Writer and Director: Joe Wright
DAFT is an incredibly unique piece of theatre. While only featuring three actors, it represents a significant amount of people who are currently struggling due to the cost of living and housing crisis in Ireland. Despite being set in a not-so-distant future in a dystopian Dublin, it heavily reflects our present-day reality.
The setting of the Boy Schools in the Smock Alley Theatre always gives a very inclusive feeling to the setting of a play, and the actors made great use of the winding pathways and balconies, walking amongst the audience and using dynamic spacing within the scenes. The closeness of the audience makes the play very intimate as the actors are directly in front of us, and confronting us with the harrowing emotions of the show. The set design includes an array of different furniture and props that truly decorates the play realistically. The attention to detail is definitely noteworthy.
While DAFT depicts an incredibly warped sense of our world as we know it, many moments have elements of today. Despite the tragic setting, the play is comedically brilliant, with an excellent sense of comedic timing within moments of melancholy. This allows the play to not feel as heavy on the audience, and makes the emotional moments even more memorable. The dialogue is very naturally conducted by the three actors, and some lines are delivered as spoken word poetry, allowing many of the most poignant moments to be truly absorbed by the audience.
DAFT features some incredible sound design and powerful acting, and certainly leaves the audience with many thoughts on Ireland today and what we may become.
Ran Until 3rd May 2023.
