Palestine-inspired play for Nenagh

A RAINY day in Dublin. A jaded supermarket employee rips a boycott sticker off a bottle of olive oil. And the Palestinian olive tree of history comes to life before her...
A magic realist journey into the stories and struggles of Palestine, past, present and future, 'The Olive Tree' will be staged at Nenagh Arts Centre this Friday, May 5th. Written and performed by Katie O’Kelly (Stage UK nominee for Best Solo Performer, Edinburgh Fringe 2012), the play was inspired by Katie's recent trip to Palestine, where she planted olive trees with local farmers.

Katie, from Dublin, describes her play as the story of “a disgruntled Tesco worker who gets whisked away to Palestine when she comes face to face with a talking olive tree...

“Boycott is such a vital and important method of peaceful resistance, and one which was invented on Irish soil in the 1880s,” she said. “Having been to Palestine, I feel the necessity more than ever to add my voice to the call for boycott, and to present what I witnessed there in a clear and entertaining way for Irish audiences.”

Described by The Reviews Hub as “remarkably funny... lyrical and intelligent language makes the political personal”, Pure M magazine found 'The Olive Tree' “a story told with magic and emotional realness”.

Katie O'Kelly has been working as a professional playwright and actor for the past seven years. She recently premiered her adaptation of James Joyce’s Dubliners short stories. She wrote 'The Olive Tree' in 2016 and brought it to Zimbabwe. 

 

Katie has toured extensively with the solo show 'JOYCED!', written by Donal O’Kelly, for which she was nominated for the Stage Award. 'JOYCED!' toured nationally around Ireland and to Norway, Finland and the UK, receiving a bursary to perform in the Brighton Fringe Festival. 

 

Onstage at the local arts centre this Friday at 8.30pm, Katie's Nenagh show is one of a series that she is currently performing around the country. Visit www.nenagharts.com for more details.