First Name
Emily
Middle Name
Last Name
DeDakis
City
State or Province
Country
Job Title
Dramaturg and Producer
Biography
Emily, the daughter of a choral musician and a journalist, grew up in the Southeast U.S. She studied literature and history at Tulane University in New Orleans, and in 2005 moved to Belfast, N. Ireland. Holding MA and PhD degrees in creative writing from Queen’s University Belfast, Emily has taught creative writing extensively – to undergraduates, ex-prisoners, school-kids, playwrights and community groups. A voracious editor, Emily has worked professionally on all sorts of texts: plays, poetry, literary magazines, book manuscripts, a university newspaper and an international academic journal.
Currently, Emily is literary manager and dramaturg for Accidental Theatre, a Belfast-based new-writing company working in alternative formats (like 24-hour theatre) and in close collaboration with other artists (like curators, sonic artists and videographers). She has developed scripts with dozens of playwrights, and has acted as dramaturg for numerous performances, including PLEASE (devised verbatim dance; 2017), GORDON OSRÁM'S FUNERAL by Dave Kinghan (immersive theatre and gallery; 2016), THE LOST MARTINI by Accidental Theatre and Shannon Yee (immersive theatre; 2015), THE KITCHEN, THE BEDROOM & THE GRAVE by Donal O’Hagan (stage play & documentary; winner of a 2014 Stewart Parker Trust award; Accidental 2014), ARRIVALS (intercultural plays; Terra Nova 2014-’17), KATIE, DON'T GO (photo-sound installation; The MAC 2013) and THE DUTIFUL WIFE (dance theatre; OffTheRails 2013). She is a script reader for New Writing South (Brighton) and recipient of 2014 and '15 dramaturgy fellowships from the BBC Performing Arts Fund. She was a 2017-'18 Hatch artist at the Metropolitan Arts Centre in Belfast, working on text-sound collaborations including F R E A K FLOODS (a musical essay with harpist Úna Monaghan), STOWAWAY CITY (a soundwalk with musician Isobel Anderson) and SHIPWRECKS AND LIGHTHOUSES (a stage play).
Currently, Emily is literary manager and dramaturg for Accidental Theatre, a Belfast-based new-writing company working in alternative formats (like 24-hour theatre) and in close collaboration with other artists (like curators, sonic artists and videographers). She has developed scripts with dozens of playwrights, and has acted as dramaturg for numerous performances, including PLEASE (devised verbatim dance; 2017), GORDON OSRÁM'S FUNERAL by Dave Kinghan (immersive theatre and gallery; 2016), THE LOST MARTINI by Accidental Theatre and Shannon Yee (immersive theatre; 2015), THE KITCHEN, THE BEDROOM & THE GRAVE by Donal O’Hagan (stage play & documentary; winner of a 2014 Stewart Parker Trust award; Accidental 2014), ARRIVALS (intercultural plays; Terra Nova 2014-’17), KATIE, DON'T GO (photo-sound installation; The MAC 2013) and THE DUTIFUL WIFE (dance theatre; OffTheRails 2013). She is a script reader for New Writing South (Brighton) and recipient of 2014 and '15 dramaturgy fellowships from the BBC Performing Arts Fund. She was a 2017-'18 Hatch artist at the Metropolitan Arts Centre in Belfast, working on text-sound collaborations including F R E A K FLOODS (a musical essay with harpist Úna Monaghan), STOWAWAY CITY (a soundwalk with musician Isobel Anderson) and SHIPWRECKS AND LIGHTHOUSES (a stage play).
Areas of Expertise
Interested in freelance opportunities
Yes
Languages spoken (New)
English