'Who is Julie McNamara?
And quite frankly, who cares? Well apparently the in-bred McNamara clan in Merseyside are quite partial to her, along with those North and South of Ireland.'
Driven by a passion for social justice, Julie McNamara's work focuses on forgotten voices. Her writing comes from vivid landscapes of madness and moves the audience from bleak spaces into a gleeful absurdity. She is a great advocate within Disability Arts and is constantly seeking out imaginative solutions to open out her work to new audiences.
Showcase Performance: Crossings
1. Where do you find inspiration for your work?
Life. I stay open to the unexpected. 'Crossings' was inspired by a random discovery. I was searching for my Father's boat on the Mersey; the Dajam was sold on after his death. In my searches I'd to visit The Maritime Museum, instead I wandered into the International Museum of Slavery at Albert Dock in Liverpool and uncovered the truth about another boat entirely – a notorious slave ship called The Zong. I was incensed that this hadn't been a part of our education in Merseyside. I was born in Birkenhead, two members of the family worked in the Ship yard at Camell Lairds. Nobody told us about the Zong.