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Our Team

Benjamin Perchet

Artistic Director & CEO

Benjamin Perchet

Benjamin Perchet

Artistic Director & CEO

Benjamin Perchet was appointed Artistic Director & CEO of Carlow Arts Festival in August 2021. Perchet is well known in the Irish scene for his leadership of Dublin Dance Festival from 2016-2021. He was previously Artistic Advisor for two major French institutions in Lyon: Maison de la Danse (2004-2015) and Biennale de la Danse (2008-2015).

Benjamin has also been an Aerowaves partner, a founding board member and treasurer of European Dancehouse Network (EDN) and a partner and management team member of Big Pulse Dance Alliance (BPDA), all of these networks and projects being co-funded by the Creative Europe Programme of the EU. He is the chairperson of Institut des Croisements / Arkadi Zaides and OD Works / Oona Doherty.

Contact
benjamin@carlowartsfestival.ie

Benjamin Perchet

Andy Currums

Executive Director

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Andy Currums

Executive Director

Andy joined Carlow Arts Festival as the Executive Director in 2023. Before moving to Ireland, Andy spent six years in Australia working as the Executive Producer for Shaun Parker & Company (2021-2023) and as a Producer at Sydney Festival (2018-2021). Prior to that, Andy was the Artistic Director of Creative Youth and the International Youth Arts Festival in Kingston-Upon-Thames, London.

Andy has extensive experience working in professional and community arts, as well as in educational settings - having facilitated numerous projects for charitable organisations and led courses and workshops at universities and learning centres across the UK.

Contact
andy@carlowartsfestival.ie

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Ferga Moran

Programme Manager & Executive Assistant

Ferga Moran

Ferga Moran

Programme Manager & Executive Assistant

Ferga has been working with Carlow Arts Festival since 2016. She is a Carlow Town native and graduate of Carlow College, St. Patricks with a B.A in Arts and Humanities.

Over her time working with the festival, Ferga has facilitated various participatory community projects, as well as looking after our national and international artists, vendors, and the festival’s administration.

When not organising planes, trains, automobiles, venues and people, you’ll find Ferga dancing in her kitchen or wandering amongst the trees.

Contact
fmoran@carlowartsfestival.ie

Ferga Moran

Orlaith Treacy

Creative Producer

Orlaith Treacy

Orlaith Treacy

Creative Producer

Orlaith Treacy has been working with Carlow Arts Festival since 2022. Orlaith's work is focused on ASSEMBLY, our arts participation and engagement programme. She collaborates with artists and communities to develop year-round projects.

Orlaith has an MA in Curating Contemporary Art from Limerick School of Art and Design. In 2021, she completed a postgraduate course in Cultural Event Management with IADT Dun Laoghaire. She has previously worked with Workhouse Union, Asylum Productions, Monkeyshine and Super Paua.

Contact
orlaith@carlowartsfestival.ie

Orlaith Treacy

Brian Dooley

Marketing & Communications Manager

Unicorn

Brian Dooley

Marketing & Communications Manager

Brian has been involved in event management and marketing roles over the past 12 years in Carlow. Working in some of the top bars and venues, he has created and run many in-house original music events, comedy shows, RAG Weeks and top student nights. He has also worked alongside the likes of Pan Celtic International Festival and previous Carlow Arts Festivals over the years, providing venues and hosting events during festivals.

A big advocate for local charity organisations, Brian has helped raise funds for grass roots organisations such as Carlow Mental Health Association and Éist Carlow Cancer Support.

Brian has a HDip in Digital Media Design, as well as having a background in programming with a BSc in Computer Games Development.

Contact
marketing@carlowartsfestival.ie

Unicorn

Shannon Basso Gaule

Associate Producer & Festival Administrator

Shannon headshot

Shannon Basso Gaule

Associate Producer & Festival Administrator

Shannon is a stand-up comedian and producer from Carlow. He is the producer and host of monthly comedy shows Stand Up at Scraggs and Laughs at the Halfway House.

He has gigged in all the top comedy venues in Ireland, Europe and New Zealand.

Shannon has a Bachelors in Communications and Public Relations and according to his family is funny sometimes.

Contact
administrator@carlowartsfestival.ie

Shannon headshot

Mikee Lonergan

Festival Production Manager

Mikee Lonergan

Mikee Lonergan

Festival Production Manager

Mikee works as a freelance production manager in opera, theatre and dance, and is based in Wexford where he lives happily with his family.

He is delighted to be working once more in Carlow with a great creative team. Carlow has become like a second home the last 2 years where Mikee has been working closely with VISUAL Centre for Contemporary Art.

Mikee has worked extensively in Ireland, the UK and Europe. Previous Irish work includes Teac Damsa‘s ‘Mám’ and ‘Swanlake’; INO’s ‘Fidelio’, ‘Alice’s Adventures Underground‘, ’Magic Flute‘, and ‘Orfeo ed Euridice’; and Fabulous Beast Dance Company‘s ’Rian‘, ’Rite of Spring‘, and ’James’s Son of James’.

Mikee Lonergan

Tara Landers

Volunteer Manager

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Tara Landers

Volunteer Manager

Tara started dancing from a very young age. She commenced her professional dance training in The College of Dance, Dublin and then went on to study in Fontys, The Netherlands where she studied contemporary, dance theatre and choreography.

After returning to Ireland, she began working with Janice de Broithe and Slapdash Theatre Co.

Tara choreographed and produced numerous shows and Cabarets with Janice, such as, The Wizard of OZ, Alice in Wonderland, and an original production of Treasure Island, to name but a few.

Tara also works with transition year students in local schools doing drama, vocal, and dance workshops. Tara also produces and choreographs their school musicals.

Tara’s ethos is to encourage everyone, regardless of race, gender, identity, to gain confidence in themselves and to help everyone express themselves in an open, free and friendly environment.

Contact
volunteer@carlowartsfestival.ie

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About the festival

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