Emma Fisher-Owen
Artistic Director
Emma Fisher-Owen is a animation director, production designer, puppeteer and animator. She completed her PhD in puppetry and disability in 2018 at Mary Immaculate College. She is currently designing for What Is Not Ours To Carry by Ali Clarke for the Mermaid Theatre. She is also currently working on her new Animation The Room of Forgotten Voices funded by the Arts Council. Recent theatre productions include Freefalling (Rough Magic/Lime Tree), The Land of a Hundred Little Hills(Ceol Connected), Wunderground (CeolConnected), Treehouse (Ceol Connected), Bread not Profits by Gúna Nua (which won the Irish Times Theatre Audience Choice Award). Recent animations include The Land of a Hundred Little Hills (Ceol Connected), Pigeon on a Gate (CeolConneced), Marcach Dearg (Beyond the Bark), Good Nightmorning (Beyond the Bark), I am a Hill (Beyond the Bark), An Fharraige (Puca Puppets, Beyond the Bark and Ceol Connected) and Awake (Beyond the Bark). Her film Marcach Dearg funded by the Arts Council Covid Award won best animated short at the Richard Harris International Film Festival 2021 and was a finalist for the Montreal Independent Film Festival in 2021. She was nominated Irish Times Set Designer in 2010 for Revengers Tragedy (Bottom Dog) and Don Juan in Hell(Limerick Hub). Emma currently works part time teaching Animation at Limerick School of Art and Design and Puppetry and scenography at Mary Immaculate College, University of Limerick.
Ivan Fisher-Owen
Assistant Artistic Director
Ivan Fisher-Owen is a animator, writer, inventor and engineer. His past artistic work includes making strange gadgets, costume design and creating art that uses wooden mechanisms to explore light and shadow. Ivan's engineering pursuits have included developing open-source 3D printable prosthetics, working on an immersive virtual experience for Microsoft Co-Founder Paul Allen, and creating technical support processes for laser cutters. His invention of the first 3D printable prosthetic hand lead to coverage in multiple national media outlets as well as the receipt of awards including the Daily Point of Light Award from President George H. W. Bush.
His most recent artistic work has focused on creating films incorporating live shadow puppetry and stop-motion silhouette animation and assisting on set designs with his wife and artistic partner, Emma. Ivan’s most recent work was lead fabricator and cad designer on the set for Freefalling by Rough Magic and the Lime Tree Theatre.
Conor Madden
Writer & Actor
Conor Madden is from Co. Clare.
His work seems to ask:
Who makes the art really? The artist or the audience? He also has a morbid fascination with the horrors of existence. Conor has worked nationally and internationally as an actor and at a laptop as a writer. He loves working with Beyond the Bark. Conor lives in Clare with his wife and new baby, he is focusing on trying to be the best person he can be.