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Kabosh Theatre Company’s play Reunion, which explores the long-term impact of conflict-related violence on women and their families, will be staged at Ballybot House in Newry on 18 November. The Newry performance is being presented by the Women’s Resource and Development Agency in partnership with Reclaim the Agenda. It is free to attend and forms part of the annual United Nations 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-based Violence.
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Written by Julie Dutkiewicz and directed by Kabosh Artistic Director Paula McFetridge, Reunion stars Jo Donnelly, Louise Mathews and Vince Higgins. The play follows a family coming together after three decades of trauma and examines the lasting consequences of violence and conflict over generations.
Paula McFetridge said, “Reunion is provocative theatre that bears witness to the deep-rooted, long-term impact of domestic violence on victims and their families. It effectively dispels myths, and encourages vital, supported discussion.”
The production opens at the Playhouse in Portrush on 17 November before touring venues in Newry, Belfast and Lisburn, with performances continuing until 8 December. Each performance will be followed by a discussion involving prominent anti-violence activists. The play contains sensitive content and carries a trigger warning, with an age recommendation of 18 years and over. Booking can be done by emailing comms@reclaimtheagenda.org
The 16 Days of Activism is a UN-inspired global initiative that begins on 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, and concludes on 10 December, Human Rights Day. A programme of free events will accompany the Reclaim the Night march and rally in Belfast on 28 November, which is organised by Reclaim the Agenda and will involve hundreds of women, members of the LGBTQ+ community and supporters.
Reclaim the Agenda spokesperson Helen Crickard said: “Violence in our streets and in our homes has not gone away. Too often, the perpetrators are not strangers lurking in the shadows but people known to us, people we trust and people who are part of our everyday lives.
“Women should not have to change their behaviour, restrict their movements or live in fear to keep themselves safe. Over these 16 days, we will come together to challenge violence, confront the attitudes that enable it and demand a society where women and girls can live free from fear.”
Other events will focus on issues such as drink spiking and victim blaming. They include In Plain Sight, an exhibition curated by Dublin-based Ruth Maxwell, which confronts one of the most persistent and damaging questions directed at victims of sexual violence: “What was she wearing?”
The exhibition will be held at the Ramada Hotel on Waring Street in Belfast from 30 November to 2 December, with panel discussions. Booking can be made by email at comms@reclaimtheagenda.org
The same venue will host a discussion on 1 December with Dr Mary Crilly and Dola Twomey from Sexual Violence Cork. It will explore drink spiking and the organisation’s online Fix it Ireland campaign, which challenges how the media report on sexual violence and related crimes.
For more information, visit: www.reclaimtheagenda.com
