The Kitchen, the Bedroom and the Grave
by Donal O'Hagan
Director: Richard Lavery
Production Company: Accidental Theatre; 2014
O’Hagan’s stage debut is a multimedia exploration of homecoming that rips into ideas about family, identity and asks how much a person can be the author of their own life. The story of Dempsey, a Northern Irish journalist who after years working in London, is sent to Belfast to produce a documentary on the changing Northern Ireland. A Christmas visitor at best, Dempsey has his fingers crossed for a quick job and a leap up the career ladder - but his parents and his oldest school buddy have their own agendas for him, and soon Dempsey is forced out from behind his camera.
Combining pre-recorded film with live performance, the play uses film to explore wider perspectives and communities within modern Northern Ireland. As the main narrative of the play deals with the family as they struggle with the father's wish for euthanasia in the face of his terminal illness.
This exciting new play debuted in Belfast at the Grand Opera House and then toured Northern Ireland in spring 2014.
Cast: Maggie Cronin, Noel Magee, Jason McLaughlin & Cillian O'Sullivan
Designer: Rachel Szmukler
Film Maker: Conan McIvor
Sound Designer: Martin Byrne
Lighting Designer: Sarah McColgan
Dramaturg: Emily DeDakis