An Táin Arts Centre, Dundalk 25th – 27th January 2024
Lyric Theatre, Belfast 31st January – 3rd February
Droichead Arts Centre, Drogheda 9th and 10th February
Solstice Arts Centre, Navan 16th and 17th February
The Lyric Theatre is delighted to announce Jaki McCarrick’s renowned play Belfast Girls is coming to the Naughton Studio at the Lyric from the 31st January to the 3rd February 2024.
Set in 1850, Belfast Girls tells the story of five fierce young women who face their dark pasts on a ship bound for Australia, as they leave Belfast in search of a be. tter life. Confined in close quarters in the belly of the ship, they embark on a tumultuous sea journey as they sail away from their homeland. Secrets are revealed, enemies made, and it becomes clear that no matter where they go, there is no escaping the past.
Following its Irish Premier in An Táin Arts Centre in Dundalk, as a highlight of their 10th anniversary celebrations, the play will embark on a tour to various venues. The journey includes stops at the Lyric Theatre in Belfast, Droichead Arts Centre in Drogheda, and will conclude its run at the Solstice Arts Centre in Navan.
Quintessence Theatre have just finished a 17-venue national tour of their original play The Curious Case of Albert Cashier. In this performance, they will bring their unique physical ensemble style to McCarrick’s gripping story, exploring urgent, current questions around classism, patriarchy, and the ripple effects of colonialism through a powerful historical play based on true stories.
Belfast Girls is written by Jaki McCarrick, an award-winning writer from Dundalk. The play was developed at the National Theatre London and was shortlisted for the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize and the 2014 BBC Tony Doyle Award. It premiered in Chicago in May 2015 to much critical acclaim and has since been staged widely internationally, with recent premieres in Australia, Sweden, and New York. Jaki has recently completed the screen adaptation of the play.
Paul Hayes Director of An Táin Arts Centre says ‘I came across the play some 6 years ago and couldn’t believe that despite its success internationally Belfast Girls has never had an Irish premiere. This is by far the biggest production An Táin Arts Centre has ever produced and it’s a fitting way to celebrate our 10-year anniversary. New theatre of this import rarely gets made outside of our cities; it will be a great honour to finally bring this play home to Dundalk, and to tour it to fantastic venues like the Lyric Theatre, Belfast.’
The play will be directed by Anna Simpson of Quintessence Theatre and stars Donna Anita Nikolaisen as Judith, Leah Rossiter as Hanna, Carla Foley as Sarah, Siobhan Kelly as Molly, and Fiona Keenan O’ Brien as Ellen. Set and Costume is by Sinéad O’ Donnell-Carey with lighting design by Sophie Cassidy.
Belfast Girls is presented by An Táin Arts Centre and Quintessence Theatre, in Association with The Lyric Theatre, Belfast and The North East Network (An Táin Arts Centre, Droichead Arts Centre, and Solstice Arts Centre, Navan).
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