| denouement_programme_notes.docx |
Denouement Programme notes
Welcome to this afternoon’s audio-described performance of Denouement at The Lyric Theatre. The show is 1 hour 30 minutes long with no interval. The show will be described by Noirin.
Introduction
Written by John Morton, this new play is set in 2048. Armageddon is coming. In a remote Irish farmhouse, Edel and Liam are living out their final hours, cut off from friends and family with only their memories for company. Liam hammers away on a battered typewriter, desperate to record every detail of their life together, whether anyone will read it or not. Edel, on the other hand, is glued to the outside world, trying to reach their children and loved ones for one last goodbye.
With limited time left, Liam and Edel busy themselves through arguing over things that matter and things that don’t. This tragic and absurdly funny story shines a light on the relationship of an ordinary couple in extraordinary circumstances.
Edel and Liam’s mix of humour, honesty, and decades of shared history shines a light on the resilience of the human spirit, even at the very end.
Denouement is both a glimpse into a dystopian future and a portrait of an enduring relationship.
Cast
Anna Healy as Edel
Patrick O’Kane as Liam.
Characters and Costumes
Edel is of medium height and build, broader around the middle, with auburn hair scooped back and held up at the back by a hair clasp. She has a heart shaped face, high cheek bones, deep set eyes and a fine curved nose. She has lines on her face.
Edel is wearing baggy light brown linen dungarees, with a brown t-shirt underneath, a grey sleeveless waist coat, over which she wears a rust-coloured cardigan. She is wearing a small pendant on a chain, earrings and has layers of bracelets on her left arm and rings on her fingers. She is in her stocking feet with beige striped socks.
She will add a holy medal on a chain later.
Liam is of medium height and build; his hair is receding and closely shaved to his scalp, with a neatly trimmed beard and moustache. He has a square face, high forehead and well-defined cheek bones with deep set eyes. His forehead has deep lines. His hands are large.
Liam is wearing a brown knitted cardigan, a brown t-shirt underneath, with an open neck, and blue jeans. He is wearing sturdy brown leather outdoor shoes.
Later he will put on a waxed outdoor coat with a hood.
Set
The set is static and doesn’t change during the play. It is a square room sitting at an angle with the front corner cracked and damaged and hanging down over the edge .High metal shelves on the left and right line two walls from floor to ceiling ,and are stacked with books, photos, pots, candles, wooden boxes, a fan and tins of provisions ,there are 9 screens or monitors on the shelves which emit different messages and scenes ,one is a timer clock counting down the seconds, minutes and hours; an old movie is playing on one, others say special report or alert or off grid, while others have static lines of green and black and white zigzags. An image of a little girl comes on and off on one. There is a metal ladder against the left-hand shelves for access to top.
The floor is slate with two small rugs, a desk on the left with a typewriter, an angle poise lamp and an office chair, and a small table on the right with two red dining chairs, a laptop, a wine bottle and a flask. There is a large brown trunk next to the desk.
Close behind the table is an old armchair with wooden arms and cushions and a rug, and a small foot stool. A washing basket of clothes is beside it.
There is a metal door at the back with a heavy sliding lock and a rectangular viewing slit which can be opened and closed. Beside the door there is a double window with a kitchen sink with utensils and cupboards below it.
The room is lit by a large industrial style metal light shade over a bulb hanging in the middle of the room.
Later Edel lifts one of the rugs and reveals a trapdoor with access to an underfloor room.
The exterior behind the room is a stormy moon lit sky with the last vestiges of orange light at the lower left side. There are dark trees on both sides, with branches crossing the sky. At times there are dramatic lighting effects, with debris falling from the sky on the outside. On either side there is an ashy grey slope and a higher wooden board walk leading off to the right-hand side.
Production Team
Debra Hill Mairead – Voice
Thomas Finnegan Keith - Voice
Grace Walsh Niamh - Voice
John Morton Writer
Jimmy Fay Director
Maree Kearns Set & Costume Designer
Sarah Jane Shiels Lighting Designer
Chris Warner Composer & Sound Designer
Douglas O'Connell Video Designer
