Anna Newell

a young audience member smiles at the puppet fish that a performer in green is showing her. the adult supporting the audience member is looking at her and smiling. they are all in a swimming pool
Photos by Neil Harrison Photography.

Partners

Anna tours right across the country and her work has played almost every theatre and arts centre in Ireland.

Arts Partners

In 2021, seven venues in Ireland came together with her to create the Network For Extraordinary Audiences to present a year-round programming of Anna’s shows for babies, early years and children with complex needs and to create an artist development programme to run alongside this.  In 2022, an 8th venue joined the Network, in 2023 a 9th venue and 2025 takes the Network membership up to 10 venues, making it one of the largest venue Networks in Ireland and the only artist-initiated venue Network in the country.

Anna’s main co-producer is Riverbank Arts Centre.

Anna’s primary funder is The Arts Council of Ireland and, as a Bray-based artist she also regularly receives funding from Wicklow Arts Office.

Non-Arts Partners

Key to Anna’s work is connecting up with non-arts organisations that live and work with and advocate for her audiences. These have included:

  • The national network of CYPSC (Children & Young People’s Services Committees) under the umbrella of TUSLA Its a Magical Journey – I AM BABA Implementation Evaluation
  • The Atlantic Philanthropy funded organisation, the Katharine Howard Foundation
  • Various branches of Enable Ireland
  • Children’s Health Ireland
  • Special schools, respite homes and parents’ groups all over the country
  • To help with our COVID protocols, Clear Failte Mask was our mask of choice and continues to be for our work with vulnerable babies and children in hospital settings – many thanks to them for providing masks to keep our smiles showing to our audiences!
a dancer in white on a stage flooded with blue. she has long fringes hanging from each arm and she is spinning. behind the fringes we see a baby and mother watching her
photo by Neil Harrison