WRITER & DIRECTOR

Gina Donnelly is a freelance writer, stage manager, and producer. Her writing credits include the award-winning 'Two Fingers Up' (SkelpieLimmer/Tinderbox Theatre), 'Tea' (Three's Theatre Company) and 'Maybe If We'd Stayed Angry', initially presented at the Origins First Irish Theatre Festival New York in January 2020 and recently remounted with Listen At The Lyric in November 2020. The monologue was heavily praised for its ‘quiet magnificence’ in The New York Times in January 2021. She recently produced the live streamed No Touching Theatre Festival alongside 3 other artists which showcase the work of 62 independent artists.

She is an Arts Council of Northern Ireland SIAP recipient for 2020/21 to develop her skills as an independent creative producer.

WRITER & DIRECTOR

Seón is an award winning, Belfast based theatre maker. Seón Likes to devise using the Viewpoints Method, but also works on a variety of established scripts and New writing. Her credits include The Dumb Waiter (Lyric Theatre Belfast), Let us go then, you and I (Accidental theatre), Spacewang (Elmwood Hall), Skin and Bone (the MAC Belfast) and Two Fingers Up (The New Theatre- Dublin Fringe). Her awards include the Brian Friel Medal and The James Ellis Bursary. Recently she has worked as AD for David Ireland’s Sadie (Lyric Theatre/ BBC NI) and later in 2021 she will be featured as a director in the Lyric Belfast New Playwrights Showcase.

She is an Arts Council of Northern Ireland SIAP recipient for 2020/21 to develop a new play about intimacy in long term relationships.

Leanne is an actor and writer from Donegal. She trained at the Gaitey School of Acting and the Guildford School of Acting where she discovered her passion for theatre making. Leanne wrote and performed in 'One Step Forward, Two Sips Back', and her short play 'Slippery When Wet' was a part of the No Touching Theatre Festival. She is making her Edinburgh Fringe debut in 2022 with 'Two Fingers Up' playing Leah.

Orla is an actor/writer from Belfast. She graduated from the Lir Academy, Dublin in 2018 and mostly recently completed Play Machine 3 with Tinderbox Theatre Company. Upcoming credits include; HEAVE (Seón Simpson, DUETS, Dublin Fringe Festival, Fishamble and the ITI). Credits include; OCCUPIED. (Kirby Thompson, Golden Goose Theatre, London),Savages (Rhiann Jeffrey, Primecut Productions), Detach (Seón Simpson), Bloodlines (Emily Foran, Lyric Theatre, Belfast), On the Streets Where We Live (Rhiann Jeffrey, The MAC, Belfast), Lipsmacker (Niamh McDonagh, Trysts Radio Series), Please Do Not Disturb (Emily Foran, Lyric Theatre Belfast), LUCID (Patrick J. O’Reilly, Tinderbox Theatre Company) and Two Fingers Up (Seón Simpson and Gina Donnelly, Dublin Fringe Festival / The MAC, Belfast). Orla is represented by Nova Artists.

Sarah Reid is a Belfast born Actress and Theatre Maker.

Her recent work includes: Kabosh ‘Ring of Steel’ and ‘Boarderline:The Peoples Story’, Cahoots ‘Elves got Talent’, ‘Hercat’ and ‘Scarefest’, Replay ‘Curtains’ for Stendal and Eastside Arts Festival. Tinderbox Theatre ‘Playground: Connections through Culture’, Primecut Productions ‘Poached & God’s Curse’ as part of The Verge Series, Brassneck Theatre ‘Partition’ as part of The Six Series.

Shannon Wilkinson is a Derry based actor who is represented by Nova Artists. Shannon has performed in a range of both screen and stage roles. Including on screen In Another Life, Reunion and Grey Skies, and on stage Inglorious Bastards Live. Happily Never After, Foyle Follies and the critically acclaimed Wasted which was presented by Pintsized Productions and written by Kat Woods and brought to the fore discussions of consent with both public and school audiences. Most recently she performed as part of Prime Cut’s Verge series in Poached by Catherine Rees and Alice Malseed.

Oisín is a Sound Engineer based in Belfast.

He has previously specialised in mixing and recording music, working with various artists on a local level. He has worked more recently as an audio recordist and mixer with SkelpieLimmer on digital productions of Heave and Two Fingers Up.

Alan Mooney is a lighting designer from Cork, Ireland. Recent lighting designs include Three Men in a Boat (Minnow), The Worst Café in the World (Big Telly Theatre Co.), A Thought for Your Pennies (Tinderbox Theatre Co.), Assembly Required (Headrush, Ireland), He Ain't Heavy (Silver Bullet Theatre Co.), We Like It Here (Headrush, Ireland), Mary and Me (Wild Productions & Patrick Talbot Productions), Cock (Theatre Creature & Granary Theatre) and Song Factory (Coláiste Stiofáin Naofa & Granary Theatre). He is currently working with Sarah Baxter and Alice Malseed on the site-specific piece ANTHEM currently being produced for Belfast Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival. You can learn more about his work at www.alanmooneydesign.com

Gavin is a Belfast based actor, Filmmaker and musician. He is also a member of the award winning Belfast Ensemble. His previous credits include Good Vibrations, The Miami Showband Story, Belfast Ensemble's Bash and most recently Big Telly's The House.

Two Fingers Up has been supported by Tinderbox Theatre Company since 2019.
Tinderbox Theatre Company is one of the most established companies in Northern Ireland. For over thirty-three years, Tinderbox has championed new writing, producing world-class performances from Northern Irish writers to critical and international acclaim.

Since 2017, Tinderbox have provided creative training programmes to inspire, nurture and support 84 emerging artists and participants. Our specialist training programme Playground provide artists the opportunity to focus on creativity through space and movement rather than intellectual process.

In 2021, we launched our Off the Grid season, as we aim to produce theatre performance that blends into the changing natural landscape with specific focus on environment and sustainability. Our next Horror production Sylvan will premiere in Forests across Ireland this Autumn.

Laura is a Belfast based Freelance Graphic Designer specialising in music, theatre and events branding. Laura works with local arts companies and created the branding for SkelpieLimmer along with the poster design and social media for Two Fingers Up for the Dublin and Edinburgh Fringe. View her work at www.lauracraigdesign.co.uk

Publicity, consultancy and advocacy for culture and activism – let’s tell your story.

With a portfolio including Pussy Riot, Theatre Gu Leòr and Feral, Storytelling PR specialises in revolutionary live performance. We run the year-round Summerhall press team and deliver kick-arse campaigns for both UK touring theatre and shorter runs. We know Scotland’s arts scene – including the Edinburgh Festival Fringe – inside-out.

The team is made up of Miriam Attwood, Emma Costello, Emma Ainley-Walker, Erin Frances Speirs and Eleanor Bally. While all of our projects have a campaign lead, we work collaboratively to get the most out of our contacts, knowledge and creativity. This has allowed us to get some truly impressive coverage for our companies and it makes each day in the office much more open and interesting.

Two Fingers Up was supported by & filmed at The MAC Belfast. The award-winning venue in Belfast's Cathedral Quarter is home to all kinds of exhibitions, theatre performances, experimental works and endless goings-on.

The MAC is a cultural hub and since opening in 2012 has quickly become a beacon for the ongoing regeneration of Belfast. Open 363 days per year, we offer an eclectic programme of visual art, theatre, dance, family workshops and lots more.
Since opening, an amazing 2.2 million visitors have come through the doors of the MAC. These visitors have attended more than 3,000 live performances, 40 visual art exhibitions and 100 family workshops.

Culture Ireland promotes Irish arts worldwide. They create and support opportunities for Irish artists and companies to present and promote their work at strategic international festivals and venues including the Edinburgh Festivals and the Venice Biennales.

This year, Culture Ireland will showcase 11 Irish productions as part of the 2021 Edinburgh Fringe Festival (6 – 30 August).

Since 2006, Culture Ireland has supported artists to travel to Edinburgh, to present their work to international audiences and to capitalise on the global audiences and industry professionals who travel to the Scottish city every August.

OPEN MINDS OPEN DOORS

Summerhall – “One of the world’s great arts venues.” (Mark Cousins, The Guardian 2014) – is a venue for diverse programmes of visual and performing arts. It is a place for all kinds of events, parties, workshops, festivals, weddings and meetings. It is home to a varied community of creative artists and businesses, including a pub, café, brewery and distillery.

Summerhall has fast become a key arts organisation in Edinburgh, at festival time and throughout the year. Its Edinburgh Festival Fringe programmes have “rewired the Fringe” (The Stage), winning multiple Fringe First and Total Theatre awards, and bringing leading theatre-makers to the Fringe.