Bang!
By Michelle Read
14-23 October | Smock Alley Theatre | Dublin Theatre Festival

Can a lifetime of love overcome any obstacle?

Marion and Adam have been happily married for 25 years, but when they decided to have an anniversary party they couldn’t imagine it would turn out like this.

In this drama-comedy with a big heart, the perfect party descends into chaos as pressure builds and a seismic event forces the Rice family to re-assess everything they hold to be true.

Bang! is a moving and compassionate new play about love, family and the struggle to truly be yourself.

A performer, playwright and theatre-maker for over thirty years, Michelle Read’s creative career began as a stand-up comic on the London comedy circuit, going on to co-found Dublin Comedy Improv in 1992. Her writing is engaging and emotionally complex, exploring the nuance in every day life. Awards include Stewart Parker/BBC NI Drama Award, Ondas Spanish radio award, Hugh Leonard new play award, Edinburgh Fringe First. In 2019 she was part of both the Abbey Theatre’s AbbeyWorks Programme for playwrights, and the Pan Pan Mentorship Programme.

Previous praise for Michelle’s writing:
“…the narrative oozes truth”
The Sunday Independent
“…utterly absorbing , leading up to an ending that’s dramatic, moving and told with great skill and sensitivity”
The Mail on Sunday

Marion – Gene Rooney
Adam - Mark D'Aughton
Kim – Maura Bird
Declan – Simon O'Gorman
Alejandra – Alexandra Conlon

Directed by Davey Kelleher
Set & Costume Design: Sarah Foley
Music & Sound Design: Brian Keegan
Lighting Design: Kevin Smith
Movement Director: Eddie Kay
Dramaturgy by Pamela McQueen

Venue: Smock Alley Theatre
Performance: 7.30pm 14-23 October (no evening show on 17th), Matinee 2.30pm 16-17 October
Ticket: €15-25
Audience: 16+
Duration: 2hrs with interval

Funded by the Arts Council and Dublin City Council Arts Office. Script development supported by The New Theatre, members of Transgender Equality Network Ireland (TENI) and Fishamble: The New Play Company New Play Clinic.

Dublin Theatre Festival will run from 30 September – 17 October 2021 with a live programme of Irish & International works that artists have been waiting for so long to share with you. DTF 2021 will feature 21 world premieres from leading Irish theatre artists, alongside exciting international work, in a programme that asks questions about our relationship with the city and the environment and welcomes us back to live performance. The Festival will retain a digital element, streaming a number of performances, but is placing the emphasis on live performance and the energy and togetherness that a festival creates. See the full programme at dublintheatrefestival.ie

Dublin Theatre Festival acknowledges everyone who has joined in the work of making this edition. To the artists who imagined and everyone who supported and sustained us all on the way, to the team at Dublin Theatre Festival, board, funders, partners, and Friends - Thank You.

We thank our principal funders, the Arts Council, for their continued support along with Dublin City Council and Fáilte Ireland. Dublin Theatre Festival is supported RTÉ Supporting The Arts, The Irish Times, Creative Ireland, Trinity City Hotel, Blackwater Distillery and Be SpectACTive! Co-funded by the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union