The Druid Theatre production of Famine will be taken to towns and villages in the west of Ireland.
The latest production from Druid Theatre is 'Famine' written by Tom Murphy. Marie Mullen who plays the part of Mother describes the production as,
The most powerful experience I've ever had in the theatre.
Jerome Hynes, administrator at Druid Theatre, explains that last year, they brought a production of 'The Wood of the Whispering' to small location in towns and villages on the west coast of Ireland. The production of 'Famine' is on a much bigger scale. The size of the set and cast meant that Druid had to rent the Seapoint Ballroom in Salthill which they have converted into a 400 seat theatre. Relocation was necessary as Druid Theatre's own small 110 seat auditorium was not big enough to this production. The play has a cast of 19 including Mick Lally who plays John Connor.
Over the past five years, Druid has won international acclaim for its work and has been awarded many accolades in the world of theatre. 'Famine' has been the biggest challenge for the company to date.
The play itself is regarded as one of the most outstanding to have been written in Ireland in recent times.
Marie Mullen says that the play is not directly about the Famine but rather the social disintegration of Irish society.
The play opened at the Seapoint Ballroom in Galway on 6 February and runs for two weeks. Plans are in place to take 'Famine' to some of the smaller towns and villages in the west of Ireland keeping the Druid ambition of bringing theatre to the people. Jerome Hynes says that it is a massive operation to bring the production on the road.
Getting an articulated truck around those country roads could be quite a job.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 8 February 1984. The reporter is Jim Fahy.
