There were two things that impelled me to form Replay Theatre Company. I can trace the first directly to a night when I sat, as an unemployed actress, in the Lyric theatre and experienced the excitement of what was the first night of Martin Lynches "Dockers". For the first time I realised that the accent I spoke with and the place I came from was as valid and exciting as anything I had ever seen represented on stage to date. That experience led inevitably to my part in the founding of Charabanc Theatre Company, the ground-breaking women's company whose early work was so firmly rooted in a celebration of a specifically Northern Irish identity.

The second reason was to do with my close connection to education. In a short detour before I opted for the less secure option of a life in the theatre I had trained and worked as a teacher. In my early career as an actress I had also been part of ad-hoc companies of actors who had "gotten up" a little show to take round schools, a lucrative and captive market since properly organised and funded Theatre in Education had collapsed here in the mid 80's. The production standards of these companies were often lamentable, operating as they did without subsidy and on profit share.

There was no doubt about it. Young people in schools in Northern Ireland were not getting what they deserved which was the best we could afford to give them in a context that reflected their own experience. So Replay was born in the front bedroom of my then home 10 Ormiston Gardens, Upper Newtownards Road, Belfast.

The story of Replay's early years is one of being in the right place at the right time. Our seed funding came from Belfast City Council who just happened to be looking for an event to commemorate the centenary of Belfast as a city when we were preparing "Under Napoleon's Nose" a play on the history of Belfast. Our next break was to be "noticed" by a very discerning civil servant who recognised the potential of theatre to promote better community relations. At the time Education For Mutual Understanding and Promotion of Cultural Heritage was a major priority in government policy. Funding opportunities previously unavailable to arts groups were opened to us. This was a huge milestone in the development of the company and we didn't have to make any compromises to fit the bill.

If it all hadn't been such hard work along the way I would almost say we were destined to succeed. It was all enormous fun if not exactly conducive to mental health. By the time I left Replay seven years later we were delivering quality productions scripted by major writers such as Marie Jones, Gary Mitchell and Damian Gorman to young people in Primary, Secondary and Special schools in every part of Northern Ireland. Plays such as "Permanent Deadweight", "The Cow the Ship and the Indian" and "That Driving Ambition" allowed our young people to witness their own background and culture validated on stage. The journey that started for me that evening in the Lyric theatre was complete. I had done what I set out to do. To do more was simply to repeat myself. That is always the time to go.

Frank Quinn (Founder Member) writes

I look back over fourteen years to the circumstances faced by Replay, then a newly formed and emerging Theatre-in -Education company, and think of the complex of expectations held by teachers, pupils and stakeholders. I think of how challenges were met and how good relations were nourished with the stakeholders. I remember the development of all elements of production through close teamwork and consultation to deliver quality work to the secondary level sector, which formed the first audiences for the work. My first production with Replay was "It's a waste of time Tracey" in 1989.
I think too of the first workshops I delivered for this sector and of other subsequent landmark achievements for the Company. I have fond memories of my, and the Company's, first venture into work with the primary school sector with "The Cow, the Ship & the Indian" in 1991, and of introducing mask and puppet work for younger audiences. The multiplicity of skills required in establishing and developing the company's work in Special Needs Education, began with " Don't Look Down", and grew to be more inclusive of the target audience in each subsequent stage of production development.

From the company's beginnings in an office in the spare bedroom of Brenda's house, through the many stages in its' development, I have undertaken several roles, Production, Tour, and Company Manager; Education Officer with responsibility for providing work-packs for schools, and leading workshops; through to design of set and costumes for various writers and directors, and even on occasion performing. The multiplicity of roles I have undertaken over time ( and often several roles at once) gives me a unique insight into the development and history of Replay. I wish the company every future success as it approaches its fifteenth birthday, confident that it will meet new challenges with audiences not born at the time of the first production, "Under Napoleon's Nose ".

Jan Branch (General Manager 1992 - 1997) writes

In 1991 as Director of the newly opened old Museum Arts Centre I persuaded my Board that the way to bring energy and bodies into the building during the daytime was through taking on three groups as tenants. Applications were plentiful. One came from a two year old theatre-in education company called Replay Productions, whose Artistic Director brought in an impressive portfolio of work to date, and also the company's forward strategy. I was impressed by the mature approach of the company and its staff- Brenda Winter, Irene Swift and Frank Quinn- and particularly interested in the aim of expanding to work with the special schools sector as well as with primary and secondary schools. I made my recommendations to the Board-while they deliberated the persistent Ms Winter made daily calls, or instructed Irene to do so from their office in Brenda's fourth bedroom. The decision was made, and Replay moved in, complete with their own fridge and-unseen in the building till then- a coffee table. Their somewhat precarious trailer, towed by the company car, attempted entry into the yard only once- the gate was too low.

Six months later I left the Old Museum and went off to projects with a new charity and with the Arts Council. Came the call from Replay- 'You know that special needs work you were really interested in? Would you help us with the fundraising?' I went back as a volunteer, when time and other commitments would allow. And somehow found myself a few months later as the company's first General Manager. I left around five years later, by which time I knew a lot more about many things, including working with young people with special needs. And I had a great time in between.

Janice Jarvis (Artistic Director 1996-2000) writes

I arrived in Northern Ireland on 3 January 1996 to take up the role of Artistic Director from Replay's founder, Brenda Winter. It was a cold and dreary evening - lashing rain - but it didn't take long for my spirits to lift. It was fantastic to inherit such an efficient and well thought of company! Replay had an excellent reputation for its work with and for young people and I felt very proud to be associated with it.

Replay's strengths were in the high quality of its artistic output and its general management. The willingness of both experienced local theatre artists and newcomers to work with us, combined with solid support from schools was testimony to this. In addition, regular reviews and coverage of Replay's work in various media gave the company a profile with the wider community of Northern Ireland. This is almost unheard of for young people's theatre companies in England and was a refreshing and welcome change for me.

One of the adjustments I wanted to make to Replay's artistic policy was to include existing play-scripts in the programme of work. I felt that alongside commissioning new work from local writers this would give our audiences a richer diet and a wider perspective. My first project was Mirad, A Boy From Bosnia by the Dutch playwright, Ad de Bont. Mirad became a 3 part project for 14-18 year olds. It was very well received and I was delighted - and relieved!

Having made a start, the next few years flew by and were intensely busy. We continued to commission plays and mount 3 tours per year, each of 6-9 weeks duration, whilst also striving to achieve more financial stability for the company. There were 3 key aspects of Replay's work that I wished to develop - the Resource Packs, the visual impact of the productions (tricky when you tour daily!) and the work in Special Schools. Despite constant financial struggles we certainly made progress - but there's always further to go. That's the nature of art!

When I left Replay in December 2000 I felt -

Sad - to be leaving such a vibrant and growing company
Happy - that the company's reputation had been enhanced with both schools and the general public
Tired - but with loads of wonderful memories!
Privileged - to have had the opportunity to contribute to Replay Productions and to acquaint myself with the people and landscape of Northern Ireland.