For just under two years house has been piloting an International Working Group. Bringing together venue representatives from across the South East with a commitment and passion for international work within their programmes, we make space to share ideas on programming, foster peer-to-peer learning, tackle shared problems together and ask the question of how the region remains both an inviting and exciting place for international artists to visit.

Last month we were generously supported by Culture Ireland to take a small cohort of the International Working Group over to Cork Midsummer Festival to go and see some the work on offer at the festival alongside hosting an artists and venues networking event.

We’ve asked some of our delegates to reflect on their experience at Cork's biggest art event of the year to share with the wider house network.

Monique Deletant, CEO & Creative Director, artsdepot

“The door opened to St Patrick’s church and I could see the orangey-yellow reflection of Helios on the old stone walls beckoning me in. Cork is such a friendly city, one steeped in history and new opportunity – the benefit of walking around it means you can trip over a new artwork, or just ‘pop in’ to see something you hadn’t planned to. After last year’s interactive ping pong exhibition (Wiff Waff at our Gaff), I took the opportunity to see very different artworks, ranging from First Impressions by Jayne Hayes for young families to Luke Jerram’s Helios.

In a space given to young people, I heard the lovely voices of the next generation in Action Hero’s Rebel Resisters Radio Club where girls designed radio sets and recorded their hopes for the future alongside Chris Finnegan’s PlaySpaces – play pods designed for and by children. And then to the rhythmic hypnotism of Nat Randall and Anna Breckon’s The Second Woman – an acting and endurance masterclass. Our conversations with artists from the city revealed similar challenges and a dual desire to collaborate in a fractious world.

Being with colleagues from the International Working group, I feel I’m learning all the time. The excitement of getting away from the day-to-day and dreaming (and experiencing) the world from a different perspective sits alongside the chance to share perspectives on work, ask advice and seek reassurance that we aren’t the only ones finding it tough. I always underestimate how helpful it is to commit to focussing on one thing – in this case international work. It makes me alive to new opportunities that I can share with artists and locally. It helps me define my objectives. And it opens doors…”

Kimberley Sanders, Programme Manager, The Marlowe Theatre

“The Cork Midsummer Festival was a wonderful whirlwind trip, offering a diverse mix of shows of different scales, mediums, and genres over just two nights. One of my personal highlights was The Second Womanat Cork Opera House—it was truly unmissable. The production was addictive to watch, and Cork’s own Eileen Walsh delivered a masterclass performance. I managed to see seven hours of this 24-hour performance, although I wished I could have stayed longer. It was simply fascinating, not only from a performance and writing perspective but also in the dedication shown by the venue team who made it possible.

A quiet standout was The Rebel Resistors Radio Club by Action Hero. Broadcast via a set of (what now feel alien!) transistor radios, it shared words written and recorded by local girls through an extended outreach programme. It felt like a piece that could resonate further, both across the wider house network and beyond. Triptych by Australian choreographer Lewis Major was also a highlight. It was exciting to experience such an ambitious and impactful work in an intimate studio theatre setting. Major is clearly an artist whose international reputation will continue to grow, and it felt special to catch his work at this stage.

Staying with dance, Save The Last Dance For Me by Alessandro Sciarroni was short and sweet but brought real joy. The piece felt perfect for a pop-up or street theatre context, needing only an open space rather than a theatre. Performed by two dancers, it reimagined a courtship dance traditionally performed by men in early 1900s Bologna, set to a driving techno beat. The result was an impressive physical feat that built energy and left the audience wanting more.

Thank you to the house team for organising this trip. It was a fantastic opportunity to discover work by international artists that was completely new to me, and to connect with our Irish colleagues to learn more about the challenges and opportunities facing artists touring from Ireland.”