LSBU drama alumna, Anna Leckey, profiled by The Times
First-class honours graduate Anna was interviewed about her life and work in Belfast, including new play Now for the NorthLSBU graduate, Anna Leckey, has been interviewed by The Times for a feature on her theatre work in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Having attained a first-class honours degree in BA Drama and Performance, Anna returned home to Belfast and was disappointed to discover a theatre scene “dominated by an awful lot of plays about the Troubles”.
Since then, she has focussed her time on creating more experimental work, including her most recent play Now for the North, centred on issues of abortion and its criminalisation in Northern Ireland. Just 28 people at a time will see the play, reflecting the number of women leaving Northern Ireland daily to access abortions.
Anna credits LSBU with enabling her to discover herself as an artist. “When I started university, I believed I wanted to be an actress on a stage performing in someone else’s play. LSBU gave me the chance to see that I am most fulfilled creating my own productions from scratch.”
In January 2018, Anna was appointed artist-in-residence at the Mac theatre, Belfast. Now for the North will officially open at the Mac to coincide with a “rally for choice” on Saturday 7 September. The title is a reference to the Irish abortion referendum, which passed with a 66.4% majority vote in May last year. Empowered by this outcome, Anna hopes her work will help contribute to future reform.
Read more about Anna’s time at LSBU.
See The Times’ article.