Abby Oliveira is a spoken-word poet, writer, performer, and arts facilitator based in the North of Ireland.
Her work is often cross-discipline and collaborative, comprising poetry, storytelling, music, prose, playwriting, and/or physical performance.
She was awarded SIAP funding by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland in order to complete her debut poetry manuscript in 2021. Recent published work includes contributions to The 32: An anthology of Irish Working Class voices (Unbound, 2021), The New Frontier: reflections from the Irish border (New Island Books, 2021), and Empty House: poetry & prose on the climate crisis (Doire Press, 2021)
She has been commissioned as a writer many times, by organisations such as BBC & RTE radios, The MAC, and more.
She also performs in stage productions, including her own shows ‘Cast Away Your Compass’ (2016/17 – which toured several dates in Australia), and the multi-media show 'Legends of the Coven' in 2018. Having taken some time out to grow a baby, be a mammy, 2020 and all its chaos, the Legends show awaits its resurgence.
She collaborates extensively with artists in other disciplines; most recently with the acrobats of Compagnie XY. There have been many music collaborations of many styles; from trip-hop to folk to electronic soundscape and more. These collaborations have been prevalent in her spoken-word work over the past few years. An example of a recent music collaboration has been with musician Mark Graham (formerly King Kong Company), providing the poetry for urban street festival organisation Spraoi’s multimedia performance installation Prism, as well as with Basork, Warriors of the Dystotheque, Garth McConaghie, and more.
Facilitation:
Abby has extensive experience as a facilitator in performance poetry, creative writing, storytelling and drama, and has worked in this capacity since circa 2007, with all ages and abilities. She has facilitated workshops for the likes of Creative Lives, The Irish Writers' Centre, the Seamus Heaney Homeplace, The Playhouse, The Waterside Theatre, Derry/Strabane District Council, CARA Friend, Donegal CoCo, Wainfest, and many more.
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photo by Turlach O'Broin
video still from The Morrigan's Love - written by Abby Oliveira for Derry Halloween 2020 & In Your Space circus
as The MorrÃgan, Derry Halloween 2020
as Marie Laveau in Legends of the Coven - a one woman show written and performed by Abby, 2018
Very exciting collaboration with the amazing Spraoi in 2021. Abby wrote and performed the spoken-word poetry element to this multi-genre public performance installation.
debut album cover: The Seventh Daughter by 7 Daughters
The last gig before lockdown. It was a belter. This, at The Duncairn, Belfast, 2020. Alongside Stephen James Smith, Steve Simpson, Chandrika Narayanan-Mohan, and Aidan Murphy.
with Velvet Alibi, 2018
on stage with Velvet Alibi at the closing concert of EchoEcho Dance festival
as Bridget Cleary in Legends of the Coven, performed at Eastrogen Rising cabaret, Dublin
in The Derry Dearg Due-short film, 2020
in Mothers Out Front by Edie Shillue, produced by Sole Purpose Productions
with the crew of the play Lesbian Style, written by Hilary McCollum, directed by Patricia Byrne/Sole Purpose Productions.
with singer/songwriters Birdwoman and BeRn, at The Monday Night Cure, 2017
regulars at the Monday Night Cure in Sandino's, Derry, in their Halloween garb
cover of Abby's spoken-word album Cast Away Your Compass, 2016
photo by Carrie Davenport
performing at NUI Galway, 2017
poster for theatre double-header - Ghosts (by Gemma Walker) and Legends of the Coven (by Abby Oliveira).
with poets Cat Hepburn, Kevin P Gilday, and Michael Pedersen after performing at Sonnet Youth... on a train somewhere between Glasgow and Edinburgh, 2019
at the London Irish Centre 2019
Oz tour dates, 2016
