LYRIC THEATRE ‘ABLAZE’ WITH EMERGING TALENT AS BELFAST PLAYWRIGHTS SHOWCASED
Continuing their commitment to championing emerging theatre talent, the Lyric Theatre Belfast is set to showcase ABLAZE Productions new play Cailíní by Belfast playwrights Íde Simpson and Beth Strahan at Lyric Theatre’s Naughton Studio Thurs 2 – Sun 5 May.
Debuting at the Samuel Beckett Theatre Dublin in November 2023, as part of a final piece for the Trinity College Drama and Theatre Studies degree, to a sold-out audience and much praise, Cailíní draws on rich Irish theatre heritage to give a contemporary take on the intrinsic link between Irish femininity and domesticity.
The dispersed Mahon sisters Katherine (Lily-Kate Hearns), Clodagh (Megan Doherty) with boyfriend Eamonn Brown (Séan McDermott), Annie (Éabha Ó Céidigh Hayes), and half-sister Mairead (Juliet Hill) return to the family home at the behest of their sister Úna (Íde Simpson), with news that their Father is sick. Over the course of the evening, truths that the sisters would rather withhold from each other begin to spill out as they share childhood memories and clearly struggle to interact as adults. And with their Father still yet to make an appearance, Katherine and Úna battle it out to answer the question that they have wanted to know the answer to since their mother died: whose kitchen is this?
Beth Strahan, writer, director, and producer of Cailíní from ABLAZE Productions said:
“It is very important to us that Cailíní is being showcased at the Lyric Theatre Belfast, not least
because it is mine and Íde’s hometown, but it is an honour being on such a culturally significant stage at such an admired place. We are very proud, humbled and grateful to be supported by Lyric Theatre, who consistently believe in and support new talent. My initial goal for this piece was to challenge societal norms surrounding Irish femininity, and I cannot wait to continue this journey on a stage that I have enjoyed since childhood.”
Íde Simpson, writer, actor, and producer of Cailíní from ABLAZE Productions added:
“Having had a short extract of my first play Fighting Words performed at the Lyric, it is a great honour to bring a full-scale show to its stage. Cailíní explores the struggles of domesticated femininity, celebrating the idea of the ‘flawed’ woman and drawing on the rich canon of Irish theatre greats. It weaves themes of sisterhood and domesticity in a contemporary setting of a suburban Dublin family home. This piece is for sisters, for families, for displaced individuals, for Irish people, non-Irish people, and anyone who knows, or has known what it feels like to be tested by those you love.”
Morag Keating, Senior Producer at Lyric Theatre Belfast commented:
“We are thrilled to support this exciting new play coming to the Naughton Studio and showcase the work of emerging artists like actor-writer-directors Íde Simpson and Beth Strahan in a prescient play about family and sisterhood.”Cailíní runs at Lyric Theatre’s Naughton Studio Thurs 2nd – Sat 4th May (four performances). For booking information visit www.lyrictheatre.co.uk. Tickets start from £15. Age recommendation: 15+. Follow Ablaze Theatre Company on Instagram @cailinitheplay and Twitter @cailinitheplay.
About Lyric Theatre
The Lyric Theatre is a playhouse for all. We are a shared, open, welcoming place to meet and exchange ideas; changing lives through our commitment to creativity and cultural talent. The beating cultural heart of Northern Ireland for almost 75 years, the Lyric Theatre is the home of world-class theatre, nurturing talent and inspiring the next generation of theatre makers and audiences. Since 1951, this special place has been a springboard for internationally acclaimed playwrights, poets, directors and actors, helping to showcase talent across the world.
As Northern Ireland’s only full-time theatre to produce its own productions from page to stage, we care deeply about maintaining a high-quality and inclusive programme that captures the imaginations of our audiences. We were recently named UK’s Theatre of the Year 2023 in recognition of the impact we make off our stages – supporting hundreds of writers to develop their work; engaging with tens of thousands of children and young people every year in communities and schools; creating pathways to employment; and nurturing and training young actors through our Drama Studio.
About ABLAZE Productions
ABLAZE is a theatre company that was born from the need to unite the female creative voices from within the Irish and Northern Irish theatre industry. Headed by Belfast and Dublin-based theatremakers Beth Strahan, Íde Simpson and Megan Doherty, their ethos is to create work that challenges the gender norms placed on women in Ireland and Northern Ireland. “No longer can we deem the women of our stage to maternal, “Mother Ireland” figures: we must interrogate and celebrate what it means to be flawed, and be proud of it.”
ABLAZE premiered its production of Cailíní in November, 2023, at the Samuel Beckett Theatre, Dublin.
