George Bush And Children (2016)

This is a personal meditation on death and sexuality created entirely from transcriptions of talk-shows found online. It was nominated for the Judges Choice Award at the Dublin Fringe.

The project began during rehearsals for Pan Pan’s The Seagull and Other Birds where we were discussing Konstantine’s desire for new forms of theatre. I was interested in topical talkshows at the time and I felt they were a new form of theatre. I felt they were a very sophisticated form of theatre that has developed outside of conventional theatrical venues. This led me to want to return them to the conventional theatre and to examine them under it’s specific conditions.

The script was constructed from verbatim transcriptions from these talk shows, which covered topics from the banal (ie. speedos, women’s cleavage, spanx…) to the more serious (ie. Abortion, prostitution, death, etc…)

“Intense and at times mordantly funny” Irish Examiner

“With the performers seamlessly shifting demeanor to suit the ever-changing mood, what could have been a gimmick ends up an absorbing exercise.”
The Irish Times

Performed at: 

Dublin Fringe 2016 – 10 – 17 September at Project Arts Centre
Nominated for the Judge’s Choice Award

Project Arts Centre – 12 -18 March 2017

Actors: Oddie Braddell, Fionnuala Flaherty, Shane Connolly and Grainne Hallahan
Lights by Eoghan Carrick
Sound by Vincent Doherty
Costume by Miriam Donahue
Set by Tom O’Brien
Assistant Director: James Moran

Co-Presented with Pan Pan Theatre

Supported by the Arts Council of Ireland and Irish Theatre Institute