Theatre & Film
Bed Among The Lentils
Birr Theatre & Arts Centre | Wed 5 Aug | 2.30pm, 7pm
Written by Alan Bennett | Performed by Rose HendersonThe Vicar, His Wife & The Grocer. Winter rolls into summer andSusan catches a glimpse of life as it should be. Parish life willnever be the same again. Oscar nominee, Tony and Bafta winnerAlan Bennett weaves a tale of three people and a congregationof the Vicar’s “fans” edged with jealousy, lust, redemption and agrocer with “lovely teeth”! Rose Henderson is “Susan” who on awinter evening stumbles across “life” and a glimpse of reality.
Tickets: €18 + booking fee
The Song Cycle
Birr Theatre & Arts Centre | Thur 6 Aug | 7pm
In 2022, musician and filmmaker Nick Kelly and his friend and ‘Dogs’ collaborator Sean Millar decided to make the trip from Ireland to the Glastonbury Festival - Nick cycling the whole way from Dublin, while Sean was on public transport. Nick’s documentary about the journey proves a celebration of sustainability in its many forms - environmental, cultural and personal. Presented by Offline Film Festival.
Tickets €10 + booking fee.
Distillation
John’s Hall | Sat 1 Aug | 12pm, 3pm, 6pm
Luke Casserly
A performative journey which takes you to the Irish boglandscape through scent. Distillation is a response to the recentcessation of the peat harvesting industry in Ireland. Over thepast year, Luke Casserly has collaborated with renownedperfume maker Joan Woods to create a unique distillation ofthe Midlands bog - the place where he grew up - as the startingpoint for an olfactory encounter which looks at our humanrelationship to place. Dedicated to the future of our brokenlandscapes – in the hope that by listening to them, we might beable to better understand them. Distillation is a multi-sensoryperformance featuring text, perfume, video and sculpture. Theaudience are seated around a large custom-made table andare gently invited to hold organic materials and smell parts ofthe landscape as part of the experience. “A thought-provokingshow that stays in the mind long after, like the sweet woodysmell of the bog perfume that lingers on the wrist.”• Irish Independent ***Age suitability 12+ |
Tickets €18 + booking fee.
The Republic of Silence
Birr Theatre & Arts Centre | Sat 1 Aug | 8pm
Emerging writer and director Kaci Kerwick brings this powerful new production from a young London-based Irish company following acclaimed performances at the Peckham Fringe Festival and Riverside Studios, Hammersmith. Based on true stories from the Sean Ross Mother and Baby Institution in Tipperary, Republic of Silence moves between past and present in a sensitive, humorous and deeply heartbreaking exploration of Ireland’s hidden history. This hard-hitting play draws on real-life events that shook both Ireland and the Catholic Church when the truth of what took place within the walls of Sean Ross Abbey was finally exposed. Performed by Oísin Nolan, Jack O’Shaughnessy, Áine McNamara and Eanna Ferguson. Audience members affected by the themes explored in this performance are encouraged to consult the Republic of Silence Care Pack available on the website. A brave, moving and necessary production. Bravo to the cast and crew this is theatre that deserves to be seen – London Theatre 1*** Age suitability 14+
Tickets €15 + booking fee.
C'mere 'Till I Tell You a Good One
Birr Theatre & Arts Centre | Thu 6 Aug | 2.30pm
An old-style storyteller with one eye on the past and the other firmly on the present, Mick Creagh brings his audience along for the ride – and he loves to get everyone involved. So clear your throats and be ready for an afternoon of storytelling and craic!
Tickets €15 + booking fee.
