Six is the magic number this week, and not just for comedians. Half a dozen young playwrights are to be nurtured, encouraged and supported over the coming year as part of an initiative to develop new writing.
"It's very much an experimental process, affording a 12-month period to new writers to develop their writing skills and their stagecraft; it's never been done before," says an excited Ali Curran, director of the Dublin Fringe Festival, about the initiative (called Seeds), which has been organised by the DFF and Rough Magic Theatre Company.
Six have been selected "as our guinea pigs", says Lynne Parker, artistic director of Rough Magic. Each will be given a mentor to guide, encourage and advise them as they work on producing a new play. Shouldn't creativity involve pain, suffering (splutter!), starving? Isn't Rough Magic afraid this nurturing will spoil them? Nope. "The process will be very exacting," says Parker. "There's going to be no cushioning whatsoever." Good.
They're gritting their teeth in readiness. Aidan Harney from Dundalk, who is one of the six, is at the introductory party and he's not afraid the initiative will make it too easy. Another seedling playwright, Oonagh Kearney, from Cork, insists that "it won't spoil us". Writing, she explains, "involves a willingness to fail. You have to just take a risk; it does take a certain amount of self-belief".
The remaining four, who are also present at the party at SPi on Eden Quay, are Ionna Anderson, Gerald Murphy, Mark Doherty and Raymond Scannell. They're already working hard on their scripts. Others spotted at the launch include singer Paul Brady and the fiddle player with Altan, Ciaran Tourish. The actor and writer, Eleanor Methven, from Magherafelt in Co Derry, is here too. Teerth Chungh, director of Draiocht in Blanchardstown, is also here, looking forward to the centre's opening by the President, Mrs McAleese, on Thursday next.