Mayor of Waterford City and County Cllr. Seamus Ryan presented a one-off bursary cheque to Waterford writer Steven Walsh at a special ceremony in City Hall this week.
The proceeds arose from Bowler Hat Theatre Company’s commemorative show ‘An Evening with Jim Nolan’ which took place in the Theatre Royal earlier this year.
The special night celebrated the 40th anniversary of Jim’s inaugural full-length play ‘The Gods Are Angry Miss Kerr’.
All profits from the event were given to the Ted and Mary O’Regan Arts bursary.
Writing ambitions
An open invitation was issued to under 30-year-old writers, either from or living/working in Waterford to submit.
They were asked to briefly explain how they envisioned the fund would help advance their writing.
Three experienced local judges took extensive time and effort to go through all the submissions.
To ensure impartiality, all names were redacted.
The theme of Steven Walsh’s piece was centred on mental health, isolation and the importance of human connection.
The work was unanimously selected by the judges.
Stephen said “I am overwhelmed with gratitude and joy to have been chosen for this bursary. To have this level of trust placed in my writing is an honour.”
High standard of entries
Show producer Gabrielle Cummins has congratulated Steven Walsh and thanked all the young writers who submitted their applications.
She said: “It takes courage to take that step where you are willingly handing over your precious work to be critically analysed. The three judges asked us to highlight that they were very impressed by the standard of entries. We all wish each of the fledgling playwrights the very best for the future”.
The judges are encouraging all the young playwrights to continue writing and to consider applying to the next round of the bursary.
They have highlighted that there are other funding opportunities for writers including Artlink and Waterford’s Imagine Arts Festival.
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