Monsters, Dinosaurs, Ghosts

(Paperback)

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Description

We wanted to be someone. Some . . . I dunno . . . thing. Nig and Wee Joe used to be soldiers. They have done monstrous things. Now nobody is listening and nobody gives a fuck either way. Their lives are full of cognitive behavioural therapy, valium and guilt. One last operation offers the chance to bring meaning to their actions. It also brings them face to face with L, who represents the new and unpredictable reality of war in Northern Ireland. This tense and darkly funny play from Jimmy McAleavey takes a fearless look at why men go to war. This edition was published to coincide with the world premiere at the Abbey Theatre, Dublin, on 4 June 2015.

Reviews

the message does come through loud and clear: violence destroys the perpetrator as much as the victim, and throwing yourself into its bottomless pit will never unearth absolution or lost humanity. * Sunday Independent Living *
authentic. Monsters, Dinosaurs, Ghosts is a compelling piece of work, undeniably crude in places, but full of provocative ideas and salty northern humour. . . . McAleavey skilfully walks a tightrope between pitch-black comedy and psychological thriller - and has produced a memorably unsettling drama that shows the peace process had its victims too. * Sunday Business Post Magazine *
The new work by Jimmy McAleavey is tagged as a darkly funny play that takes a fearless look at why men go to war. . . . a blistering and hilariously black dissection of the ideology and activities of the Provisional IRA . . . The play doesn't just cast a piercing light on the perverse ideology of guns and bombs, it asks one compelling question: how can the same people who are unapologetic in their support for the methods and motives of the Provisional IRA, condemn the Real IRA for having the same ends and using the same tactics . . . There is scorching black humour about the difference between the high-flown rhetoric and the reality, about the elaborate ritual of throwing police off the scent, the jargon of psychotherapy, the intricacies of transporting bombs, and the sudden great interest in baseball bats. * Irish Mail on Sunday *

Author Bio

Jimmy McAleavey is the author of numerous stage plays, including: Inventors (Kabosh, 2013), The Queens Shilling (Goldin+Senneby 2013), Titans (Kabosh, 2012), Monsters, Dinosaurs (Abbey Theatre, 2011), Get Gaddafi (Tinderbox, 2011), The Sign of the Whale (Tinderbox, 2010), The Joy (and Roy) of Irish (Kabosh, 2010), The Virgin Father (Tinderbox, 2009) and Weirdwolf (Tinderbox, 2008). Awards include: Stewart Parker Major Bursary (The Sign of the Whale), shortlisted for Meyer Whitworth Award (The Sign of the Whale), shortlisted for King's Cross Theatre Award (Weirdwolf), Special Commendation Imison Award (The Ballad of Shane O'Neill), BBC Northern Lights short film award (Heroes), RTE/Galway Film Centre Short Film Award (Crossing), BBC Radio 4 First Bite Award (Cemetery Sunday), Finalist in the BBCNI Tony Doyle Award, NI Arts Council ACES award, NI Arts Council SIAP award. Jimmy McAleavey is currently Lecturer in Creative Writing at the Seamus Heaney Centre/School of English, Queens University Belfast. He convenes the MA in Creative Writing (Scriptwriting) and teaches Year 2 and Year 3 undergraduates.