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April 30, 2010

Award winning writer to give post-show talk at Riverbank

The ones who kill shooting stars On Friday May 7th, the award winning playwright Conall Quinn will be at Riverbank Arts Centre, Newbridge to speak with audience members following the performance of his new play ‘The Ones Who Kill Shooting Stars’.

Conall Quinn’s new play is a surreal tale of love and death set on a County Louth beach during World War II.  This is an original and highly entertaining work by a writer who has recently been awarded the Stewart Parker Trust Major Bursary and is currently generating a lot of interest in Ireland. The director of this new piece, Paul Hayes, will also be present on the night to answer questions and discuss the elements of the play.

‘The Ones Who Kill Shooting Stars’ also deals with issues surrounding Irish neutrality during World War II drawing on anecdotal tales of the time to punctuate and illustrate the story…Henry is on the look out for German submarines but all he really wants to do is fire his flare gun, Alice has decided to run away from home again, and Edward’s wife is blowing kisses at him. There’s also the body of the American pilot to bury…“Look out! Oh holy God, look out!  That’s what all the shooting stars will say. They’ll say, There’s that coastwatcher Henry Neary, he’s the one who kills shooting stars with his unrequited love."

Conall Quinn is highly regarded in the Irish theatre world. Indeed, Fintan O’Toole of the Irish Times commenting on “The Death of Harry Leon”, Conall’s last play, said it is, surely, the kind of work that a national theatre is for.”

UPSTATE LIVE is the touring wing of Upstate Theatre Project (a radical, community-based performing arts organisation located in Drogheda).  Upstate has developed a reputation for producing theatre, which is passionate, evocative, sophisticated yet arrestingly pure. Exciting drama, which is at times both fierce and uplifting.

“The Ones Who Kill Shooting Stars” is the second play to be developed under Upstate’s Writers’ Commissioning Scheme, (re-established 2007) whereby the company has sought to encourage new writers and directors from outside the company.  The first such commission was “Submarine Man” by Aidan Harney which has enjoyed two successful national tours.  The scheme continues to be managed for Upstate Theatre Project by Paul Hayes.

This is a highly interesting piece of theatre and with the writer and director on hand for a post show discussion, this is sure to be a worthwhile night out. For a limited time only, Riverbank Arts Centre is running a special Spring offer of 3 tickets for the price of 2 on a great range of shows including ‘The Ones Who Kills Shooting Stars’.

Upstate Live presents

The Ones Who Kill Shooting Stars

A new play by Conall Quinn

Date:  Friday 7th May

Riverbank Arts Centre, Newbridge

Time: 8pm.  €16/€14

Bookings: 045 448327 or online at www.riverbank.ie

Director: Paul Hayes

Set Design: Kieran McNulty

Lighting Design: Sarah Jane Shiels

Costume Design: Sinead Roberts