New thought-provoking play to make its debut at Longford's Backstage Theatre

A NEW play exploring Ireland’s growing anti-immigrant sentiment is set to make its debut at Longford’s Backstage Theatre, as acclaimed playwright Deirdre Kinahan brings ADRIFT to local audiences for three performances.

A birthday celebration turns febrile when a rural Irish family address their sister’s relationship with a refugee.  Fierce, funny and immediate,  ADRIFT is a contemporary family drama exploring the psychology of fear and Ireland’s complex relationship with emigration.  

In ADRIFT, Ms Kinahan explores the ironic rise of Irish anti-immigrant sentiment with her celebrated humour and humanity, taking the arguments that seem to set fire to hearts and buildings right into the Irish kitchen.

Speaking to Longford Live, Ms Kinahan said she’s “very excited” ahead of the play’s debut in Longford.

“I'm really delighted, and I think it's really important to have professional dramas like this made to tour and touring and opening in rural venues outside Dublin.”

She added that ADRIFT is about one of the biggest issues of our time. “How do we respond to the stranger? How do we respond to a rise in immigration as a nation of immigrants ourselves?

“I think we've got a really complicated relationship with immigration into the country, and I wanted to explore that because it seems to be the big issue right now.

Ms Kinahan explained that she wanted to explore how ordinary Irish people are trying to navigate this issue.

“I honestly believe in the humanity of people in general and in Irish people in particular. And I don't think it's in our nature to turn away people who are deeply repressed or in need because we are a nation of immigrants. There's not a family in the country that doesn't have a sister, brother, cousin, aunt, uncle, grandfather that had to make their lives overseas.”

The Dublin playwright said the setup for the play is a family dinner. “They're a very contemporary rural Irish family, and they're not only dealing with change in terms of immigration and the changing face of community, but there's been a huge cultural shift in this country, and they're just really fabulously dynamic, funny, interesting characters. It's kind of through their personalities and through their own stories that the humour derives.

“I felt compelled to write ADRIFT because I think we are at a crucial point in this country in our response to emigration.

“In this darkly comic drama I try to explore the psychology of fear and how it can manifest in racism but also that very human instinct for friendship from a contemporary Irish perspective. We might hear the mantra ‘Ireland is full’ on our thoroughfares so I ask ‘of what exactly?’. As a country of immigrants ourselves I still hope that the answer is ‘heart’.”

Joined by a stellar cast and acclaimed Director Marc Atkinson Borrull (An Ideal Husband, Gate Theatre; Three Sisters, Dublin Theatre Festival; Tempesta also by Deirdre Kinahan, Cork Midsummer & Glassmask Theatre) ADRIFT promises a wonderfully honest, empathetic and unsettling night at the Theatre.

ADRIFT features a well-known cast; Bríd Ní Neachtain - (Banshee of Inisheerin & Ros Na Rún), John Olohan - (That They May Face The Rising Sun), Catherine Byrne - (That they may face the rising sun, Love/Hate, The Tudors), Darragh Feehely - (The Body Is Water, Groundless) and Janet Moran - (The Dry, The Last Rifleman, Breakfast On Pluto.)

Produced by the Nomad Network and Once Off Productions, Adrift embarks on a national tour bringing this timely and resonant Irish story to audiences across Ireland.

ADRIFT is supported by the Arts Council / An Chomhairle Ealaíon Touring of Work Scheme.

The play will mark its debut at Backstage Theatre, Longford with three performances, a special preview night on Thursday, November 5 along with performances on November 6 and November 7. Tickets for the preview night cost €15, tickets for the main shows cost €25.

Tickets are available on backstage.ie or you may book by calling 0433347888.

Deirdre Kinahan is one of Ireland’s major contemporary playwrights. She writes about issues that affect modern Ireland as well as the issues that have clouded its past. She is a masterful, poetic writer, with a way with a phrase that just dazzles.  - The Slotkin Letter, Canada, Review.

Previous loved plays include OUTRAGE, The Saviour, An Old Song Half Forgotten, TEMPESTA, The Unmanageable Sisters, Rathmines Road, Moment, Halcyon Days.