Room to Create Residencies 2026: Giving Artists the Space They Deserve

28 January 2026

Finding space to make work in Dublin? We all know it’s not easy!

Artists are constantly up against it, and we see that struggle every day. As a year-round artist support organisation, we’re all about helping creatives in whatever way we can. That’s why we’re opening our office and handing over space to artists with ambitious ideas and big vision. For the second year running, we were blown away by the quality of applications we received through recent open calls – so we’re delighted to announce the 2026 Dublin Fringe Festival: Room to Create Residencies.

After a really difficult selection process, nine incredible artists who will each take over an office at Fringe HQ for two weeks, giving them time and headspace to experiment, explore, and dive deep into their projects. Plus, they’ll receive support from the Dublin Fringe Festival Team to bounce ideas, get feedback, and push their work to the next level while they’re here. We are especially delighted that this year we have artists from so many artforms- music, theatre, visual art, dance, comedy, performance art, interdisciplinary work, and design.

The 2026 Room to Create Artists are: CN Smith & Dominic O’Brien (duo), Day Magee, Obanaa, Francis Breen, Josué Reis, Lucy Holmes, Mar Parés Baraldés, and ÓDÚ

Two men with curly hair and beards; the man on the left is outside with a green background, and the man on the right is indoors with a plain background.

CN Smith & Dominic O’Brien: CN Smith is a playwright and theatre maker from County Louth. His play Spear was a Dublin Fringe Festival Commission in 2022 and received its North American premiere in February 2024. His play Corktown was commissioned as part of the Trans-Atlantic Commissions by Fishamble: The New Play Company and The Irish Repertory Theatre. He holds an MFA in Playwriting from the Lir Academy, where he was a recipient of the Patricia Leggett Scholarship. Dominic is a theatre-maker from Dublin. As a writer, he sets out to make work that questions the cultural legacies we’ve inherited. As a director, he likes making plays that feel live and dangerous. Recent directing credits UBU (Dublin Youth Theatre, 2025) and GLASS PLACES (Dublin Fringe Festival, 2025). Writing credits include ECHO (Smock Alley Boys School, 2024) and DECAMERON (Rough Weekend, 2022). He is currently Rough Magic Theatre Company’s Associate Director.

A person with a serene expression gazes to the side, wearing a green silk headscarf against a dark background, evoking a classic, timeless feel.

Day Magee: Artist, performer and writer based in Dublin. Their interdisciplinary practice engages the body in time and space as a creative material and ontological technology. Interrogating the lived embodiment of the stories we tell ourselves about ourselves, their work explores queerness, illness and religiosity. Their work has been commissioned by and appeared in TULCA Festival (2019); Arts & Disability Ireland (2021); Pallas Projects/Studios (2022); Limerick City Gallery of Art (2022); 126 Gallery (2023); Rua Red (2023); the Hugh Lane Gallery (2023) and Mirror Lamp Press (2024). Their  practice is supported by the Arts Council of Ireland.

Woman in a red sweater holds a cigar, sitting against a bright orange background. She gazes thoughtfully to the side, conveying a relaxed mood.

Qbanaa: Also known as Q, is an Irish-Cuban artist blending her two homes into Latin-infused neo-soul, R&B, and alternative pop. Inspired by Erykah Badu, Naomi Sharon, Greentea Peng, Kali Uchis, Sabrina Claudio, and Khruangbin. Known for rich storytelling, straight-to-the-point lyrics, and honey-infused vocals, Qbanaa creates music that feels intimate yet expansive. Q's toured all over Europe, attended songwriting camps with Jameson x Anderson .Paak, performed on The Late Late Show, and collaborated widely as a songwriter. Qbanaa’s goal is to tour globally and create a sense of home through her music worldwide.

A man with brown hair and a beard, wearing a green turtleneck, looks upward and smiles; purple lighting and grid windows are visible in the background.

Francis Breen: A firmly alternative comedian from county Armagh, currently based in Dublin. He first moved to Dublin and became involved in comedy during his time as chair of the comedy society in college. Since then he has worked in some of the biggest venues in the UK and Ireland as a performer and a producer including two solo shows at the Edinburgh Fringe. He has studied clown under several teachers in the UK and Ireland and runs a quarterly clown show called 'Who's This Clown?'. A cult comedian in the making- a one man Reeves and Mortimer.

A man gazes intensely to the side in a close-up portrait. He wears a textured dark coat. The background is softly blurred, emphasizing his serious expression.

Josué Reis: A Brazilian dancer, choreographer, and dance researcher from Salvador, Bahia, a city renowned for its Afro-Brazilian culture. He began performing professionally at 13, developing his practice through street dance and commercial work. Now based in Ireland, he teaches, performs, and has worked with Irish Modern Dance Theatre, umakoko, stand.ie, godanceforchange lead workshop in universities, and with major venues across Ireland and . His research focuses on Hip-Hop and Krump within contemporary contexts. Josué has worked with brands such as Adidas, Toyota, L’óreal, Red Bull and is an Artist in Collaborative Practice award recipient (Creative Ireland 2024/25).

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Lucy Holmes: An actor and writer working across stage and screen, a dramaturg and theatre maker and founder of the multidisciplinary theatre company FILTH! Lucy engages in politically driven, transformative work that experiments with genre and form, as she strives to understand the human and emotional cost of bigger picture questions. Some of Lucy's recent credits include THIS TOO SHALL PASS (Dublin Fringe) There's Nowhere Left To Go (Dublin Fringe) Connections (Electric Picnic.) Lucy holds an MFA in Playwriting from The Lir Academy, is an alumni of Bow Street Academy and was an emerging producer with field;arts in 2024.

Young woman with shoulder-length dark hair, wearing hoop earrings and a white sleeveless top, stands against a red background, conveying a calm expression.

Mar Parés Baraldés: A scenographer from Barcelona, now based in Dublin. She holds an MFA in Stage Design from The Lir Academy and a BA in Design from the University of Art and Design of Barcelona. Her practice explores narratives through space, image, and performing bodies, drawing on a background in visual arts and design research. Recent credits include Constriction by Mai Ishikawa and Am I The A**hole? by Dafe Pessu Orugbo, both premiered as part of Dublin Fringe Festival 2025.

A person with blonde hair is shown in close-up with a contemplative expression, bathed in vibrant green and pink lighting that creates a modern, artistic mood.

ÓDÚ: A Wicklow-based artist and theatre maker specialising in composition, writing and performance. She has worked as composer and lyricist on several acclaimed stage works including ‘Confirmation’ (2018) and the award-winning 'Oliver Cromwell Is Really Very Sorry' (2022). In addition to her career in theatre, she has been working in the music industry for over a decade, writing and performing as ÓDÚ as well as collaborating with other songwriters and performers  and creating for film and television. She is currently writing her first full length musical.