DIVERSITY  CHALLENGES  GREEN  &  BLUE  PROJECT  FEASIBILITY  STUDY  

Healy  /  Logue  Report,      September  2014  

 

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The Green and Blue Project

Table of Contents:

1. Introduction

The Green and Blue Across theThin Line project is developing a story-telling programme reflecting the co-operation and interaction between former members of the Royal Ulster Constabulary and former members of the An Garda Síochána along the Border from the establishment of the two police forces to 2001. In this work, it is supported by the EU PEACE III programme managed for the Special EU Programmes Body by the Community Relations Council/Pobal consortium.

The Green and Blue Partners are:

i. Diversity Challenges is a peace and reconciliation project working to facilitate an understanding of the impact of the conflict in and about Northern Ireland. In this Green and Blue project Diversity Challenges is supporting former police officers and their families to tell the story of policing along the Border. Diversity Challenges is the lead partner in this partnership.

 

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ii. The RUC George Cross Foundation was created by the Police (NI) Act of 2000 for the purpose of marking the sacrifices and honouring the achievements of the Royal Ulster Constabulary. As part of its Oral History project, it is recording the experiences of RUC members and their families including the interaction of the RUC and the Garda along the Border.

iii. The International Police Association (IPA) is a voluntary and independent world-wide body made up of members of the police services throughout the world. The Green and Blue project is part of the social and historical work of the IPA in Ireland.

2. Terms of Reference

In furtherance of its aims Diversity Challenges requires a feasibility study for a planned development of ’The Green and the Blue’ project. In this feasibility study Diversity Challenges hopes to build on the body of work already completed:

Diversity Challenges now seeks to consider the feasibility of commissioning a script/contemporary drama based on the repository and archive of collected stories, with the aim of bringing the work of the project participants to national and international audiences. The time-line of the study is from June 2014 until September 2014 when the final report will be presented to the Green and Blue Project Management Group.

The study should reflect the positive outcomes of the EU PEACE III programme:

 

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3. Planning the Study

The Healy/Logue partnership was appointed in June to undertake the feasibility study and attended an inception meeting on June 6th in Omagh. Their proposed methodology was refined and detailed. It included a survey of questions which would inform the feasibility study; a summary of the interviews highlighting those aspects of the stories that would lend themselves to transference to dramatic performance; and a select list of potential interviewees skilled both in dramatic production and community relations work.

These documents were presented to the Project Management Group meeting in Monaghan on July 9th and following discussion were approved. It was also agreed that it would be advantageous to run the survey questions past Jonathan Burgess, author and producer of Crows on the Wire, a dramatic production based on the lives and interviews of former RUC personnel. This took place on July 16th and the survey questions were reviewed in the light of this discussion.1

Healy/Logue finalised the select list including some who were more film orientated than theatre:

i. Michael Barwise (film); ii. Jonathan Burgess (theatre); iii. Margo Harkin (film); iv. Laurence McKeown (theatre and film); v. Idan Meir (theatre);

                                                                                                                         1  See  Appendix  1  for  the  survey.  

 

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vi. Philip Orr (theatre); vii. Ebbe Westergren (Time Travel).

The survey and accompanying invitation to an “expression of interest” was circulated to this select list on July 29th with a closing date of August 15th 2014. The summary document of all interviews received at that time was also circulated along with the full transcript of four interviews, two each from the RUC and An Garda Síochána.2 All but Philip Orr and Margo Harkin made a response, the former pleading a very full workload and the latter in the midst of a family bereavement. Ebbe Westergren did not complete the survey but did comment on it.

4. Survey responses

4.1 Do you think this material is suitable for dramatic presentation? If not, why not? All agreed that it was and some elaborated.

JB: Of course. All issues which still have live conflicting perspectives can be objectified and therefore be discussed more freely through the dramatic arts.

LMcK: I think mostly all material about real-lived experience is suitable for dramatic presentation. It depends on how the artist chooses to represent the story, what degree of artistic licence can be used, and ultimately what the artist wants to convey in the production.

IM: Yes, I think this material can work as a dramatic presentation, (for the reasons why please see my response at 4.2 below) though extra research and dramaturgic work is needed.

EW: I have very brief looked through the material and it's a lot of interesting stuff, well suited to be expressed in drama. My personal experience is mainly to write scenarios for Time Travels and also to implement the events. A Time Travel is quite different from a play, in that sense that everybody is taking part, no audience; there is no script, but instead a written scenario, including activities and key questions, that you follow, and it's also happening at the site of the story. And in a Time Travel you want several perspectives, in order to make people reflect and discuss. So, the opinions from the local villagers or protesters are also needed. I can see the potential for a Time Travel, probably focusing more on one or two of the experiences/events mentioned in the interviews. And it will be complemented by the view of the local people along the border. A Time Travel has to be developed gradually together with Diversity Challenges and the policemen. This could very well be done in the winter and maybe parallel to a theatre play.

                                                                                                                         2  See  Appendix  2  for  summary  document.  

 

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I have written a few scripts for TV productions and theatre plays, but my main focus has been the Time Travels, because it's more interactive and give time for reflection, while participating. 4.2 What in the material strikes you as particularly drama-friendly? Please list potential themes.

The cross-border aspect is fascinating. Life on the border is always an appealing theme and with a lot of the officers working away from home and family, there’s a real element of the Western to it, a man alone on the frontier. There’s great narrative potential in how a few friendly exchanges between the two police forces, cups of tea at a checkpoint etc., were little islands of comfort and civility in the madness of the bombs and the gunfire. I remember reading somewhere that IRA units would meet in cafes to discuss their plans and I was taken by how normal that whole scenario was. It’s the extremely ordinary nature of having a tea and a bun combined with talking in code about where to plant the next bomb which is gripping. It’s the same with the RUC and Garda exchanging small talk over a cup of tea while driving about in an armoured car and carrying a handgun and a rifle. It’s the ordinary that makes this material extraordinary.

JB: The main issue which is prevalent and interesting here is the initial diametric opposition of the subjects of the piece and although they were physically so close, the gulf that lay between the two different police forces, their expectations and the expectations of the community upon them.

LMcK: I haven’t read through all the pieces but given the subjects/participants in the project there will be many themes, similar themes, and contrasting experiences all of which can be dramatized. A drama, in my view, is not a verbatim account but a representation, an accurate representation of the lived experience of the characters.

IM: What strikes me about this material is the contradiction between the naivety of young men serving away from home without knowing what their new location of duty in the border area will bring into their life experience, and the opposing themes of a tough war zone with fatal incidents, injuries and bomb attacks. That contradiction

MB: Looking back or remembering of past events, of a past life is a great narrative device i.e. having the mix of the present and the past e.g. the men discussing past events and then being able to cut back to those events and see them. It’s a great narrative tool and full of possibilities. Would be interesting to track down official reports of specific events mentioned and compare them to the stories. In terms of themes the one that strikes me as the most interesting is that sense of impending doom in the border areas, always expecting something bad to happen. That combined with the monotony and often boredom of sitting at a checkpoint creates a really interesting atmosphere to set stories in.

 

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between their expectations and the unknown is interesting also in the dramatic structure of a play. Also I found the parallels and the contradiction between the personal lives of those men and their 'other' life in the duty interesting to explore.

I am curious how serving in a war zone affected those young men, in the wider scale of their life, family life, relationships, friends and colleagues. How did they manage to deal with the stress during and after their service?

As I see it, the core of a good drama is the dramatic conflict, so I am asking myself, while reading the testimonies, when the conflict outside is so chaotic, but clear in a way, what is the internal conflict of the characters? What are the moral dilemmas they needed to deal with during their duty? And what were the crisis moments that challenged them?

The drama lies at the moment of the heart break of the characters. That turns an ordinary testimony into an extraordinary story to tell, that gives us a wider and deeper perspective about life and about humanity. For me this is a story of young men who had to grow into a very tough situation, away from home in deep loneliness and isolation.

4.3 What dramatic formats would be best suited to this material? Itemise and explain your choices.

MB: I think film and TV would be ideal for this material. As mentioned above, film would let you cut seamlessly between past and present and blur the boundaries there. Also in terms of creating and building an atmosphere I think film is up there with novels and literature in creating a space that an audience can be fully absorbed by. Film and TV are also extremely accessible and can reach a much wider audience than alternative formats.

JB: As an exponent of theatrical art and production, I would naturally see this as being the way forward, both as a full production and as a workshop process with vignettes attached. These vignettes would be suitable for filming also. The subject matter would also provide a very interesting basis for a physical theatre project.

LMcK: In terms of the technology available today and not that expensive a range of formats and mixture of formats are available. A cheaper version would be to have short filmed acted scenes which could form part of an installation or stage theatre with just one actor or two at most rather than needing a full cast to tour venues. That would be my preferred option in this instance to bring in a range of voices and experiences.

IM: Because of the locality of the stories and that they are all located in a specific frame of place and time, I think that the realism genre will be the natural choice for me regarding dealing with this material as a dramaturge. I think that the first choice for material like this should be a professional theatre production for 5-6 characters.

 

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Though the play has to be inspired from the personal testimonies and stay loyal to true historical events and facts it has also to be open for the imagination and for a dramaturgic process that will allow freedom of interpretation to the writers and the stage team with their artistic expression.

The testimonies have to be the inspiration for the imaginary reality that will be reflected through the play but it shouldn't tie the hands and the hearts of creativity.

4.4 Which format would best match your own dramatic and performance experience? Give examples.

MB: I work in the film industry and have experience in producing and directing short films. In 2012 I established the production company Transfusion Films. Here are a few examples of my past projects: 2104 Afterwards (10 mins). Producer/writer/director. It won the Ideas Fund Shorts. The film follows Kevin, an unemployed twenty-something slipping through life without any direction or aim. Produced by Transfusion Films Ltd. 2014 Girl from the North Country (30mins). Producer. This is an anthology of five short films working with six emerging directors from four different countries across Europe. Produced by Transfusion Films Ltd. in association with Nerve Centre. Awarded Lottery funding by NI Screen and the Arts Council. 2012 Maggie (9 mins). Writer/Director. Commissioned by NI Screen as a result of their short film ,development programme Short Steps. Produced by Stirling Film & Television Productions in association with NI Screen. Screened at Aesthetica Short Film Festival 2013. 2011 Wall (4 mins). Prodcer/writer/director. Short art film that tackles issues surrounding peace walls in NI. Through the manifestation of paranoia, uncertainty and isolation it explores what it is like to live beside one of these walls, questioning the spaces that we consider home. Won Best Film at Aesthetica Short Film Festival 2011 and screened a various film festivals internationally. JB: The theatrical process. I have been professionally associated with approximately 400 theatre productions. The research process leading to a full production would be a process I have used in “The Exodus”, “The Pride” and “Crows On The Wire” – all of which looked at contentious issues through theatre. LMcK: I work both as a film-maker and playwright so what I have said above in answer to 4.3 is best for me and/or collaboration with someone else. IM: This format will suit my experience as a professional theatre writer/director and as a community based theatre facilitator. My first professional production Follow Me

 

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to the War was based on my personal story and my experience of serving in the Israeli Army from 1995-1999. I was operating in Lebanon, Gaza and in the West Bank for 4.5 years and was also called to reserve duties till 2006 where I refused to participant in the Second Lebanon War. Follow Me To The War was staged three weeks after the Second Lebanon War in summer 2006 and toured in Israel. It was my way to bring my voice against the violence of war and the outcomes of it on the Israeli society. After Follow Me to the War I wrote the play Bassam, a one man show based on the testimony and the personal story of Bassam Aramin, the co-founder of the Israeli/Palestinian movement Combatants for Peace. The play was written in Hebrew and produced in spring 2008 by the Cameri Theatre of Tel Aviv to the prestigious awarded one man show festival competition the Theartoneto in Jaffa. Since then the play has been translated into four languages, produced by An Grianan Theatre in Letterkenny, Donegal and has been touring since 2012 to Ireland, NI, England and France. Recently the production of Bassam was awarded the NI and Irish Arts Council Touring with Work Award for 2015. As well as that, since 2011 I have been working intensely in Ireland and Northern Ireland using theatre as a tool for community development and social inclusion. I have devised several Forum Theatre Performances based on personal stories and experiences of local people in Donegal and the border counties with the Intercultural Forum Theatre Group, Face to Face that I founded in 2011 and with Impact Theatre Group for people with disabilities in 2012. I enjoy the process of group devising and I am constantly learning and inspired by each group I work with. This particular material needs a professional team of dramaturge and a writer/director. 4.5 Are you interested in making an expression of interest for the transfer of this material to dramatic form in line with your specialist skills and the nature of the material? Give brief outline of your approach. MB: Yes. I think that this material would be perfect for adapting into a dramatic short film with a view to producing a one off TV drama. The first step would be adapting the material into a dramatic screenplay. Throughout this process the themes and narratives lines would be developed and honed. Once the screenplay is in place then the production would go into full swing and the film would be shot and edited. JB: Yes. Further research and first hand meetings with subjects followed by scripting drafts in consultation with the subjects and commissioners before going forward to full production. LMcK: Yes, I would be very interested. It is a subject that interests me and is in line with previous work. In terms of approach to it I would carefully study all transcripts, identify themes, decide how best to incorporate those into a dramatic production.

 

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IM: Yes I do want to show an interest in staging this material. I will be delighted to write a new piece of drama based on this material and to direct it. 4.6 What would you envisage as deliverable outcomes for (1) the audience; (2) the story-tellers and (3) policing generally?

It would also offer an alternative view of the Garda, who are often protrayed as an easy going, bumbling and incompetent police force. Often any portrayal of the Garda is humorous, so it would be fantastic to show a more dramatic representation, focusing on the dangers and realities of police work at the border during the troubles.

As a storyteller it’s an amazing chance to tell truly fascinating stories about people who maybe haven’t had the best representation over the years.  

JB: The audience must be entertained (this does not mean they must be amused) but rather that the play has a definitive narrative – they are told a story which is complete. The audience must also be informed and hopefully have their interest piqued. The story-tellers must feel validated; must feel that they have been accurately and honestly represented (they will not be pandered to, but the project will not compromise their perspectives to make it ‘easy-viewing’ or fit a brief other than the subjects. In terms of policing in generally, one often finds that civil servants do not feel represented, again one would seek to build confidence in the police that a voice can be expressed and heard in the public forum.      

LMcK: A greater awareness shared by all 3 constituents and a reaffirmation for those telling their stories. IM: Audience will enjoy (hopefully) a good quality of theatre and good artistic experience but will also have the opportunity to glimpse into the complexity of life

MB: For the audience it would be a human insight into the Northern Ireland police force (RUC and PSNI), something that we don’t get a lot of e.g. especially to see the working relationship between the RUC and Garda during the troubles. It’s an alternative view of an establishment which we commonly think we know everything about.

One thing that especially stood out from the interviews was the fear attached to being an unarmed police force going up against armed terrorists. Instantly that gives a completely different perspective of what it was and is like to be a Garda. For policing in general it will offer a unique opportunity to be represented as human beings and not just faceless police officers. It will hopefully start to work at bringing down the stigma attached to the police force.

 

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and duty of the Greens and the Blues in the times of the Troubles. Also it can be an interesting new perspective to look at the Troubles and a new point of view to reflect on the past. The Tellers will be proud to see that their stories and their experiences are heard and can inspire others. They will be happy, I hope, to see how meaningful their stories are and how brave they were dealing with difficult and complex issues at such a young age. They can also tour with the show and engage with the audience in a panel discussion. The policing forces can also learn a lot from staging the drama by reflecting on the human aspect of their best men. I know theatre is a powerful tool that can change people's lives by reflecting on the challenges that are faced on our journeys. It is also an opportunity to share spaces with people from other communities and to host a debate and it is also a place where people can reconnect and feel solidarity towards each other. Theatre is an empowering tool for communities and individuals. I hope that the policing forces will be proud to have the stories of their men heard by many. 4.7: Any final comments? MB: I think this material is rich with possibilities and would lend itself to creating a brilliant short film and possibly a TV mini-series. JB: This is straightforward, although more RUC officers are required and family members also as they provide a very different and under reported aspect of the world these officers live in. LMcK: It’s a good project.  

5. Budget In terms of cost analysis, can you indicate scale and style of the production? What process will the pre-production undergo? What are the practical necessities of the production in terms of touring? Can you indicate an approximate timeline? Can you include an indicative budget? MB: In terms of scale it really depends on what money is available. You could make this project for £5,000 or for £25,000 but they would be very different films. It doesn’t necessarily mean that the more money you spend the better but it is extremely important to know how much money is available before the scripting process as the script can be tailored to accommodate the budget (in terms of special effects, number of cast etc.). My instinct is that this material would be suited to a smaller cast and more of a character and atmosphere study. I think it’s much more about what doesn’t happen

 

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as what is actually happening. It’s the threat of activity and of danger that stands out as the most interesting theme of the material. I would estimate, in order to make the film as good as it can be, it would take up to a year to complete. As a rough guideline in terms of budget I think £20,000 would make an extremely high quality 30 minute film that would be of broadcast standard. JB: £100,000. This would provide the project with a fully devised and researched script. It would be a full professional production which would tour for a period of three weeks. The project would take up to 9 months to develop the script after which full pre-production would commence with heads of department (director, sound, light, costume, set designers put in place) put in place to create the concept of the artistic presentation of the show. A rehearsal process to include stage management and actors would be put in place two months before the show, with a four week rehearsal period followed by a three week tour. Touring costs to theatre houses that can receive the production are included in the initial budget. If the production is to travel to non-theatre venues then this will have budget ramifications which cannot be accurately defined at this point (but if every show was going into a non-theatre space and a theatre had to be kitted out in each venue, there could be a cost approaching £20,000 depending on the viability of the space). The budget would also include a publication of the play text and a website dedicated to the project. LMcK: This is a bit like how long is a piece of string! It will totally depend upon budget and what scale and format the project coordinators want it to be. The Crows on the Wire which is fairly similar to what appears to be proposed here had a very large budget and contact with the Verbal Arts Centre would soon provide a breakdown of where those costs were spent. In terms of pre-production, having a writer to study the transcripts, possibly meet with several of the interviewees, and meet with the project coordinators then write several draft scripts until an agreed one is produced you would be looking at anything from £8K – £10K plus some travel and accommodation. What I’ll do is request a budget from Kabosh Theatre Company who recently produced the play I wrote ‘Those you pass on the street’ and that will give you some idea of costs although then I believe they cut back on some elements to fit with the budget that Healing Through Remembering had who commissioned the play. IM: A writer/director and dramaturgic team will need 3-4 months to find the dramatic structure of the play and to start writing first working draft. Then pre-production will need another three weeks for building the creative team and to design a machete of the stage and sketches of customs, lighting/sound design and musical composition. As well as that in the pre-production there will have to be a process of casting and

 

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preparation with the actors, including first reading of the play and time for additional research.

There will be a need for a stage manager, a producer and a marketing person. After that, the rehearsal process will start and can take from three to five weeks depending on the length of the play and the complexity of the production. Budget for staging a full production like this can be between £25,000 and £50,000. This does not include touring with the show as costs will be dependent on contract deals with receiving venues.

6. Conclusions and Recommendations

6.1 Themes, Formats and Outcomes To the question as to whether the material is suitable for dramatic presentation, all interviewees replied with a resounding affirmative. This answers the first and most important question in the feasibility study and is reassuring to Diversity Challenges and its partners. It was also deemed to have potential by the more radical approach of Time Travel. Significantly all interviewees expressed an interest in developing the material into their particular art form. Additionally there is no shortage of dramatic themes. The most favoured themes identified included:

i. The remembrance of past events juxtaposed with the present; ii. The sense of impending doom while serving along the Border; iii. The opportunity to compare and contrast on a cross-border basis; iv. The close proximity of the two forces contrasting with the gulf between them; v. Contradictions between the personal lives and their lives on duty; vi. Naivety of the young officers and the reality of life on duty; vii. Exploration of internal conflicts and moral dilemmas; viii. Loneliness, isolation, humanity, ordinary and extraordinary lives.

Understandingly opinions differ in regard to the format with informants showing preference for their own speciality. There was an option for theatre; an option for film; and an option for a combination of both. The key informants were very skilled and experienced in all of these formats. The options are:

i. a full scale theatrical production. This has been tried and tested in Northern Ireland, Israel/Palestine and elsewhere as a creative way of looking at contentious issues. It can be attached to a process of writing and acting workshops which tease out the issues; assess the outcomes for actors, audience and story-tellers; and refine and optimise the theatrical impact. A

 

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production such as this can tour and maximise the audience and the outcomes.

ii. a short film. Again this is a well-trodden vehicle for dealing with contested issues. Film allows the director to build an atmosphere, blur boundaries and move between past and present. Whether in the cinema or on TV, film is quite simply the most accessible of the communication media and potentially achieves the greatest outcomes.

iii. a combination of theatre and film. Elements of a theatrical production can be filmed and become part of the workshop process or stand alone as a dramatic expression. Alternatively short filmed scenes could become part of the stage production. They could also be used as workshop training materials for policing services. Short filmed scenes can be uploaded to the web and through the social media reach a virtually limitless audience. The IPA international networks will be an important vehicle for the dissemination.

iv. A combination of theatre, film and Time Travel (utilising Museum space and facilitated peacebuilding workships as set out in Appendix 3).

The key informants were asked to identify outcomes for the audience, the story-tellers and policing generally. The audience will get a human insight into the realities of life for the police forces at that time. This will be an alternative view to that commonly held, especially in respect of the Garda who found themselves unarmed facing an armed organisation. If done well, the performance will be informative for the audience and increase their awareness. This will whet their appetite for more stories of this kind. The story-tellers will also have their awareness raised in relation to the role they played, especially the courage they displayed at a young age. It will be a great opportunity for them to tell their true stories especially as these stories have never been told before. The whole experience including after show discussions with the audience will affirm and validate their experiences. For policing itself it will show the personnel as real human beings and not just a uniformed force. This is a great opportunity for them and will build confidence in them to know that their voice is being heard and respected. Theatre is an empowering tool which will challenge preconceived opinions and help the policing services to connect with the public. Time Travel is also an out-come led process that emphasises strongly interactive participation. Among the types of outcome Time Travel generates are: high ownership and participation levels; education and new skill sets (history, drama etc); travel - historical site becomes the stage; historical and contemporary empathy; social, political, cultural and community engagement; conflict transformation; self-expression, reflection; targeted roll-play, support and facilitation; re-humanization of

 

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the de-humanizing effects of conflict; story telling; changing attitudes; and, very importantly, having fun!3 6.2 Budget No indicative budget was mentioned so all key informants were operating somewhat in the dark. One of them asked: “How long is a piece of string?” Another added that more money does not necessarily mean a better production. They put forward a budget that best suited their own ideas so it is not a matter of comparing like with like. Comparison with a previous successful production4 gave an estimate in the region of £100,000. This sum would be required for a fully researched script; professional production and three week tour; nine months lead-it; four weeks rehearsal; a dedicated website and the publication of the text. If touring to non-theatre space is envisaged, an additional budget of £20,000 may be required for kitting out. Another estimated the fully professional production up to £50,000 but this did not include the costs of touring or the kitting out of non-theatre venues. In terms of film, the estimate for a high quality 30 minute video of broadcast standard would be in the region of £20,000. To refer back to the three options above and to cost them gives us this matrix: Options Production Kit out Film Additional

Facilitation Total

No. 1 £100,000 £20,000 £120,000 No. 2 £20,000 £20,000 No. 3 £100,000 £20,000 £20,000 £140,000 No. 4 £100,000 £20,000 £20,000 £40,000 (over

9 months) £180,000

In the interests of reaching the widest audiences; in fully exploiting the existing IPA international networks (c. 420,000 members) and the social media, and in capturing all the rich experiences in these stories and validating them, option 4 is most appropriate. 6.3 Indicative Funding Prospectus A number of funding options present themselves. Not all options offer the scale of funding commensurate with the projects amalgamated financial requirements but the

                                                                                                                         3  Discussion  with  Ebbe  Westergren.  4  Crows  on  the  Wire.  

 

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selection below is an attempt to highlight a selection of those offering substantial funding, adequate to progressing the project. Equallly, as in the case of the Heritage Lottery, some funding is rooted geographically within either Northern Ireland or the Republic of Ireland. European funding, however, tends to permit transnational projects within the EU.

The funds identified here reflect those which are currently open to applications. There are other funds which are currently closed, such as PEACE Measure 1.2, which would be suitable for the project in terms of outcomes and criteria.

Indicative Funding Options: Northern Ireland

There are several funders towards whom Diversity Challenges might turn to further develop and deliver the Green & Blue Project. The Heritage Lottery Fund is the most obvious. It has three strands depending on the level of funding being sought:

i. Sharing Heritage (£3,000 to £10,000); ii. Our Heritage (£10,000 to £100,000); iii. Heritage Grants (grants over £100,000).

Costing estimates drawn from those consulted during this Feasibility Study suggest that the funding required by Green and Blue Project will probably exceed £100K.

In terms of the body of the application, it should be noted that applications are not permitted to exceed 6,000 words; therefore brevity and concision are important. (The section of the application given to the preservation of buildings is not deemed relevant to this project). Section three of the application is where the rationale and remit of the project are presented; section 4 deals with the targeted or anticipated outcomes. The other sections of the application tend to focus on the organisation applying.

This feasibility report furnishes Diversity Challenges and partners with information complementary to the key sections of the application outlining the proposal and its potential outcomes.

Respondents to the survey touch upon the need for the Green & Blue Project; the opportunities it addresses; how barriers can be surmounted; the audiences, communities, and other beneficiaries; and, crucially, the anticipated outcomes associated with the successful rollout of the project. The Lottery is an outcome-led funder and this section of the application and guidance notes is given emphasis. Outcomes are broken down into three sections: heritage, people, and communities. These are all covered in the survey responses and the information is clearly transposable with the potential to be further developed.

Finally, applicants are asked to show what research they have conducted into the feasibility of their project. This requirement should be met by the contents of this report and supplemented by other, related, information.

 

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It is the opinion of the consultants that Diversity Challenges and its partners are well placed to source sufficient funding to bring this project to fruition. One possible timeline is the submission of the application to the Lottery Heritage Fund in December 2014 with decisions made in March 2015.

On a smaller scale, within Northern Ireland, the Arts Council NI offers a Small Grants Programme of grants between £500 - £10,000. The application process is ongoing. The grant covers NI only.

Indicative Funding Options: Republic of Ireland

The Arts Council in the Republic of Ireland (An Chomhairle Ealaion) also offers a wide range of arts-focused grants. One such grant programme which is currently open with a deadline of October 17th 2014 is Reel Art. This is an Arts Council scheme aimed at “creative, imaginative and experimental documentaries on an artistic theme”. It is operated in association with Filmbase and the Jameson Dublin International Film Festival. Reel Art aims to support two films with a grant of €70-80,000 per project. Reel Art films will be premiered at the Jameson Dublin International Film Festival in 2016.  

Culture Ireland (Cultur Éireann) also has a strong track record in supporting theatre and film-oriented projects. Its grantee records show multiple grants to film and theatre projects, often amounting to 20-30K Euro and occasionally 50K Euro.  The next deadline for receipt of grant applications is 15 October 2014. (Applications for funding to present work internationally from January to June 2015 must be submitted by this date.)

Applications are not accepted outside of the regular grants round, unless an exceptional case can be made that the event is high profile and could not have been known by the deadline, for example a film to be screened in a major international festival.

The applicant must demonstrate how the event will meet the criteria set out below:

Culture Ireland Funding Criteria:

1. Quality of work and track record of artist / company 2. Level of geographic priority for Culture Ireland 3. Profile of international venue / festival 4. Financial viability of the event (including level of support from presenter /

other partners) 5. Proven capacity of applicant to present work internationally 6. Wider promotional and media impact

Indicative Funding Options: EU

Finally, there are larger EU funding programmes which seem apposite to the wider

 

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ambitions that the Green & Blue Project might realise as an international model. Creative Europe is one such Programme. It has a number of subsidiary programmes and reflective strands with outcome targets that would be met by the Green & Blue Project, such as Reflective Societies: Cultural Heritage and European Identities and its subsidiary Horizon 2020 (H2020). This Programme will open on the 10th of December 2014 and carries a deadline of 28th May 2015. The total budget amounts to 17.5 Million Euro. The fund is primarily targeted towards research and innovative actions.

The fund will focus on the emergence of a European cultural heritage in a historical perspective and the best way to transmit it. The content and methodology of education and curricula should be taken into account, as well as the role of new technologies and media.

The fund further stipulates that Projects should highlight: “The links between the valorisation of this combined cultural heritage and various forms of formal and non-formal education and training, as well as the development of social, axiological, linguistic, cultural and political memories or imaginaries, should be studied in order to assess potential trends towards various forms of European cultural heritage and its links with Europeanisation. This should also include the assessment of the touristic potential of the EU level cultural heritage.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of between EUR 1.5 and 2.5 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Expected impact: Research will support the EU cultural policies linked to fostering the emergence, transmission and use of cultural heritage at local regional, national and, in particular, European level.

It will provide the different stakeholders at all relevant levels in various sectors of cultural heritage with an ambitious approach to sharing its development and preservation at the different levels, suggesting innovative synergies between various levels of responsibility. These activities are expected to offer practical advice, best practices and a set of proposals regarding European cultural and educational institutions that could promote European cultural heritage and its use in Europe and internationally in full cooperation with relevant authorities and experts and the due participation of EU citizens at relevant levels.”5

6.4 Recommendations 6.4.1 Diversity Challenges and its partners should prioritise option 4 (above) and develop further a combination of theatre, film, and Time Travel and aim to fully exploit the IPA international networks and the social media.

                                                                                                                         5  It  should  be  noted  that  in  any  application,  the  targeted  outcomes  of  the  funder  must  be  prioritized  and  reflected  in  the  substance  of  the  application.    This  is  particularly  true  in  the  case  of  EU  funding.  For  example,  emphasis  on  ‘reconciliation’  as  an  outcome  rather  than,  say,  educational  transmission  of  heritage,  may  result  in  redirection  of  the  application.  

 

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6.4.2 Diversity Challenges and its partners should prepare an application to the Heritage Lottery Fund for the funding necessary to bring this project to practical fruition both on stage and screen. 6.4.3 While the Heritage Lottery Fund appears to be the most immediately amenable source of funding, Diversity Challenges and its partners should explore the other sources of funding mentioned in the report viz. The Arts Council NI, An Chomhairle Ealaion (Arts Council RoI), Cultur Éireann (Culture Ireland), and Creative Europe. In line with option 4, given adquate funding, Diversity Challenges’s Green & Blue Project might well become seminal to a longer-term package of activities that could be offered either as a fully integrated package or as individual activities. These would include some of the above mentioned activities of commissioning as drama, a film, museum study visits, Time Machine workshops, and faciliated inter-active peacebuilding workshops: Figure 1. Fully Integrated Activities Model

 

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Appendix 1: The survey of key informants

No: Question Answer 1 Do you think this material is

suitable for dramatic presentation? If not, why not?

2 What in the material strikes you as particularly drama-friendly? List potential themes.

3 What dramatic formats would be best suited to this material? Itemise and explain your choices.

4 Which format would best match your own dramatic and performance experience? Give examples.

5 Are you interested in making an expression of interest for the transfer of this material to dramatic form in line with your specialist skills and the nature of the material? Give brief outline of your approach.

6 In terms of cost analysis, can you indicate scale and style of the production? What process will the pre-production undergo? What are the practical necessities of the

 

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production in terms of touring? Can you indicate an approximate timeline? Can you include an indicative budget?

7 What would you envisage as deliverable outcomes for (1) the audience; (2) the story-tellers and (3) policing generally?

8 Any final comments? Healy/Logue Consultants July 28th 2014 Appendix 2: Thematic summary

Name Body Themes 1 Eamonn

McCathy AGS Moving away from home and family for

prolonged periods. The unknown. Unsocial work hours, checkpoints etc. Lack of contact with NI security forces. Living locally

2 Declan O’Callaghan

AGS Moving away from home and family fir prolonged periods. Checkpoints / security duties. The unknown. Boredom. Suspicion / security issues. Unsocial work hours, checkpoints etc. Negative experience with UDR. Living locally. Lack of contact with NI security forces.

3 Andy Galloway

RUC Moving away from home and family for prolonged periods. Lack of physical contact with RoI security forces – mostly radio. Surprised by the perceived lack of need for tight personal security by local border Guards. Non-service by local shops. Security precautions – no daylight travel, unmarked vehicles, weapons, verification of calls, alternating routes etc. 1984/5 increased security – living in situ, helicopters Ordinary & amusing anecdotes. Seconded short-term to AGS through Patten. Trust between the forces.

 

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Meeting a voice from the X-ray radio years later. 4 B.J. Kealy AGS Living locally.

Boredom The Border. Limited contact with NI security forces. Security precautions – instant meetings (no delay), fear of communications intercepts etc. Border Fox anecdote. Local reticence to engage / suspiciousness. Personal security – cover stories when on holidays, personal threats, home security measures et. Informal contact / friendship with RUC & fear of being seen with them. Reflections on impacts on policing. Stolen caravan anecdote. Border meeting with RUC anecdote.

5 Con McCarthy

AGS Moving away from family. Effects of being separated from family / impact on family life. Checkpoint duty. Reflections on impacts on policing. Local suspicion, closed community. Colder weather. Border. Reflections on political subversion. Reflections of levels of violence (eg. shooting of local RUC men). Reflection on politics. Anecdote re RUC ambush & use of the Border to launch attacks and/or escape. Limited contact with NI security forces. Cross-Border smuggling. Curiosity about NI – visit to Derry, observations about community polarization. Reflection of loneliness and stress (especially on RUC).

6 Eileen Twomey

AGS Wife

Loneliness and stress. Living away from family support.

7 J.P. Twomey AGS Living away from home. Checkpoint duty. Lack of contact with NI security forces. Border. Anecdotes about arms finds.

8 Jim Gallagher

AGS Multiple Border paramilitary activity and incidents. Personal vulnerability of AGS members. Anecdotes re sectarian violence in east Donegal. Anecdote re border bombs including fatal incident.

 

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Anecdotes of (serious) personal injuries. UN duty in Cyprus.

9 Jim Ryan AGS Good fun being a young man away from home. Anecdote re Border bomb. Anecdote about British Army Checkpoint – empathy (as a Cork man) with not knowing where the Border actually was. Anecdote about ‘waving on the Super’. Anecdote about Irish language proficiency. Anecdote re BSE. Anecdote re Eddie McGrady. Anecdote re Border shooting (where Irish Army fired on the British Army). Anecdote re CoI wedding & UDR.

10 Joe Lynch AGS Border checkpoints and sense of impending danger. Prison-related riots & burning of prison. Prison security duty detrimental to policing morale. Relationship with republican factions. Account of Guard killed in explosion 1976. Stress affecting the family. Contact with RUC mainly via IPA (with or without red tape).

11 John McNulty

AGS Colder in the north. Lack of recreational activities. Checkpoints / security duty impact on policing. Limited contact with RUC, professional only. Anecdote re smuggling box of butter. Recollection of IRA Border protest & tension. Suspicions about the political sympathies of locals. Anecdote re Bandit Country.

12 John O’Riordan

AGS Colder in the north. Anecdote re Ring of Steel & BBC documentary. Anecdote re Paisley visiting. Anecdote re smuggling items from Keady. Anecdote re Border checkpoints & northern attitudes. Anecdote re pub operating outside license hours.

13 Liam Kitson AGS (from Derry, brother in RUC)

Pre-69 contact with RUC. Retired due to onset of Troubles.

14 Liam Ryan AGS Lack of contact with RUC. Anecdote re shooting.

 

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Border / blown up roads. Observational intelligence. Colder in the north.

15 M.J. Anon AGS Blown up Border roads. Lack of contact with RUC. Stop & search duties.

16 Maurice Walsh

AGS Colder in the north. Suspicions between guards & locals. Account of landmine incident in Belcoo. Difficulty of Border terrain. Observational Intelligence. Lack of contact with RUC. Distrust (of UDR). Unease with British military Border checkpoints. Remarks on Guard Troubles-related fatalities & other incidents.

17 Milne Rowntree (2)

RUC Anecdote re operation to prevent Border road opening. Informal & recreational relationship with one Guard. Humorous story about signaling a submarine in Derry. Anecdote re helicopter work. Humorous anecdote re late-night checkpoint work. Remarks on Paramilitaries & their mentality. Remarks on Police and their mentality.

18 Myra McCarthy

AGS Wife

Bringing up a young family. Cold in the north. Loneliness & stress

19 P.J. Galvin AGS Checkpoint duty. Radio relationship with RUC but never met.

20 Pat O’Leary AGS Difficulty leaving family. Recollection re supermarket bombing in Shantallow. Occasional, informal meeting with RUC at border. Lack of recreational activity (bingo playing!). Danger levels & checkpoints. Stress levels (soft pressure eg what if you had to arrest a neighbour and the kids were at the same school etc?). Arms searches & sound of explosions.

21 Patrick Donnelly

AGS Professional cooperation with RUC via X-Ray. General lack of ordinary communication. Security risk assessment inhibited relationship. Investigation of British Army incursions. Recollection re BSE crisis. Recollection of visiting RUC in Belfast on business (re traffic accident).

 

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Observation on security measures on Border Garda stations.

22 Peter Sheridan

RUC Strong informal contact with AGS. Strong formal contact as operational planning officer, including face to face meetings. Guards were reticent about coming north in case something happened. Anecdote about joint trip to Riverdance & winning raffle. Free drinks supplied (75th anniversary AGS). Trust levels between forces. Security re cross-border meetings. Anecdote about drinking with SB minder.

Appendix 3: Bridging Ages  

Principles Practicalities Outcomes Notes History is not about the past, it’s about today.

Bridging Ages focuses on the individual’s perspective. The focus is from the bottom – the peasant rather than the king. History is a tool that can be used. History is dynamic, changeable and reversible: the ‘official’ narrative is connected to current power, it changes if power changes (terrorist becomes freedom fighter and vice versa). The main part and focus is listening. Key question: how do

Involving diverse individuals and communities. Identifying sites (mostly outdoors). Actors are the audience and vice versa. Need for props, planning, travel, venues etc. Video, if appropriate. Funding levels determine certain aspects of how the event is produced.

Trained facilitators. Knowledge of school curriculum (important to complement not add to). Partnership with a

Having FUN! High ownership and participation levels. Education and new skill sets (history, drama etc) Travel: historical site becomes the stage. Historical and contemporary empathy. Social, political, cultural and community engagement. Conflict transformation. Self-expression, reflection. Targeted roll-play, support and facilitation.

Serbia is a Bridging Ages case study: used to complement the schools curriculum; used to tackle the ‘guilt’ that comes with not ‘winning’ and not controlling the official narrative. Bridging Ages holds an annual international conference. Funding comes from multiple sources (currently targeting the Creative Europe fund – Cultural History for Conflict Management). One week’s Bridging Ages training is available in Sweden.

 

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we deal with difference(s) today? By becoming the historical character, Bridging Ages offer a mask as protection for what’s said. Becoming the character allows for ‘feeling’ the emotions of the character, deeper empathy. Focus on choices, how they’re made, what would you have done? Post-event facilitated workshops allow for deeper levels of engagement.

The event should address current issues through a historical lens. The event should choose lesser historical events ie less contentious events, preferably outside living memory. Aim for transformations not solutions. The event is a beginning, not an end.

university, institute etc works well. Bridging Ages offers training. Events should begin as pilot projects – making mistakes and learning from them is a vital part of the process. Evaluation.

Re-humanization of the de-humanizing effects of conflict. Story telling. Changing attitudes.

It usually takes three years to full develop a sustainable Bridging Ages project. See the Bridging Ages Website for the ‘Seven Steps’.

 

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Appendix 4: Indicative Budget Based on Kabosh Costs:

Dealing with the Past Budget

Actors £7,200 Actors Trav £- Actors Subsistence £- Employers NI contribution (12.8%) Stage Management Subsistence £- Stage Management Travel £50 Stage Management £4,410 Wardrobe Assistant Director Travel Director Fee £1,750 Script Consultant 200 Administration £100 Rehearsal Space (3 wks x 250) £- Set and Costume Designer £1,800 Costume Designer fee LX & Sound Designer Fee £900 LX Designer expenses Author Expenses (Travel) Author Royalties Transport £600 Laundry Sound Designer Fee Set Construction Set Materials £1,200 Communication Props £400 LX Purchases & Hire £540 Sound Equipment £- Costume Purchases & Materials £660 LX/SX Casual Crew Production Sundries £190 Programmes Distribution Print Mileage Week 2 miles Belfast Mullaghbawn £41.40 Belfast Dundalk £47.70 Belfast Carlingford £45.00 Carlingford Clones £52.20 Clones Letterkenny £72.00 Letterkenny Belfast £86.40 Week 1 Belfast £0.00

 

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ACTORS 111 13.84% wks rate basic ENICS Per diems Holiday

Actor 1 3 £500.00 £1,500.00 £161.05 £48.75 £125.00 Actor 2 3 £500.00 £1,500.00 £161.05 £48.75 £125.00 Actor 3 3 £500.00 £1,500.00 £161.05 £48.75 £125.00 Actor 4 3 £500.00 £1,500.00 £161.05 £48.75 £125.00

Payroll £6,000 £644 £195 £500

STAGE MANAGEMENT WAGES wks rate basic ENICS Per diems Holiday

PM 3 £485.00 £1,455.00 £155.28 £48.75 £121.25 SM 3 £485.00 £1,455.00 £155.28 £48.75 £121.25 TSM 3 £485.00 £1,455.00 £155.28 £48.75 £121.25

Payroll £4,365 £466 £146 £363.75

PROPS Hire £200.00 Buy £100.00 £- Running LX Hire £250.00 Buy £- Running £200.00 SFX mics operation Hire COSTUMES Materials £175.00 Buy £175.00 £175.00 Other £- CONTINGENCY

Set Props Costumes LX/FX P Sundries Other Other £60.00 £20.00 £33.00 £27.00 £50.00 £- £- OTHER £325.00

Belfast Bangor (26) £11.70 Belfast Armagh (80) £36.00 £392.40