'Children of Lir' for Cloughjordan amphitheatre
Fresh from a three-slot performance at the Electric Picnic, local playwright Joanna Ryan-Purcell's version of 'The Children of Lir' will be staged at Cloughjordan's new amphitheatre this Saturday.
Joanna's version of the classic Irish story was performed for the first time at this year's Electric Picnic in the Global Green area. Two performances were held outdoor on the green and one performance was in the Village Hall on the Saturday night.
“Performing on the green was challenging as there was so much noise, so many people and so much happening,” Joanna said. “However, we still managed to hold the audience's attention for a full twenty-minute performance. This was quite impressive given that there was a carnival with pumping music right beside us! A lot of people stopped in their tracks and came over to see us perform.”
The performance in the Village Hall was on a proper stage with full lighting and sound equipment. This performance was a lot more intimate than the performance on the green.
“This performance went down so well and there was a very positive response from the audience,” Joanna recalled. “We even received a standing ovation!”
This same performance will be performed on the amphitheatre in Cloughjordan Eco Village at 3.30pm on Saturday September 23rd. It will be a half an hour-long performance, as this is a promo version of the show.
The show is performed through physical theatre, the script is written through poetic prose and the whole play is underpinned with beautiful music from a great pianist. To say it simply - poetry, movement and music to tell the story of the 'Children of Lir'.
This show will be performed as part of the Convergence Festival, which takes place in Cloughjordan Eco Village. Presented by Cloughjordan Arts, the story centres on four children who are transformed into swans and cursed to roam the oceans for nine hundred years. This play explores separation and coming together, identity, exile, loss and transitioning.
The full show will be up an running for a 2018 tour. For further details, see www.banbatheatrecompany.com.