Writer: David Ireland Director: Gareth Nicholls Reviewer: Ciara L. Murphy An Englishman, an Ulster Unionist, and an Irish-American try to put on a play. This is not the opening line to a poorly delivered joke, but it is the premise of a poorly written play. David Ireland's Ulster American split the critics in 2018 during its Edinburgh run. It's hard to ...

Writer: Samuel Beckett Adaption: Barry McGovern Director: Tom Creed Reviewer: Sarah Hoover Samuel Beckett wrote Watt while around him WWII demonstrated that reason alone cannot make sense of the world and do not make it a better place. He said he wrote it to keep him sane, and the desperation with which the title character seeks order, structure, and logic ...

Writer: Gemma Kane Director: Claire Maguire Reviewer: Clara Mallon “I actually walked into that smoke to die”. Gemma Kane’s debut play 48 begins with searing testimony of survivor’s guilt. A smoke haze oppressively fills Smock Alley’s Boys School theatre and we are introduced to bodies who clamour methodically, moving agonisingly throughout the space, gasping for air immersed in disco lights. Aided ...

Writer: Tracy Martin Director: Vanessa Fielding  Reviewer: Ciara L. Murphy “People don’t like young girls full of life, making noise.” Working class women suffer a double jeopardy of discrimination. They are marginalised from society by proxy of their class and they are marginalised within their class by the controlling element misogyny. Tracy Martin’s Dublin Will Show You How illuminates the weight ...

Writer: Clare Dunne Director: Tom Creed Reviewer: Laura Marriott “I’m afraid to admit I’m tired of roaming / But it feels a weird kinda good to be home” When life doesn’t seem to be going anywhere and you find yourself living back in your childhood bedroom what can you do? Well, if you’re Missy, you draw on your eyebrows, get ...

Writer: Edna O'Brien Adaption: Edna O'Brien Director: Graham McLaren Reviewer: Ciara L. Murphy "He came home." Those three words change Kate's life forever. Kate (Grace Collender) and Baba (Lola Pettigrew) are about to embark on the adventure of their lives. Heading for St. Enda's convent school, these two teenage girls confront their own sexuality, the limits and challenges of female ...

Creators: Brokentalkers Reviewer: Ciara L. Murphy What do we really know about the Irish prison system? And, do we even care what goes on? These two questions sit at the forefront of The Examination, a performance about the Irish prison system. Using a blend of biography and socially engaged performance practice, Brokentalkers present a challenging task to their audience: to try ...

Writer: David Greig Director: Cora Bissett Composer: Cora Bissett Reviewer: Ciara L. Murphy "You can't change everything, but you can change something." Glasgow Girls opens at the Abbey Theatre this week amid a sea of ongoing controversy surrounding programming at Ireland's National Theatre. Glasgow Girls is not exactly a typical Abbey production, so does it deserve its place on Ireland's national stage? ...