About | RETREAT COMEDY

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Special thanks to Jean-Marc Baron Claudia Belli Elizabeth Brahy David Brennan Florence Breurec Anthony Callanan Saoirse Callanan Dana Carey Mary Carey Aoie Casby Kimberly Christiansen Sarah Clancy Susan Clark Carol Dunleavy Ilanna Egan Mara Fitzmaurice Ray Glasheen David Holland Iradj Ipaktchi Mohsen Ipaktchi Alon & Betsy Kasha Greg Kelly Jane Kelton Dana Kennedy Dietlind Lerner Mary Lillis Claire Loader Michelle McCann Úna McCann Mary McGill Alan McMonagle Elizabeth Meacham Conor Montagne Anne Mulhall Christine Murphy The mysterious CM John Nash John Nee, Pat O’Connor Daisy & Thor Ritz Marian Shiels Rachel Skingsley Danny Talbot Rachel Towey Martin Ward Mary Yordon

Aoibheann McCann

Co-Creator, Actor, Producer

Aoibheann is originally from Donegal. She now lives in Galway where she writes fiction, non-fiction and the occasional poem. Her work has been published in literary journals in Ireland, UK, Italy and USA. Her work has been anthologised by Pankhurst Press (UK), New Binary Press, Arlen House, Doire and Prospero (Italy). Her short stories have been longlisted for Colm Toibin 2019, shortlisted for Words on Waves 2015, Sunday Business Post/ Penguin Ireland 2018, Cúirt New Writing 2019 and second in the Maria Edgeworth and Dalkey Creates 2019. She was awarded the Tyrone Guthrie Residency by Galway City Council for 2018. In December 2022, she learned that a staged, spin-off of Retreat was shortlisted for the 2023 Hammond House Publishing Prize for comedy in the (UK). Aoibheann is currently working on her first collection of short fiction and a comedy series.

Andi Watson Ipaktchi

Co-Creator, Actor, Producer

Andi is a multi-disciplinary American artist with Irish heritage who lives in Paris. She holds a fine arts degree from the Parsons School of Design. Andi writes, draws, and performs. In December 2022, she learned that a staged, spin-off of Retreat was shortlisted for the 2023 Hammond House Publishing Prize for comedy in the (UK). In 2015, she won the Undiscovered Voices (UK) anthology shortlist. Her work has been exhibited in the US and France. In 2019 and 2020, she traveled to Ireland to attend a Tyrone Guthrie Artist Residency for printmaking and met her writing partner Aiobheann McCann. She is currently writing a graphic novel for kids and continues working in the printmaking studio.

Helen Gregg

Actor

Helen is a Galway-based multidisciplinary artist who acts, sings, writes and improvises. She is originally from Northern Ireland and trained in theatre in France and Ireland. She tours nationally with the theatre company Brana Téatar do Phaisti and Macna theatre. She is also a member of Clowns Without Borders. Helen played the French sculptor: Agnés, Teresa: the Irish housemaid, and the formidable Skye Jetjetski: the heiress.

Actor

Fred Paul McCloskey

Fred is an Irish actor and musician. He is known for his role in many films including the 2020 movie Death of a Ladies' Man. He has had a leading role in the Irish TV continuing drama Ros na Rún, for over 20 years. In Season One of Retreat Comedy, Fred played the characters: Damien: the radio show host & Malachy: the groundskeeper and Olivoff Smirnoff, the famous, Russian dissident artist. We hope to see and hear Fred again in Season 2.

Gavin Morgan

Actor

Gavin is an actor, set builder, and prop maker from Whitehaven who lives in Galway. In Season One of Retreat, Gavin played Brigit Smith: the Druidic healer and poet; Barney: the administrative director and Gunter Hermelin an eco-warrior sound artist.

Yasaman Sarhangi

Audio Engineering Season 1

Yasaman Sarhangi is an audio engineer from Iran.

Alan Preims of Soundtrack & Podcasts

Audio Engineering Season 2

Soundtrack & Podcast is located in 31 Dominick Street Lower, H91 WC04 Galway

Soundtrack & Podcast was founded in the Autumn 2020 by musician and composer Alan Preims, and visual artist Elena Santos. Telling compelling stories through sound and music is Soundtrack & Podcasts’ guiding principle, which is at the center of every recording, music composition and audio design at the studio.

Funding

Our sponsors

Paying industry rates is very important to us, as actors and related professionals have been hit particularly hard by the impact of Covid. The co-creators funded the initial €1000 for software, microphones, rehearsal, sound production and website costs. Friends and family contributed 3000 euros to our GoFundme campaign to pay the actors proper industry rates and our various production costs. Also, there's the mounting cost of snacks for the writers (Viscount and Oreos are our favourites, if you must know).
We have also been lucky to get funding from Galway County Council.

BRAG SHEET January 2025- Online launch of Retreat Comedy Season 2. May 2024 Live event. Keynote speakers for ACHS 2024 Heritage conference. September 2023 - On Air. Retreat Comedy diffuses on Flirt FM for Galway's Culture Night December 2022- Prize. Literary Prize announcement. "THE BOXED IN POET" a staged spin-off of Retreat Comedy, is honored to be shortlisted for the Hammond House Publishing Literary Prize in Comedy. (The award ceremony is during the Grimsby Literary Festival in the England in February 2023.) October 2022- Short Play. Creation of on-stage spin-off of Retreat Comedy. 'THE BOXED IN POET' a five-minute play in which appear two characters from Retreat Comedy. Damien, the radio host interviews, Mary the poet in front of an audience at a literary festival. October 2022- Short Play. Creation of a spin-off of Retreat Comedy: 'MAN OF THE PEOPLE, MAN ABOUT TOWN', a ten-minute play in which a British fan and his wife go to a literary festival to meet his idol: Damien, the popular radio host. The stageplay features two characters from the podcast series RETREAT COMEDY. September 2022- Charts. #1 Apple Podcast Comedy Fiction. The series holds steady as #1 in comedy fiction and #2 in fiction in the Irish charts. #5 comedy fiction in France. Top 50 in the UK, and USA comedy fiction charts. Trends in India, Germany, Australia, Canada and Nigeria. September 8, 2022- Launch of Retreat Comedy as a 6-part scripted podcast series with voice actors, and sound-scape. October 2021- Grant. Receives art grant to produce live script reading with actors in front of an outdoor audience. (Athenry Heritage Centre, Ireland. ) October 2020 Press. Retreat Comedy is written about in the culture section. ( The Galway Advertiser) October 2020 & 2021- Grant. Retreat Comedy receives an art grant to produce live script reading with actors in front of an outdoor audience. (Athenry Heritage Centre, Ireland. ) August 2020- Fundraising campaign raises 3000 euros to finance expenses Spring 2020- Casting & rehearsals during lockdowns. February 2020- Covid Lockdowns. Online writing collaboration continues. January 2020- The co-creators meet in person. First exploration for possibilities of creative collaboration. (The Tyrone Guthrie Centre at Annaghmakerrig, Ireland) January 2019- The Craic begins. Short-story author Aoibheann McCann & artist Andi Ipaktchi meet at the dinner table during their residencies. (The Tyrone Guthrie Centre at Annaghmakerrig, Ireland.)

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Please consider us if you value the arts by supporting small productions like ours. Join us at Patreon.com for 1 euro a month to help pay for our online and in-person events.