Bright Umbrella today announces the cast of Bringing it all back home, newly appointed Joint Artistic Director Patsy Montgomery-Hughes’ opening for a year of celebrating East Belfast’s greatest Artists.
The full cast includes (in image above order) Dan Gordon, Abigail McGibbon, Caroline Curran and Sean Kearns.
From U.S Premieres, Award-winning plays, and West-End Theatres, Bringing it all back home celebrates East Belfast’s greatest contemporary playwrights by bringing their plays home to Bright Umbrella – playing in their home community for the very first time!
An evening of play extract readings including the huge hit Ulster American by Ballybeen’s David Ireland, Leaves by Belmont’s Lucy Caldwell and gorgeous Orangefield by (of course) Orangefield’s Caitlin Magnall-Kearns, Bright Umbrella’s audiences will hear the words of world-class talent from their own streets. Directed by Bright Umbrella’s Newly Appointed Joint Artistic Director, Patsy Montgomery-Hughes.
Patsy Montgomery-Hughes, Joint Artistic Director of Bright Umbrella said:
“As an East Belfast resident, I’ve admired the huge growth that Bright Umbrella has achieved in such a small amount of time. Bright Umbrella exists within East Belfast, the home place of world-class playwrights, actors and artists, so to be appointed as joint Artistic Director, alongside Trevor Gill, is immensely meaningful to me. Our shared vision will continue the commitment to our communities to produce work with and for them. In this new role, I’m excited to develop a new ‘Bringing it all back home’ year which will finally see our award-winning East Belfast playwrights work platformed on their home stage alongside our continued commitment to New Writers from East Belfast. I can’t wait to begin!”
Extracts from
ULSTER AMERICAN
By David Ireland
Jay is the Oscar-winning actor taking the lead in a new play that connects with his Irish roots. Leigh is the ambitious director who will do anything to get noticed. Ruth is the Northern Irish playwright whose voice must be heard.
The stage is set for great success, but when the three meet to discuss the play’s challenges and provocations, a line is crossed and the heated discussion quickly escalates to a violent climax. Exploring consent, abuses of power and the confusions of cultural identity, Ulster American is confrontational, brutally funny and not for the faint of heart.
Extracts from
LEAVES
By Lucy Caldwell
Lori is coming home from her first term at university. Its only been a few weeks and already things have gone badly wrong. But none of the rest of the family knows, or understands, what really happened. In this fiercely observed family drama, three teenage girls struggle to define who they are, and why, and where they might be going.
In our Bringing it all back home readings, we will see extracts of how Lori’s parents come to terms with what has happened.
Extracts from
ORANGEFIELD
BY CAITLIN MAGNALL-KEARNS
First developed by Pier Productions Limited for BBC Radio
Chip shop worker Nicole spends her days frying up fish and daydreaming about finding her one true love.