Sorcán and Circus – Community Engagement Programme
Produced by Irish Aerial Creation Centre
Facilitated by Willzee and Chantal McCormick
Funded by Rethink Ireland

Sorcán & Circus is a new community engagement programme developed by Willzee and the IACC, rooted in Fidget Feet’s circus theatre production H.O.M.E.The programme centres Traveller voices, creativity, and cultural expression, working with young people (8–14) on halting sites and with early-career Traveller creatives through mentorship, performance, and paid artistic opportunities.

Sorcán is a Cant word meaning sound, reflecting the programme’s focus on voice, presence, and being heard.

We are seeking a Traveller Community Arts Evaluator to work alongside the programme over three years, 2026-2028. This role is not extractive or tokenistic: the evaluator will be a critical collaborator, helping to shape how the programme is documented, evaluated, and shared from a Traveller perspective.

The evaluator will:

• document impact in ways that are culturally safe and meaningful
• contribute to sector learning around Traveller inclusion in the arts
• help build practical legacy resources for other arts organisations

This role values lived experience, trust, care, and authorship as much as formal evaluation skills.

1. Programme Evaluation & Documentation

• Design and carry out culturally appropriate evaluation methods with:
  • young participants (ages 8–14) in the Sorcán and Circus programme on halting sites
  • participants in the Traveller Creative Sorcán and Circus Mentorship Programme
  • Circus skills workshops in circus studios (IACC, Galway Community Circus)
  • Traveller community attendance at H.O.M.E shows at various venues
• Gather qualitative insights through conversations, observation, reflection, and creative documentation
• Track impacts related to:
  • confidence, voice, and creative expression
  • access to arts spaces and professional pathways
  • feelings of belonging, visibility, and cultural safety

 

2. Case Studies

Produce written case studies (with consent) focusing on one or more of the following:

• young participants in the Sorcán and Circus programme
• the Traveller Creative Sorcán and Circus Mentorship Programme
• Venues hosting H.O.M.E. performances

Case studies may explore:

• participant journeys
• barriers encountered and supports needed
• the importance of paid, respectful creative opportunities
• reflections on performance, audience engagement, and visibility
• Cultural encounters between the Traveller community and the Arts Organisations

 

3. Traveller Creative Sorcán and Circus Mentorship Programme (Galway, 2026)

Work alongside the delivery of the pilot mentorship programme in Galway taking place in partnership with Misleór Festival of Nomadic Cultures.

Programme outline:

• 3 full paid days for 4 early-career Traveller artists
  • Day 1: Creative process (stage presence, songwriting, crowd work)
  • Day 2: Creation (developing a song/performance)
  • Day 3: Performance at Misleór Festival 2026, – TBC
    24 September, Black Box Theatre, Galway, ahead of O.M.E. 

Evaluator responsibilities:

• observe and document the mentorship process
• gather artist reflections
• assess strengths, challenges, and learning
• contribute evaluative insights to programme development

 

4. Guidebook Development

Complete and expand Fidget Feet’s draft guidebook “Making Arts Spaces Accessible to the Travelling Community” written by Ciara Moloughney

This guidebook will:

• be written by the Traveller Community Arts Evaluator in conversation with members of the Travelling community for the arts sector
• Provide historical context to the structural barriers faced by the Traveller community with reference to state policies such as the 1963 Commission on Itinerancy and its long-term impacts
• Discuss why access to arts and creative pathways matters
• offer practical, respectful guidance for engaging Traveller communities
• challenge deficit-based narratives
• include findings gathered from the evaluation of the Sorcán and Circus programme

Essential

• Member of the Travelling community
• Strong interest in Traveller advocacy, culture, and representation
• Ability to work sensitively with children, young people, and adults
• Confidence in written reflection and storytelling

Desirable

• Experience in community arts, evaluation, research, education, or facilitation
• Experience documenting programmes or writing reports
• Familiarity with arts or cultural organisations

We welcome applicants with non-traditional career paths.

The evaluator will be supported to work:

• at a humane pace
• with clear boundaries around consent and authorship
• in ways that prioritise care, trust, and reciprocity

This role recognises that evaluation is relational, not extractive.

• Irish Aerial Creation Centre will contract you
• This is a freelance role across 3 Years for €4860. This will be approx 9 days a year at €180 a day
• Travel costs will be reimbursed upon providing fuel receipts, to be confirmed between IACC and the Evaluator
• Work dates and times to be agreed in collaboration with the programme facilitators

 

If interested or have any questions please contact chantal@iacc.ie

Before the 15^th March 2026