A Passion for the Arts

Abstract

I first met Stefanie Preissner when she signed up as a volunteer leader with Lightbulb Youth Theatre in Mallow, Cork. Having recently begun a BA in Drama and Theatre Studies in University College Cork, Stefanie had the interest in the work that allowed her to quickly become integral to Lightbulb, facilitating workshops and directing performances. We established a good working relationship, devising, writing and directing within the youth theatre before forming our own theatre company, ‘With an F Productions’, allowing us to take on different projects. Stefanie’s move to Dublin, after graduating from Drama and Theatre Studies, allowed her to develop her playwriting skills leading to the writing of ‘Solpadine is My Boyfriend’. This play was subsequently produced by the company enjoying a sell-out run in Dublin before touring internationally to Bucharest, Edinburgh and Australia, and – as a radio play – becoming RTE’s most downloaded podcast. Stefanie has gone on to write for RTE, with the successful series ‘Can’t Cope, Won’t Cope’ now in its second season and is also writing for Channel 4 in the UK and First Look Media in the US. Last year, I hosted Stefanie in the renamed ‘Department of Theatre’ to talk with students ...