Rostrevor Director takes latest show to Belfast and Edinburgh

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Rostrevor woman Emily Foran is directing a new show this summer both in Belfast and in Edinburgh and she would love to see people from here checking it out.

'The Half Moon' runs from 26-29 July at the LyricTheatre, Belfast and from 2-28 August at the Pleasance Dome, Edinburgh.

Four women. Four generations. One Belfast family fighting for freedom and future. In a ferociously optimistic tale of home and hope, we meet Ethel, Jeanette, Sarah and Pam each trapped by the narrow streets and looming mountain of Tiger’s Bay.

None of them had the chance to leave until now. Pam may have broken the cycle and followed her dream of a life elsewhere but can she ever truly escape her ancestry? There are stories of battle, passion and hope still demanding to be told.

Foran has a great love for this area. She explained "Growing up in Rostrevor has always felt like a gift. I spent my childhood and adolescence with the meadows, rivers, the lough and mountains at my doorstep, a playground for me and my friends to wade through, making new memories with every lap of the forest, the trees collecting our secrets, tears and giggles still to this day. This village is full of stories and a rich history, with most Summer evenings spent at The Fiddler’s Green festival basking in the music and watching the village become electric.

Perhaps explaining how she found her niche in life Foran said "At an early age, I was fascinated by Irish Myths and Legends, espeically the story of Fionn mac Cumhaill and The Cloughmore Stone and the fairies living in The Fairy Glen. I remember my Dad taking me to the library in Warrenpoint to loan cassette tapes of the stories of Tír na nÓg and Cú Chulainn to listen to on long car journeys. Something must have stuck to lead me to what I do today and tell stories for a living."

A pupil of the Sacred Heart in Newry she celebrates the fact that there are so many wonderful artists from the area. "I attended Convent of Mercy Primary School in Rostrevor before going to Sacred Heart Grammar School Newry. I was always a bit shy growing up, so when I found my interest in Drama classes in Sacred Heart, I started to feel my confidence grow. I went on to study Drama at Queen’s University Belfast and get a First Class BA and then trained as a Theatre Director at the Lir Academy, Trinity College Dublin with a Master in Fine Arts in Directing, being taught by Ireland’s best practitioners."

"There’s definitely something in the water here in Newry and Mourne, so many artists from here are part of the Theatre and Film Industry across the island of Ireland, I’m very proud to be one of them." she added.

Currently Foran is a director for theatre and film based in Belfast and trained at The Lir Academy Dublin. Her work spans across the island of Ireland, working with Druid Theatre after receiving the Marie Mullen Bursary, as well as The Lyric, The MAC, The Everyman Cork, An Grianán Theatre Letterkenny, The New Theatre, Dublin and Greenshoot Productions. As a director, Emily works closely with new writing and collaborating with playwrights in developing new work. Her recent work includes Northern Ireland Screen-funded short comedy film BAD VIBES, which she wrote and directed, which premiered at last year’s Belfast Film Festival; The Dead Letter Office by Mary-Lou McCarthy with The Everyman Cork; returning as guest director for Dancing at Lughnasa at The Lir Academy; The Half Moon by Alice Malseed with Greenshoot Productions; REVVED by Patrick Quinn at An Grianán Theatre and The Lyric.

Emily is a Reveal artist with Prime Cut Productions for 2023/24 and was a resident Hatch and Scratch Artist at the MAC and was one of Big Telly Theatre Company’s Early Career Artists. Her production of The Half Moon has been selected for The Lyric Theatre’s partnership with The Plesance in Edinburgh and will be running at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe with previews at The Lyric Theatre over August 2023. The Half Moon has been nominated for Best Set Design for Pai Rathaya’s design and Audience Choice Award at this year’s Irish Times Theatre Awards. Emily will be directing Super-Bogger, a new play by Clare Monnelly and starring Aaron Monaghan which will tour with Livin’ Dred in November 2023.

The Production

The Half Moon is a celebration of the best of Belfast, and of the women who’ve risen above the odds to make their lives their own. Originally produced in Belfast to sell out audiences in April 2022, Alice and the company are delighted to be reprising the work to showcase the work at Lyric Theatre, and then, bringing the best of Belfast talent to Pleasance at Edinburgh Fringe.

The work was originally produced by Green Shoot, but now Alice and company are pleased to collaborate with Thistle and Rose Arts, a female led theatre company.

Writer Alice Malseed said “The Half Moon is inspired by the women of Tiger’s Bay, Belfast. It was written based on the real-life stories of strong and moving women from community. As Writer in Residence, I spent time across a two-year period talking to residents about the area, their lives, histories and hopes. The Half Moon is a play about hope and resilience. I was so inspired by these women, by their tenacity, drive and togetherness. It’s so important for work from Northern Ireland to be showcased and celebrated in the Edinburgh platform, and we are very pleased to be bringing the show to Lyric Theatre first, to show the stories and experiences that we all live through here. The show platforms the craic, storytelling and huge sense of community alive in all Belfast women.”

Cast: Performed by Ruby Campbell

Creative team:

Writer: Alice Malseed

Director: Emily Foran

Lighting Design: Alan Mooney

Set Design: Pai Rathaya

Sound Design: Stuart Robinson

Movement: Paula O’Reilly

Produced by Alice Malseed & Thistle and Rose Arts

Tickets

Lyric Theatre, Belfast

Dates: July 26 – 29Times: 20:00 / 15:00 (Saturday only)
Tickets: £15 - £20