Contemporary Irish Plays: Freefall; Forgotten; Drum Belly; Planet Belfast; Desolate Heaven; The Boys of Foley Street

(Paperback)

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Description

Contemporary Irish Plays showcases the new drama that has emerged since 2008. Featuring a blend of established and emerging writers, the anthology shows how Irish writers are embracing new methods of theatre-making to explore exciting new themes while also finding new ways to come to terms with the legacies of the Troubles and the Celtic Tiger. Freefall is a sharp, humorous and exhilarating look at the fragility of a human life, blending impressionistic beauty, poignancy and comedy. Forgotten features the interconnecting stories of four elderly people living in retirement homes and care facilities around Ireland, who range in age from 80 to 100 years old. Drum Belly is a fascinating play about the Irish mafia in late 1960s' New York. It premiered at the Abbey Theatre in 2012. Previously unpublished, Planet Belfast by Rosemary Jenkinson is about a woman named Alice Stormonts only Green MLA who must toe a delicate line between large, sectarian power bases in order to promote an environmental agenda in Northern Ireland. Desolate Heaven is a story about two young girls hoping to find freedom from home in the trappings of love. It was first performed at Theatre 503, London, in 2013 Written for the 2012 Dublin Theatre Festival, and previously unpublished, The Boys of Foley Street by Louise Lowe is a piece of site-specific theatre which led audience members on a tour of the backstreets of inner-city Dublin. Edited by the leading scholar on Irish theatre, Patrick Lonergan, Contemporary Irish Plays is a timely reminder of the long-held tradition and strength of Irish theatre which blossoms even in its new-found circumstances.

Reviews

funny, touching, and arrestingly original ... a beautiful, sustained act of ensemble wondering at the peculiar business of being alive, of all that striving and struggling, loving and losing. Highly recommended. * Daily Telegraph on Freefall *
Mr. Kinevane artfully conveys the secrets, the hidden past, of the aged, and the dignity often behind their quaint, seemingly innocuous bearing. * New York Times on Forgotten *
Razor sharp, telegraphic language is presented at times not as mere naturalistic dialogue, but almost as pure chorale rhythm... an extremely well crafted play. * Irish Theatre Magazine on Drum Belly *
Playwright Rosemary Jenkinson uses her latest work to mock Northern Irelands almost comical sense of self-regard ... and to tackle some of the big, global issues facing humanity in the 21st century ... a giant leap for Northern Ireland theatre. * culturenorthernireland.org on Planet Belfast *
A dark Irish fairytale ... there are moments to make your heart sing ... when the author concentrates on the young women, the writing is fresh and true, and it nibbles and gnaws at the heart. * Guardian on Desolate Heaven *
There won't be a fiercer, more disturbing look at urban life this year than The Boys of Foley Street ... Performed with ferocious precision, here is a play that takes a few streets and reveals a whole world. * Guardian on The Boys of Foley Street *

Author Bio

Patrick Lonergan is a lecturer in English at National University of Ireland, Galway. He writes about theatre for The Irish Times and Irish Theatre Magazine. His first book, Theatre and Globalization, was awarded the 2008 Theatre Book Prize. He has authored two Student Editions of plays by Martin McDonagh and is editor of The Methuen Drama Anthology of Irish Plays (2008).