Longford's Backstage Theatre to roll out red carpet for ‘In the Midst of Plenty’

More than any other aspect of society the hangover of the curtailment of human interaction continues to influence audience attention at arts show.

It's not 'cut and dried', some enjoy phenomenal success, while others struggle for viability. ‘In the Midst of Plenty’ definitely falls into the former category.

First staged in the National Famine Museum at Strokestown Park in June of 2022 the show sold out all 300 tickets before anyone knew what to expect from a “famine musical”.

They went on to sell out two nights in Roscommon Arts Centre in September 2022.

The appeal of the show, and the remarkable audience reaction, saw it scheduled for a nationwide tour.

The Roscommon-based group, Enchanted Croí Theatre, have taken the contemporary folk musical set in Roscommon in the time of the Great Hunger to venues across the country.

Written by Amy Day and directed by Anne-Marie O’Sullivan, ‘In the Midst of Plenty’ is set against the backdrop of the plot to assassinate Denis Mahon, the Strokestown landlord, and traces the story of the so-called “missing 1490” who left Strokestown along the Royal Canal and sailed for Canada as part of Mahon’s forced emigration scheme.

The piece is described as an empowering story of strength, loss, resilience, and family connection that has resonated deeply with audiences.

The show features Niall Brewster, an actor and director from Longford: “I play two completely different characters, one is the Bishop of Elphin. For some reason I’m always playing men of the cloth. This character is particularly interesting as some from the community see him as a villain, but there's actually a lot more to him.

“He's also known as ‘the dove of Elphin’. This was because he took active role in trying to release Daniel O’Connel,” Niall tells.

The actor has another string to his bow: “My other role is very gritty. I play James Robinson, a ship owner at the Liverpool docks.

“The conditions that surround the scene are actually horrific. He and his brother are essentially making money from the ‘assisted immigration scheme’ profiting from Irish people being evicted off the land and put on boats that are not suitable for human beings. People were treated as cargo, hence the term that was much later coined ‘coffin ships’.”

Niall says the touring experience has been astounding: “The audiences are absolutely incredible. It was very moving when we premiered at the National Famine Museum, everyone rose to their feet and the response was very moving.

“I'm looking forward to bringing this fantastic production to Longford's Backstage Theatre. I think this is a story that needs to be kept in the public eye and I hope this production will encourage people to continue to have conversations regarding famine, genocide and emigration.”

Enchanted Croí Theatre's ‘In the Midst of Plenty’ comes to Backstage Theatre, Longford, on Wednesday May 31.