This review was originally written for The Reviews Hub. As the end of the world approaches and uncertainty is all-consuming, two documentary filmmakers follow their subjects through the mire of emotions and struggles they face. The subjects, Clara and Kip, work their way through the seven stages of the apocalypse while the documentary makers remain mostly aloof and at times directive.…
Tag: Project Arts Centre
Review: If We Got Some More Cocaine…
This review was originally written for The Reviews Hub. Coldness hangs in the air above the rooftops of Ennis on Halloween night. Blue flashing lights and the sound of gardaí cars herald the arrival of two young men, scampering onto the roof of a house to avoid the law enforcement below. The adrenaline is almost palpable and soon to be…
Review: Endings
This review was originally written for The Reviews Hub. Grief and loss often act as a catalyst for artistic expression but in the case of Endings the impetus for creativity is the moment of life ending itself. A combination of analogue and digital technology mix with dramatic lighting in this docu-theatre performance piece by Tamara Saulwick. Reel-to-reel tape recorders rustle and churn out…
Review: The Effect
Originally broadcast 24/03/2017 on Arena, RTE Radio 1. The Effect, presented by Rough Magic Theatre Company, runs until April 1st 2017 at Project Arts Centre, Dublin. Writer: Lucy Prebble Cast: Siobhán Cullen, Donal Gallery, Ronan Leahy and Ali White Director: Ronan Phelan Set and Costume Design: Sarah Bacon Lighting Design: Sarah Jane Shiels Music and Sound Design: Denis Clohessy AV Design: Adam Gibney…
Review: Shackleton
This review was originally written for The Reviews Hub. Just over 100 years ago, at the outbreak of the First World War, Anglo-Irish explorer Ernest Shackleton and his crew embarked on what was grandiosely named the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition. Shackleton and his men were not long into their journey when they encountered their first somewhat predicable problem; ice. In what…
Review: The Last Siren
This review was originally written for The Reviews Hub. Director: Ksenija Krnajski Being the only one of her kind left, the titular last siren wanders her beach, lamenting the past with only flotsam and debris as company. Her sister has departed and she has been driven demented by loneliness. The siren (Lauren Kinsella) has no one to listen to her…
Review: This is Not a Love Story
This review was originally written for The Reviews Hub. Creator: Gunilla Heilborn A lightning flash and a thunder clap herald the arrival of two performers, Johan Thelander and Kristiina Viiala. The storm rages momentarily and then the story begins. Or rather stories. Exploring the creative process as well as the lived experience of the team, This is Not a Love…
Review: Coast
This review was originally written for The Reviews Hub. In an Irish seaside town four people with, apparently, very different lives begin to tell their stories. Carol (Camille Lucy Ross) tends to the every need to her dementing mother and is rapidly losing her patience. Gerry (Donncha O’Dea) is an alcoholic loner with only his faithful dog as a companion,…
Review: Opera Briefs
This review was originally written for The Reviews Hub. A double-bill of Monteverdi and Handel comprises Opera Briefs, which is presented by The Royal Irish Academy of Music (RIAM), in collaboration with The Lir National Academy of Dramatic Art. Focussing on love in opera and choosing lesser performed pieces, Monteverdi’s Tirsi e Clori is first, which offers a mini-showcase of…
Review: Castle Rock
This review was originally written for The Reviews Hub. Inspired by Stephen King’s novella The Body, which was subsequently adapted into the cult film Stand By Me, Castle Rock re-imagines this well-known story and is presented by Bristol-based theatre company Massive Owl. As with any adaptation, Stand By Me didn’t remain wholly truthful to Stephen King’s original story, so it…
David Keane 