Putting a theatrical twist on Kevin Barry’s short stories

Arts Week with Judy Murphy

Theatre director Andrew Flynn is relishing being a rehearsal room, sharing an actual physical space with a cast and crew as they put the final touches to There are Little Kingdoms, Decadent Theatre’s upcoming production for Galway International Arts Festival.

All safety protocols are being adhered to in the space at Galway’s Commercial Boat Club, he says, with masks, sanitisers and social distancing being the order of the day.

Despite those restrictions, nothing beats being physically close when you are working on a production.

“We’re so relieved not to be on Zoom anymore,” says Andrew with a laugh.

Like everyone else in the live entertainment business, Andrew is exhausted by the Government’s inconsistent approach to guidelines around people gathering. But he appreciates that “there’s only some much they can deal with and we are further down the pecking order than reopening schools”.

For now, the priority is There are Little Kingdoms, based on Kevin Barry’s 2007 short-story collection, set mostly in Ireland of that era –  with much of the action taking place in towns similar in size to Nenagh where Andrew grew up.

“I came to the book very late – in 2017 – and was really taken with the characters and the language,” he explains. “I approached Kevin about doing it as a play and learned he’d already done it with Meridian Theatre Company in 2008.”

Kevin sent Andrew that 2008 script, which had used one of the characters from the book, Foley, as a formal narrator to bring the audience through the action.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App

Download the Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App to access to Galway’s best-selling newspaper.

Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.

Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite  HERE.

Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.