Galway Town Hall Theatre 14 - 21 September 2024
It’s summer in 1950s Ireland and Mrs de Burca can sense the beginning of an end. With her health failing and her three daughters making their own way in the world, it’s time to sell the family home.
Down the town, a generation of young men have returned from the building sites of England to haunt the streets for a few weeks. Among them is Christy Cavanagh, a man with cash in his pockets, fond memories of a childhood spent with the De Burca family, and a plan to buy their house.
In Tom Murphy’s classic play, the hopes and dreams of Christy and the De Burca family entwine as they battle with their pasts and fight for their futures, in a tense drama of desire, belonging and possession.
Garry Hynes directs a large ensemble cast including Druid Ensemble members Marie Mullen as Mrs de Burca and Marty Rea as Christy Cavanagh, alongside Jessica Dunne Perkins, Darragh Feehely, Liam Heslin, Colm Lennon, Andrew Macklin, Amy Molloy, Rachel O’Byrne, Donncha O’Dea and Cathal Ryan.
No one wrote 20th-century Ireland like Tom Murphy. Druid’s long history with the late writer began in the 1980s when he became the company’s writer-in-association and their work together includes the world premieres of Conversations on a Homecoming, Bailegangaire and Brigit, as well as the internationally acclaimed play cycle DruidMurphy.
Show info
★★★★★
'one the best and most important revivals of the year ... not to be missed by anyone serious about great Irish theatre'
The Arts Review
'a richly rewarding night out ... a truly great production that makes you see a play, and a writer, anew'
Irish Independent
★★★★
'a bold revival ... an invigoratingly fresh interpretation'
The Irish Times
★★★★
'one of the best things seen on an Irish stage this year ... practically unmissable ... a director on top form and in profound imaginative sympathy with the author'
The Irish Examiner
★★★★
'The House emerges in Garry Hynes’ energetic staging as a corrective to reductive visions of small-town 1950s Ireland'
Financial Times
'a magnificent revival … an absolutely fantastic production'
Arena, RTÉ Radio 1
'a deep understanding of our hapless humanity ... shines through in Garry Hynes’s production'
Sunday Independent
★★★★
'a wonderful opportunity ... to see the work of Galway’s most famous writer'
Galway Advertiser
'Under Garry Hynes' direction, performances are terrific, with Marty Rea and Marie Mullen in particular offering some heart-stopping moments'
Connacht Tribune
'brilliant … a triumph …. a definitive Murphy production'
Galway Bay FM
Estimated running time: 2 hours 30 minutes plus interval
Galway
Town Hall Theatre
Thursday 19 September 2024
8pm
You can book tickets for this performance online via the Town Hall Theatre website by selecting the ISL seat allocation.
If you have a query about this performance, please email info@druid.ie.
Interpreter: Ray Greene
Dublin
Gaiety Theatre
Wednesday 2 October 2024
7.30pm
You can book tickets for this performance via the Gaiety Theatre by phoning (01) 6468600 (select option 3).
There will also be a touch tour of the stage and set before this performance begins. We will contact all Audio Described bookers in advance of the performance with information on this tour.
Programme notes (Word document)
If you have a query about this performance, please email info@druid.ie.
Audio Describer: Mo Harte
Dublin
Gaiety Theatre
Friday 4 October 2024
7.30pm
You can book tickets for this performance online via Ticketmaster by selecting any available seat.
For the best view of the caption screens, we recommend booking seats in the following areas:
- downstairs in the Stalls (Parterrre) close to the aisles in rows E to M
- upstairs in the Dress Circle close to the aisles in rows A to D
If you have a query about this performance, please email info@druid.ie.
Captioner: Pauline Matthew
Both venues are fully accessible.
For more information, please visit their websites:
Galway - Town Hall Theatre
Dublin - Gaiety Theatre
Suitable for ages 12+
Please note that this production contains violence and allusions to domestic violence
If you have been affected by issues raised in the production, you can find support via www.safeireland.ie
Credits
The House features a large ensemble cast, including two members of the Druid Ensemble^ and eight actors making their Druid stage debut*.
- Louise de Burca Jessica Dunne Perkin*
- Kerrigan Darragh Feehely*
- Peter Liam Heslin
- Goldfish Colm Lennon*
- Tarpey Andrew Macklin*
- Susanne de Burca Amy Molloy
- Mrs de Burca Marie Mullen^
- Marie de Burca Rachel O’Byrne
- Bunty Donncha O’Dea*
- Christy Cavanagh Marty Rea^
- Jimmy Cathal Ryan*
- Company Frieda McGrath*, John McHugh, Mary McHugh, Anne Ronayne*, Mary Stewart
Among the creative team, we're delighted to be working with three recipients of The Marie Mullen Bursary±.
- Director Garry Hynes
- Set and Co-Costume Design Francis O'Connor
- Co-Costume Design Clíodhna Hallissey±
- Lighting Design James F. Ingalls
- Sound Design Sinéad Diskin
- Composer Conor Linehan
- Casting Director Amy Rowan
- Associate Director Sarah Baxter±
- Assistant Sound and Music Martha Knight±
Tom Murphy
Tom Murphy (1935 – 2018)
Tom Murphy was born in Tuam, Co. Galway. He died in Dublin, May 2018.
His plays include On the Outside (with Noel O’Donoghue), A Whistle in the Dark, A Crucial Week in the Life of a Grocer’s Assistant, Famine, The Morning After Optimism, On the Inside, The Sanctuary Lamp, Epitaph Under Ether (a compilation from the works of J.M. Synge), The Blue Macushla, The Informer (from the novel by Liam O’Flaherty), Conversations on a Homecoming, The Gigli Concert, Bailegangaire, A Thief of a Christmas, Too Late for Logic, The Patriot Game, She Stoops to Folly (from The Vicar of Wakefield), The Wake, The House, The Drunkard, The Cherry Orchard (a version), Alice Trilogy, and The Last Days of a Reluctant Tyrant. His last play, Brigit, was produced by Druid in 2014. Tom wrote one novel, The Seduction of Morality, published in 1994.
In 2001, the Abbey Theatre, Ireland’s national theatre, presented a six-play season in celebration of his work, entitled Tom Murphy at the Abbey.
In 2012, Druid produced DruidMurphy – a play cycle consisting of A Whistle in the Dark, Conversations on a Homecoming and Famine – which was performed to great acclaim across Ireland, the UK and the US. DruidMurphy received several awards, including Best Production at the Irish Theatre Awards 2012. In the same year, the Abbey Theatre produced The House, which also won multiple awards at the Irish Theatre Awards.
Tom Murphy was a multi-award winning playwright whose plays are performed throughout the world. The Gigli Concert, Bailegangaire, The House and Alice Trilogy all won Best Play at the Irish Theatre Awards. Other awards include the inaugural Irish Times/ESB Lifetime Achievement Award and the Irish Academy of Letters Award. He held honorary doctorates from Trinity College Dublin and the NUI Galway. In 2013, he was awarded the Ulysses Medal, the highest honour bestowed by University College Dublin. In 2017, President Michael D Higgins presented Tom Murphy with the gold torc and the title of ‘Saoi’, Aosdána’s highest honour.
Tom Murphy’s plays are published under the Methuen imprint by Bloomsbury Publishing. Tom Murphy Literary Trust is represented by Alexandra Cann Representation (alex@alexandracann.co.uk).
1984
Famine
- The first of many collaborations between Druid and Tom Murphy
- 'yet another memorable triumph' The Irish Press
On the Outside
- Written by Tom Murphy with Noel O'Donoghue
1985
Conversations on a Homecoming
- World Premiere
- A radical reworking of The White House which had premiered at the Abbey Theatre in 1972
- ‘the best theatre company in the land…Druid triumph yet again…a magic night of theatre, a thundering segment of true life’ The Irish Press
- 'works like a dream and its freshness and sharpness and canny humour are a pure delight’ New Galway Observer
- WINNER Irish Theatre Awards, Best Director (Garry Hynes)
- WINNER Irish Theatre Awards, Best Supporting Actor (Ray McBride)
Bailegangaire
- World Premiere
- ‘a remarkable play … a superb production … a stunning performance from Siobhán McKenna … Mullen and McEvoy are superb’ Irish Independent
- ‘fierce integrity and strength in Garry Hynes’ production … the outstanding theatrical experience of 1985’ The Irish Press
- ‘Siobhán McKenna is just extraordinary … this establishes Murphy as the most exciting writer in modern Irish Theatre’ Sunday Independent
- WINNER Irish Theatre Awards, Best Actress (Siobhan McKenna) posthumous
- WINNER Irish Theatre Awards, Best Play (Tom Murphy)
1986
Conversations on a Homecoming
- A tour of Ireland and Druid's first international tour to the US for a run at Pepsico Summerfare in New York
1987
A Whistle in the Dark
- Produced in association with the Abbey Theatre
- ‘a brilliant production!’ Financial Times
- ‘Even if you have seen it already, it’s worth seeing again’ Tuam Herald
Conversations on a Homecoming
- Performances in Galway, Sydney and a tour of Irish prisons
- ‘Conversations works like a dream and its freshness and sharpness and uncanny humour are a pure delight’ The Observer
- ‘flawlessly directed’ The Sun Herald
- ‘well nigh flawlessly acted and directed’ Variety
1995
The Blue Macushla
- ‘in Druid’s confident hands, it translates into a tight and good-humoured evening’s fare’ The Sunday Times
- ‘a rare and enjoyable mixture of escapist fun, gleeful excess and arch humour’ The Tribune Magazine
- ‘the usual excellent Druid standard’ The Connacht Sentinel
2009
The Gigli Concert
- Druid's first production staged in their newly refurbished 'Druid Lane Theatre' in July 2009
- ‘Druid’s production … is a celebration of theatre’ The Irish Times
2012
DruidMurphy
- A play cycle of three Murphy plays: Conversations on a Homecoming, A Whistle in the Dark, Famine
- Performances in Galway, Dublin, the Aran Islands, London, Oxford, New York and Washington DC
- ‘As always with this remarkable company, the acting is of a quality to leave you dumbstruck with admiration’ The New York Times
- ‘Druid remind you that no one has articulated the legacy of dispossession as eloquently or unflinchingly as Murphy … a staggering achievement’ The Irish Times
- ‘Garry Hynes directs with wisdom and feeling … Murphy is, I suspect, the greatest dramatist writing in English’ Financial Times
- ‘staged by Hynes with a breath-taking poetic realism … I emerged astonished both by Murphy’s historical awareness and Druid’s ensemble vigour’ The Guardian
- ‘It is a privilege to watch theatre of such indelible quality … a remarkable theatrical achievement’ Irish Independent
- ‘a fantastic tear-sodden blast of the very best in Irish theatre … Garry Hynes leads her Galway-based Druid company in triumph and despair’ What’s On Stage
2013
DruidMurphy
- Irish national tour of Conversations on a Homecoming and A Whistle in the Dark
2014
Brigit and Bailegangaire double-bill
- World premiere of Brigit
- ‘A major play from a major Irish playwright, Bailegangaire is as complex and haunting as one of Yeats’ later poems.… Here is a potent allegory – of the need to exorcise the past and its myths if one is to be happy in the future’ The Sunday Telegraph
2020
The Cherry Orchard
- Anton Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard in a version by Tom Murphy
- In a first for Irish theatre, the production was broadcast live from Galway to cinemas across Ireland and the UK
- ‘pungent and urgent’ The Guardian
- ‘bleakly magnificent’ Sunday Independent
- ‘Hynes directs with supreme control’ Irish Independent
On the Outside
- Written with Noel O'Donoghue
- Murphy's play was performed as part of DruidGregory, Druid's rural tour of plays by Lady Gregory
2024
The House
- A major new production of Murphy's 2000 play with performances in Galway at the Town Hall Theatre and in Dublin at the Gaiety Theatre as part of Dublin Theatre Festival
Production Photos
Rehearsal Video
Promotional Photo
Dates & Tickets
Dublin Gaiety Theatre 26 September - 6 October 2024
Dublin Dublin Theatre Festival 26 September - 6 October 2024
one the best and most important revivals of the year ... not to be missed
The Arts Review
one of the best things seen on an Irish stage this year ... practically unmissable
The Irish Examiner
invigoratingly fresh
The Irish Times