Announcing 2024 FRINGE LAB Resident Artists
We are thrilled to welcome three new Resident Artists to Dublin Fringe in 2024!
Each year we invite a number of artists to move into Fringe HQ, offering artistic and practical support, space for them to continue making great work and a cohort of incredible peers. This year we’ll be joined by Aoife Sweeney O’Connor, Jafaris and tasteinyourmouth, made up of William Dunleavy, Grace Morgan and Laoise Murray.
We can’t wait to host these artists for the 2024, find out more about their practice below.
Aoife Sweeney O’Connor is a cabaret artist, comedian, actor and theatre maker. They are the co-creator and host of the celebrated queer cabaret EGG. Described as a 'queer artist to watch' (GCN), Aoife has made a name for themselves as one of Ireland's foremost queer nonbinary performers. A stalwart of the Irish comedy scene, they have performed at every major Irish club and festival, and they are the co-creator of the popular Crash Comedy Club. In 2019, they supported comedy legend Jim Gaffigan in their home county, Donegal. In 2022, Aoife was a recipient of the Axis Assemble artist's bursary with Axis Ballymun. They also made their feature film debut in the acclaimed independent comedy Bicycle Thieves: Pumped Up.
Since 2021, they have been an ongoing participant in Transforming Stages, a programme run by the Belfast-based Outburst Queer Arts Festival to support trans and nonbinary artists in the development of new work. Their collaborative piece FJUCK was recently debuted in a reading as part of the festival. This September, they made their award-winning Dublin Fringe debut as co-host and co-producer with their show EGG: The Proclamation of the Irish Republegg in the National Stadium. The production won the Beyond the Pale Award (Dublin Fringe Festival 2023) and will be brought to Beyond the Pale 2024 in association with THISISPOPBABY.
Dublin based, hip-hop artist Jafaris received critical praise for his debut album Stride, which earned him his place as one of Ireland’s foremost players of the new generation of the Irish hip-hop. Jafaris' musical calling came a little later than most. Before the dazzling lyricism and poetic resonance he brought to the emerging Irish music scene, dance had always been his passion and career path.
In 2017 he signed a deal with Primary Talent agency, sharing the live roster with Stormzy, J Hus and Wretch32, among others. Since the release of his debut album Stride, Jafaris has seen huge support from Radio 1 (Annie Mac), Kiss, Spotify and press, including NME who described Jafaris as one of the most exciting new prospects from Irish rap’s rising wave.
Jafaris has gone on to collaborate with various brands such as Free Now, NBA, Lucozade, Adidas and Lifestyle sports to name a few and featured in Irish and UK TV shows, including Conversations with Friends and performing on Later...with Jools Holland with Irish, UK artist Joy Crookes.
He has since put his musical pursuits on hold in order to pursue his passion for the Irish creative community. In early 2023, Jafaris founded unclejafanetwork, a platform that seeks to document, highlight and promote Irish creative personalities.
tasteinyourmouth was founded in 2020 by William Dunleavy, Grace Morgan and Laoise Murray. They make original, experimental work that is uncanny, shiny and feminist. Working collaboratively with artists of different backgrounds they create experiences for people who aren’t looking for all the answers but delight in the questions.
Their most recent site-specific piece, You’re Needy (sounds frustrating), premiered at Dublin Fringe Festival 2023 and was nominated for Best Production and the First Fortnight Award.
Their debut production, b(l)oom, was seen at The New Theatre in January 2020. Narcissus was presented at Smock Alley as part of Dublin Fringe Festival in September 2021 and at the Chiswick Playhouse, London, in January 2022.
Their new opera, Hysterically Shopping! to some sort of end… with Glasshouse Ensemble and composer Aran O’Grady will receive a developmental run at Project Arts Centre in 2024. Their short play, Aitchoo, won The Larry Kramer Bursary at the Dublin International Gay Theatre Festival 2020.
Tasteinyourmouth’s work has been supported by the Arts Council of Ireland, Pan Pan, Corcadorca, Fishamble: The New Play Company, Kilkenny Arts Festival, Dublin Fringe Festival, Dublin City Council and Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council.
