We all rehearse conversations in our heads—what we said, what we should have said. Now, imagine channelling that onto the stage. Whether you’ve seen a play or not, this five-week evening course, Scene Makers, is for anyone curious about theatre as a tool for self-expression. Led by professional playwright Clare McMahon, it offers a welcoming space to explore creativity, discover your own voice, and enjoy the process of making something new.

Through playful exercises, games, and guided writing tasks, you’ll explore ideas, experiment with stories, and bring characters to life on the page and stage. It's about building confidence, boosting wellbeing, and enjoying the joy of creating theatre together.

No experience is required just an interest in writing for the stage. At the end of the course, there’s a relaxed, informal sharing—your chance to let your voice be heard.

Please note: These workshops are part of the Seamus Heaney Centre's Trust Your Voice project and participants must be at least 18 years old. Priority places are reserved for those ages 18-25 who are not currently in full-time education or full-time employment.

If you register for the first workshop it is not necessary to register for the following four individually.

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Clare McMahon is an experienced playwright, actor and facilitator and has taught playwriting workshops for The Lir Academy, Lyric Belfast, Young At Art & QUB amongst others. Her main stage play ‘The Gap Year’ (2022/2025) played to over 16,000 at the Lyric Theatre, as well as a staged reading in New York with the Irish Rep. Other work includes ‘Mary Ann, The Forgotten Sister’ (Kabosh), BERNIE (VR FILM/UU), ‘Shakespeare’s Women’ (GOH). She holds a distinction in her Playwriting Masters of Fine Arts from The Lir Academy/Trinity College Dublin where she was the Patricia Leggett Scholarship awardee. She graduated from Royal Central School of Speech & Drama (BA Acting) in 2009 and has worked professionally across the UK & Ireland. She is the Co-Creative of Commedia of Errors and is based in Belfast.