multidisciplinary artist, choreographer, and teacher based in Cork. We talk about her journey to Ireland—arriving first as an au pair before studying dance—and how her experiences shaped her creative path.Inma shares how practices like breath work inspire her classes, and why she prioritizes letting each participant move at their own pace.Her impressive background includes a BA in Physical Education (Granada), an MA in Contemporary Dance Performance (University of Limerick), and an MPhil in Creative Dance/Art Practice (UCC). She is a dance member of the International Dance Council UNESCO, an affiliate member of the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dance (UK), and the director of InmaPavonDanceCo, where she teaches contemporary dance to adults.Inma has been widely recognized for her work:Creative Dance Artist in Residence at the Rory Gallagher Music Library Cork (2023).Commissioned by the Glucksman Gallery UCC to create Art Movements, now part of the UCC Arts Collection.Selected for the Irish Choreographers New Work Platform (2007), mentored by Wendy Houstoun.Participant in Daghdha Dance Company’s Year-long Mentoring Programme, directed by Michael Kliën.Recipient of a Dance Ireland/Arts Council Bursary Award to develop new work with Amanda Coogan.She has performed in major projects, including The Passing with Amanda Coogan at the RHA Dublin and Uillinn West Cork Arts Centre, and continues her collaboration with Robert Monaghan on Isolation, presented at LOOP Barcelona and CIACLA Los Angeles.Beyond her solo practice, Inma has collaborated with a wide range of artists across disciplines, including Helle Helsner, Carolyn Collier, Mary Nunan, Brian Lane, Mick O’Shea, Danny McCarthy, and many more. Most recently, she created 24 Houses with the Quiet Music Ensemble, combining 24 A3 mixed-media artworks with a solo improvisation dance.This episode is an inspiring look at how Inma blends performance, choreography, collaboration, and teaching into a deeply personal and community-rooted practice.Connect with us:⁠Instagram:⁠ https://www.instagram.com/confession_boxcollective/⁠Website⁠⁠: https://confessionboxcollective.com/⁠Facebook⁠: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61562754885256⁠LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/confession-box-collective/Book a podcast recording with us: https://calendly.com/confessionboxcollective/pod-recording

On today’s episode, we chat to Patrice Bowler, a Canadian multi-disciplinary theatre artist from Salt Spring Island, located off the West Coast of British Columbia. Patrice brings a dynamic range of professional experience across numerous facets of performance and creation, including movement direction, puppetry, intimacy direction, choreography, performing, production management, and teaching. They are particularly passionate about consent-based practices in devising and collaborative creation, with a strong focus on ensemble building and empowering others through physical storytelling. Whether working on new works or supporting the development of others’ visions, Patrice is committed to fostering creative environments grounded in trust, agency, and embodied expression.

In today’s episode, we sit down with Macha Shewolf – a neurodivergent, queer, multi-disciplinary ritual artist from Cork – to talk about her journey through creativity, challenge, and resilience.Macha opens up about navigating the difficulties of studying in college while living with ADHD and dyslexia, and how these experiences have shaped both her perspective and her art practice. She also shares how motherhood has become a powerful source of inspiration in her work, and what she believes the government could be doing better to support single parents.Her practice spans performance, sound, and film, rooted in radical and eco-feminism, indigeneity, ecology, and the persistent structures of capitalism and colonialism. Guided by intuition and lived experience, Macha’s work is embodied – delivered through movement, voice, sound, words, and the environments they inhabit.Drawing on a background in folk and contemporary dance, circus, and music medicine, she continues to create work that challenges perspectives and invites us to reimagine presence.✨ One of Macha’s guiding philosophies: “Conception to Death, the in-between is for Living.”Topics we cover in this episode:Growing up and studying with ADHD and dyslexiaThe role of motherhood in shaping creativityThe intersections of art, ecology, feminism, and ritualWhat single parents need from government supportThe challenges and resilience of being a neurodivergent artistWhy presence is at the heart of her practiceAbout Macha Shewolf:Macha completed her Honours BA in Visual Art in 2024. Her multi-disciplinary practice bridges film, performance, and sound, exploring new ways of being and creating in resistance to colonial and capitalist frameworks.Connect with us:⁠Instagram:⁠   / confession_boxcollective  ⁠Website⁠⁠: https://confessionboxcollective.com/⁠Facebook⁠: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?...⁠LinkedIn:   / confession-box-collective  Book a podcast recording with us: https://calendly.com/confessionboxcol...