Solas Nua

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24 Hours. 21 Characters. 40 Scenes. Belfast City. An Urban Story.
“Scenes From The Big Picture is a more or less perfect play.” Financial Times

Scenes from the Big Picture
by Owen McCafferty
directed by Des Kennedy
SOLD OUT! There are no more tickets available for this production.

"With this absorbing, exquisitely acted production, two-year-old Solas Nua affirms its status as the most vital new troupe in town."

"Kennedy brings out the absolute best in an eclectic cast of local actors. It is almost unfair to single out anyone, because the production bats 21 for 21 -- no one comes close to striking out."

"I could go on. Or better yet: You should just go."

-The Washington Post Review by Peter Marks

Featuring: John C Bailey, Joe Baker, John Brennan, Joe Isenberg, Patrick Bussink, Madeleine Carr, Declan Cashman, Paloma Ellis, Madeleine Burke, Brian Hemmingsen, Nanna Ingvarsson, Don Kenefick, Jason McCool, Eric Messner, Ellie Nicoll, Stephanie Roswell, John Tweel, Bryan Cassidy, Taylor Trone, Jon Reynolds

WHERE:
At The Callan Theatre
Catholic University Drama Complex
3801 Harewood Road, NE

WHEN:
May 17th – June 24th, 2007
Thursday – Saturday at 8pm, Sundays at 3pm

A co-production with Tinderbox Theatre (Belfast) &
produced in association with Catholic University as part of the
Rediscover Northern Ireland programme www.rediscoverni.com

Postcard Image (PDF)

THE PLAY
The play takes place over the course of a hot summer's day in an imagined area of present-day Belfast. We see a day in the life of over twenty inhabitants of the district as their stories interweave and collide. In a tour de force of dramatic writing, a whole world is evoked in a couple of hours.

THE PLAYWRIGHT
McCafferty is the recent recipient of the top three UK literary awards for his brilliant portrait of Belfast, Scenes From The Big Picture, which ran at the National Theatre: the John Whiting Award for new theatre writing, Evening Standard Charles Wintour Award for new playwriting and the Meyer-Whitworth award for best new play. This is the first time that any playwright has won all three awards in one year.

Previous plays include Cold Comfort [ Prime Cut Productions ], The Chairs [ Tinderbox ] Mojo Mickybo [ Kabosh], Closing Time [ The National RNT] and Shoot The Crow [ Manchester Royal Exchange]. His adaptation of Days of The Wine and Roses opened in the Donmar Warehouse, London in February 2005 to critical acclaim.

THE DIRECTOR
Des Kennedy is from West Belfast and trained at the National Youth Theatre of Great Britain, BIFHE Performing Arts, Queens University Belfast and King’s College USA.

Directing Credits include: Lucy’s Brief Guide on How to be Saved (Old Vic), James and the Giant Peach (Lyric Theatre Summer Scheme), The Bridge of San Luis Rey (YMT:UK Studio Plymouth) Magic (YMT:UK Studio Manchester) On the Batter (Tinderbox, script development week), Sei e Sei? (Teatro Senza Frontiere, Milan) Brundibar (Rainbow Factory), The Witches (Glenveagh Special Needs School), Our Country’s Good (Tyrone Guthrie Society) The Laramie Project (Irish Premiere, NSDF’04, Bush Theatre Directing Award, Belfast festival at Queens), Yerma (BIFHE) and Antigone (BIFHE).

Des has written the Book and lyrics for 3 new Musicals: Brundibar (Composer -Garth Mc Conaghie) The Bridge of San Luis Rey (Composer- Leon Parris) Magic (Composer – Tarek Merchant)

He was awarded the Bush Theatre Directing Award – Sunday Times National Student Drama Festival for The Laramie Project.

Des is one of 7 Directors selected from 1500 applications to be part of the Old Vic New Voices Club. With the Old Vic he has worked as Assistant Director on the Celebrity 24 Hour plays and as Director on the Old Vic New Voices 24 Hour plays.

He is one of 4 young Directors selected to take part in the Prime Cut Directors Lab.

Forthcoming Projects include: Twelfth Night (Youth Lyric), Much Ado About Nothing (Lyric Theatre, Assistant to Rachel O Riordan) and Fast and Loose (QUB).