Dramatic insight into bank bailout

Guaranteed!, a new play which has been described by President Michael D Higgins as ‘a very fine treatment of a complex topic’ will be staged at the city’s Town Hall Theatre next Monday night.

Written by journalist and documentary maker Colin Murphy, Guaranteed! uses official documents and off-the-record interviews to reconstruct Ireland’s banking boom and bust – as it was seen from inside the corridors of power.

On the night of September 29, 2008, the then Taoiseach Brian Cowen and Minister for Finance Brian Lenihan decided to guarantee Ireland’s banks – to the tune of €440 billion. Guaranteed! tells the story of that night, and how these men got there.

Directed by Conall Morrison, this production by Fishamble, the New Play Company, is stripped back and simple with an ensemble of actors playing a myriad of ministers, bankers and bureaucrats as they wrestled with the unfolding crisis

President Higgins’ reaction after seeing Guaranteed! when it was staged in Dublin was that the it was “a very fine play” and that “Colin Murphy has served us all very well”.

There will be a post-show discussion immediately after the performance.

• It will be at the Town Hall Theatre next Monday, November 18 at 8pm and tickets cost €15/€12. Booking at tht.ie, 091-569777 or at the box office.