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A special Bloomsday performance of Plurabelles will take place at The Rostrevor Inn, Rostrevor on Tuesday 16 June at 7.30pm, with doors closing at 7.15pm. Actor Maggie Shevlin will perform the one-woman show, with proceeds going to the Dua Ahmed Family Reunion in Ireland Fund.
Plurabelles is a dramatic evocation of 'the Woman' in the work of James Joyce, with a narrative described as river-like, containing myriad currents which convey the diverse facets of this 'textual woman'. Drawn from every area of Joyce's writing, the words construct a portrait showing her at all stages of her life, so that she becomes 'Everywoman', with the single voice becoming many voices in a poetic logic that interconnects the River of Words.
The piece was created directly from Joyce's work by the late Paul Sheehan, a Joyce scholar and university lecturer, specifically for Maggie Shevlin to perform. All the dialogue is Joyce's own.
The event is billed as a 'mindful theatre' experience. In her early career, Shevlin wrote and presented for children's television and has appeared in many theatre, radio and television productions including Coronation Street, Harry's Game, A Safe House, Inspector Morse and A Touch of Frost. Her play Cheatin' Heart for BBC Radio 4 made Pick of the Week and Pick of the Year. She is also a Clinical Hypnotherapist and Mindfulness practitioner, and has previously performed Plurabelles in London and at the Edinburgh Festival.
Musician Eithne Hannigan volunteered to compose and record the show's accompanying music after seeing an early production of Plurabelles.
Proceeds from the event will support the Dua Ahmed Family Reunion in Ireland Fund. Dua Ahmed is a Gaza-born schoolteacher who spoke at a recent event in Rostrevor. She is currently studying at Mary Immaculate College Limerick for a Masters degree focusing on traumatised children, and has been granted refugee status in Ireland. For the past two years she has been separated from her children and husband, who continue to endure the Gaza genocide in dire tented accommodation. The Family Reunion Ireland Fund aims to give her practical help in achieving her goal of reuniting her family in safety.
Tickets are £10 and are available online from www.tickettailor.com and also from Crawford's Bar, Rostrevor. Please note that Plurabelles contains adult dialogue from Joyce's work that some may find offensive.
