DRESSED FOR SPACE
Written and performed by Patrick J O’Reilly
Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival 2025
As part of Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival 2025, we are thrilled to present Patrick J O’ Reilly’s new play Dressed for Space, a personal love story about a man who has organised for aliens from space to come and land on a Belfast rooftop.
Simon has never felt at home on Earth – because is Simon is an alien in disguise. Now, he’s arranged for his extraterrestrial family to pick him up from a Belfast rooftop, and he’s inviting you to his farewell party. A deeply persona and uplifting story of belonging, difference, and the search for home, Dressed for Space blends humour, heart, and sci-fi wonder in a one-of-a-kind theatrical experience.
Dressed for Space meets Mysterious Skin and Close Encounters of the Third Kind in this uplifting adventure of accepting difference and befriending the alien inside us all.
Patrick J O’Reilly wrote this story during an artistic residency at the Rotterdam Rooftop Festival in 2022.  The play has since been performed in numerous rooftop festivals across Europe but has never been performed in Northern Ireland.
Patrick J O’Reilly is an award-winning writer, director, and actor, residing in Belfast, Northern Ireland. He trained at the Le Coq School in Paris and is the current Artistic Director of Tinderbox Theatre Company in Belfast. His recent plays, The Man Who Fell to Pieces in 2018 was nominated by the Irish Writers Guild in 2019 and his adaptation of Rhinoceros by Ionesco won Best Play Revival by the UK Theatre Awards in 2024.
Dressed for Space will be performed on the CastleCourt rooftop from the 8-10th May at 8pm. (Three performances – Duration 45 minutes)
Dressed for Space performances take place on a rooftop. There is accessibility via Castlecourt and chairs are available for the performance.
For more information:Â https://cqaf.com/dressed-for-space/
Tinderbox Theatre Company
Tinderbox Theatre Company is a leading arts organisation specialising in contemporary theatre practice in Northern Ireland. For thirty-two years, Tinderbox has championed new writing, producing world-class performances from Northern Irish writers to critical and international acclaim. Tinderbox is a leading player in creative empowerment and contemporary artistic practice for artists, participants and audiences in NI.
Please contact for more information:
Artistic Director:Â patrickj.oreilly@tinderbox.org.uk
Director: Ciaran Haggerty
Sound Design: Isaac Gibson
Stage Manager: Sophie Thompson