MU Drama’s Debs Festival Roundup Three
Ultra Vires
Written and directed by Craig Doyle
“Young lawyer Taylor Murphy struggles to come to grips with her mentor Alex O’Dowd’s practices as she restlessly works to get to the bottom of her contentious first murder case.”
There’s no courtroom, but someone is being judged. Ultra Vires sets the dynamic between a young lawyer, by the name of Taylor Murphy, and her boss and mentor, Alex O’Dowd. The play is set in a law firm, where they are getting to the bottom of a murder case, and things quickly become heated as a dire ethical question is raised in relation to their clients.
The play portrays a style similar to that of 12 Angry Men and Glengarry Glenn Ross whilst simultaneously standing out on its own. The play expertly conveys tension and stress in a way that feels almost effortless. Not only is this thanks in-part due to the careful crafting of dialogue and plot points, but equally with the talented cast.
Emily Conneely portrays Taylor with a certain naivety and determination that evokes sympathy within the audience. Her delivery when recognising falsified facts in the case, is particularly effective as it keeps the audience wondering and hoping for her claims to be a reality. When we interviewed Conneely she expressed how her character was “very similar to her own personality” which helped her when prepping for the part of Taylor.
Conor McCallig - who received an award for Best Lead Actor at the Drama Deb’s Awards for this performance - elicits a dominant and cruel exterior in Alex that magnifies the stage. This is later contrasted with a quiet and cold performance by the end, allowing for a different kind of sympathy that makes us consider morality in a world where is seemingly no longer exists. When we asked Conor what inspired him to do the play, one of the things he enjoyed was the character dynamic between Taylor and Alex, and he prepared for the role by understanding the character as much as he could and said it was important so that he could “get to a point where is becomes natural.”
Doyle’s carefully structured script offered the audience many twists and turns that maintained interest from all. One examples of this can be seen with his reveal of the loophole in the case, regarding the client's intolerance to seeing blood. The discovery is then made even more interesting with the reveal of Alex’s corruption, delivered with shame and defensiveness by McCallig.
The production of this set was equally impressive with much detail granted to the decoration of the office and the evidence board. These elements subtly hint at the fabrication within the case with the Carrie poster acting as a clear contradiction to the suspects sensitivity to blood, as he used that movies screening as his alibi.
By the finale, Doyle establishes the dour and cold nature of the play with the final scene. All hope feels evidently lost, when it could’ve very easily been found by Taylor, who is put down and backed up into a corner. Alex’s haunting speech paints the world they live in as money - hungry, hopeless, and reflective of the setting that they inhabit in their work. As Alex dismantles Taylor’s initial enthusiasm, she is left oppressed and defeated, saying that she will be at the same time tomorrow.
Though this ending offers some clarity, I believe it could’ve been more effective with an increase in ambiguity by closing the play either on Alex’s speech, or on Taylor processing what he told her. Doyle essentially proves Alex’s point, however, given the opposing perspectives between him and Taylor, it would have been a poignant closing to leave the audience questioning whether Taylor will conform to Alex’s ideology. I believe that this would have left the audience thinking more about the play and characters after it ended.
Regardless, this is a tense and engaging piece that keeps the audience hooked in its writing and its performances.
Silent as the Grave
Written and directed by Meadhbh Byrnes
“Set in a graveyard in the east of Ireland, Silent as the Grave follows the unexpected meeting of two strangers as they pay their respective loved ones a visit. What is initially an awkward encounter between two opposing personalities becomes a moment of connection amid deep loss.”
Anything but silent, Byrnes’ play depicts the gossiping culture of Irish life while also exploring the chaotic, saddening, and even morbid banter between the characters Shane and Erin, in a writing style similar to the works of Martin McDonagh. The play’s symmetrical framing of the characters and the two graves on the stage is a masterful juxtaposition from the rather disjointed experiences these characters shared with the buried. Byrnes’ showcase of such a simple yet effective story, shows immense talent in storytelling, which is only emphasised by the amazing performances.
Alex Seckerson plays Shane, a reserved, awkward, yet simultaneously likeable figure who is visiting the grave of his girlfriend. Leah Molloy portrays the rather outspoken and unapologetic Erin, that seemingly mourns for her deceased grandmother. Both actors display strong chemistry between one another from the first meeting, stumbling in their conversations and trying to avoid the inevitable awkward elements that come with a first meeting.
When interviewing Byrnes about her drama, she explained her fascination with “rural Ireland” and equally the “gossiping culture we have in our small towns”, which is encapsulated in the portrayal of her writing. From the very beginning, we see the two characters speaking about the buried in revealing ways that they themselves feel uncomfortable in admitting, at least on the surface.
In portraying such feelings in the play, it is important to allow for dialogue to feel natural to the audience. Byrnes portrays this talent in her writing as the relatability of the characters’ speech, feels almost documentary-like, while maintaining a sense of comfort within a sensitive setting.
The discomfort of each character in this play helps us as viewers feel the taboo nature that, while invasive, still remains entertaining. The drama effectively induces the feeling one can experience within a private conversation, as learning much of the information felt personal and revealing to a fascinating extent. For instance, when Shane reveals his secret of being the cause of his girlfriend’s death, the spotlight shines on him, isolating the rest of the play, including Erin. The use of lighting helps to bring forth an out-of-body experience that may occur when revealing a dark secret to someone. The same is done for Erin, though more comedic in comparison. Molloy’s comedic timing is carefully written to add to the hilarious twist with her grandmother’s dog being illegally buried over her corpse. Despite its humour, the lighting reinforces the isolating nature of a confession.
In the closing section of the play, we may not be left with a complete revelation, but we are offered a feeling of connection between the characters and ourselves. Róisín Ahern and Tom Breathnach also make an impact with their relatively small appearances, making the audience feel as if they are eavesdropping on a private conversation with their extremely open discussion about the buried individuals. Though I feel that Breathnach and Ahern’s characters could have been developed a bit more, I do believe the play is an excellent depiction of the grim nature of gossip culture.
There’s a Black Hole in the Turf Shed
Written and directed by Sean Skelly
“A regular evening takes a surprising turn when father and son find something extraterrestrial in their turf shed.”
The title is absurd, and it’s rather fitting. Skelly’s comedic portrayal of an Irish man in an unimaginable predicament, not only portrays the colloquial dialogue of the country life in Ireland but does so with a hilariously deadpanned tone. The play follows a farmer as his friend comes to check on him, saying “We heard you’ve a black hole in your turf shed.” The treatment of such an outrageous concept allows for the comedy to flow nicely from the stage onto the audience.
What Skelly does here is almost similar to Byrnes in its representation of certain Irish personalities. However, instead of the gossip nature of the locals, we are shown the laid-back, “ah sure, it’ll be grand” attitude common in rural Ireland attitudes in rural Ireland. Opening with the leads friend dropping by with a whiskey in hand, we are introduced with the plot of the comedy with a swift and abrupt delivery between friends. Taylor Buckley – who also received an award for Best Lead Actor – offers a performance which is layered with the aforementioned deadpan humour, delivered with a thick Irish brogue, along with Fionn Doyle, who plays John with a similarly dry humour, even at his characters demise. Equal credit must be granted to John O’Connor as the son and Nicola Dudek as Mary, being the two primary voices of reason in the father's predicament.
The use of props is both creative and impressive. Wires are used to pull in items from the room into the unseen turf shed. One must also look at how the characters interactions with the items across the stage add to the impassive comedy. One specific instance involves the son asking his father, “Should we tell someone? Or should we move?” which leads to a false expectation followed by the characters moving the table away from the black hole. Aside from the set design, the sound designers offer tear inducing sound effects of cows being sucked up into the black hole which is growing bigger by the minute.
In analysing this play, I couldn’t help but recognise the black hole being a symbol for alcoholism, drawing people in or driving them away despite remaining unseen. The symbol is reinforced when the father throws the whiskey into the hole without taking a final sip of it, indicating a potential turning point for change in his behaviour.
Skelly’s play is not only effective in its underlying themes, but equally in its delivery. The writing and final product of this piece show a talent for comedy and storytelling that left the audience thoroughly impressed with their experience.
