UCC students bring ‘In The Making’ festival to life at Cork Opera House

7 Apr 2025

• In the Making is a collaborative project programmed and produced by the student producers of UCC's MA in Arts Management and Creative Producing.
• The festival is part of the UCC and Cork Opera House Creating Together partnership.

Students from the MA in Arts Management and Creative Producing at University College Cork (UCC) continue to make their mark at Cork Opera House, most recently with ‘In The Making’, a one-day arts festival they programmed and produced on Wednesday, 2 April.

The festival programme marked the culmination of months of planning, collaboration and project management by the MA students, who led every stage of its development as part of their postgraduate course. The students were supported Cork Opera House CEO Eibhlín Gleeson and in-house producer Aisling Fitzgerald.

The programme featured a range of events designed to invite audiences of all ages to explore their own creativity and artistic expression through hands-on workshops, talks, exhibitions, and performances.

Across the day, local children took part in Character-Building Workshops, an initiative designed and facilitated by the MA students to encourage creativity and self-expression through theatre and storytelling.

Festival highlights also included a showcase of new work in musical theatre; screen printing workshops, a film-editing competition and showcase, testing galleries containing computer games and musical instruments, a superbly curated exhibition of visual artists’ sketchbooks and journals and ‘Behind the Drag’, series of demonstrations and performances featuring three of Cork’s most popular drag artists; Lucina Shynning, Abrakedavre, and Mystery.

Dr Marie Kelly, Programme Director of the MA in Arts Management and Creative Producing at UCC’s Department of Theatre, said: “In the Making is a powerful example of the leadership, creativity, and professionalism demonstrated by this year’s MA students. Over several months, they have worked collaboratively to plan, develop, and deliver a dynamic festival that not only showcased emerging talent but also created meaningful and immersive opportunities for audience engagement. I commend the students for the dedication, skill, and ambition they brought to every stage of the process.”

“The Department of Theatre is indebted to the University’s partnership with Cork Opera House in this endeavour and hugely appreciated of the championship of Eíbhlin Gleeson and all of the theatre’s staff who contribute significantly to the programme,” Dr Kelly said.

Eíbhlin Gleeson, CEO, Cork Opera House, said: “We are thrilled to welcome the students from the MA in Arts Management & Creative Producing from UCC and their festival In the Making. It’s wonderful to welcome a festival to Cork Opera House that is all about diving into creativity, trying something new, and seeing where it takes you. It’s a great privilege to host this dynamic festival at Cork Opera House.’

Siobhán Clancy, Assistant Arts Officer, Community Arts, Cork City Council Arts Office: “In The Making is a fresh and exciting programme that is both engaging and very well presented. It is also full of fun and original ideas. Many elements are free and pitched at all levels of experience making it very accessible. The makers behind In The Making are certainly ones to watch.”

Arts Management and Creative Producing at UCC

The MA in Arts Management and Creative Producing at UCC is an interdisciplinary programme designed to prepare students for careers in arts and cultural management, with a focus on developing practical skills alongside critical engagement with cultural policy and creative producing practices.

Through modules in arts project management, strategic leadership, cultural policy, and digital marketing delivered by practicters at the Cork Opera House, guest practitioners, and lecturers in UCC’s Department of Theatre, Applied Social Studies, and Cork University Business School, students gain the experience required to support and produce artistic work across a range of contexts.

Graduates of the MA have gone on to pursue careers across the creative and cultural industries, including roles in festival production, venue management, arts programming, and independent producing, as well as leadership positions within theatre companies and cultural organisations.

More information about the MA in Arts Management and Creative Producing at UCC is available on the programme page.