Bruiser Theatre Company

Mojo and his mate Mickybo are two nine-year-old boys from opposing sides of the sectarian divide. They are ‘thick as two small thieves’, playing headers, being mouthy, building huts, spitting from cinema balconies and re-enacting their favourite movie, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. They are young cowboys in the making, with the violence of The Troubles only obliquely impacting on them – until finally their friendship is destroyed in a way that they only later come to understand.

This is pure, undiluted storytelling in Bruiser’s trademark dynamic physical style. Fast-paced, darkly funny and action-packed. The show is brought to life by two of our finest local actors, John Travers and Conor Quinn, who seamlessly slip in and out of multiple roles and imaginary worlds.

Mojo Mickybo unsentimentally portrays a kind of innocence betrayed by communal hatred, showing the harsh absurdity of sectarianism. Our young heroes, Mojo and Mickybo, represent the division of a benighted country that has spent a century at war with itself.

Bruiser Theatre Company are renowned for their fast-paced, energetic, and engaging performances. Under the meticulous direction of Irish Times Irish Theatre Awards nominated Lisa May, Mojo Mickybo is ready for a live audience following its successful online run while theatres remained closed.

Bruiser Theatre Company is delighted to be bringing this award-winning production across the border, and proud to present this showcase of both Northern Ireland’s talent and complex history to mark the 25th anniversary of The Good Friday Agreement.

“Seeing this underlined the importance of theatre… This outstanding production of Owen McCafferty’s insightful Mojo Mickybo reminds us why theatre is so vital.”
– The Irish News

“This is a piece of theatre that deserves the biggest of audiences.”
– Cathy Brown, No More Workhorse

“What we have here is a stunning, breath-taking piece of theatre.”
– Conor O’Neill, Culture Crush NI

“An hour of action-packed entertainment”
– Broadway Baby

“I loved every minute spent with Mojo Mickybo.”
– Everything Theatre

“The vitality of the performances is remarkable.”
– UK Theatre Web

TICKETS €18 | €16 Student/OAP/unwaged concession

Running Time: 60 mins

WRITTEN BY: Owen McCafferty
DIRECTED BY: Lisa May
LIGHTING DESIGN BY: James McFetridge
SET DESIGN BY: Stuart Marshall
COSTUME DESIGN BY: Gillian Lennox
SOUND DESIGN BY: Garth McConaghie
CAST: John Travers, Conor Quinn

About Bruiser Theatre Company
Founded in 1997 and based in Belfast, Bruiser Theatre Company is Northern Ireland’s foremost physical theatre company. We’re committed to providing high quality theatre experiences for our audiences in Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and further afield.

We use minimal set for maximum impact, whilst further exploring the notion of the actor as the centre of the action, enforcing them as the main mechanism of performance. This approach is echoed in all of our productions, and is the central artistic premise in all our work. We exist to excite, engage, and inspire through our unique brand of physical theatre. We create international quality shows, by and for the people of Northern Ireland, provide essential professional development opportunities for young people and create an environment in which artists can fulfil their creative potential.

About The Cast

JOHN TRAVERS – MOJO

John Travers began his acting career in 2003 starring in Aisling Walsh’s multi award winning film ‘Song For a Raggy Boy’ picking up a Best Actor award at the Cherbourg film festival along the way kick starting his career in the arts industry. He has appeared in 18 feature films with a few top billed, collecting awards with some being BAFTA and Oscar nominated. Working with inspirational directors including the late Lord Richard Attenborough in ‘Closing the Ring’.

John broke on to the Irish theatre scene in 2008 with Rosemary Jenkinsons’ two-hander ‘The Johnny Meister and ‘The Stitch’ at (The MAC, Belfast) going onto Edinburgh & Dublin Fringe Festivals with 5* reviews and critical acclaim. John then went on to work on many theatre productions, including: ‘Sign of the whale’ (Tinderbox/The Grand Opera House, Belfast); ‘Tartan’ (Etcetera/The MAC, Belfast); ‘I Never See The Prettiest Thing’ (Partisan); ‘Basra Boy’ (Brassneck/The Grand Opera House, Belfast); ‘The Laughter & The Tears of Robin Williams’ (Tread the Boards/The Waterfront); ‘PlayCraftLive’ (The Playhouse Derry/BBC) to name a few.

Recent work in film & theatre includes: ‘HouseJackers’ (NI Screen, Post Production); ‘We’ll Walk Hand In Hand’ (Green Shoot Productions/Lyric Theatre); ‘Vivarium’ (Bruised Sky/Edinburgh & Dublin Fringe Festivals); ‘Albino Parts’ (The Playhouse, Derry); ‘Billy Boy’ (East Side Arts/Edinburgh Fringe/The MAC, Belfast); ‘Nightride’ (NIScreen/Netflix) and ‘Black Medicine’ (NI Screen/Amazon Prime).

CONOR QUINN – MICKYBO

Conor Quinn is an actor – musician from ‘Banbridge Town In The County Down”. He graduated from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in 2020. During his training, his credits included: Ensemble in ‘Assassins’, Stone in ‘City of Angels’ and Barnaby in ‘The Baker’s Wife’.

Conor made his professional debut with Northern Ireland Opera as Jack in their production of Stephen Sondheim’s ‘Into the Woods’, which won Best Production at the Irish Times Theatre Awards 2022.

Other credits include: Soloist in ‘Bernstein 100; Bernstein Mass’ with Royal Scottish National Orchestra (Glasgow Royal Concert Hall), Soloist at ‘Christmas is Cumming’ in 2020 with Alan Cumming and Eddi Reader (Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Cottiers), Soloist at the Northern Ireland Bureau’s St. Patrick’s Day Breakfast in Washington DC, 2022 (NI Opera, Washington, DC), Paddington (Histrionic Productions, Dalkeith Palace), Cinderella (Cahoots NI, The MAC), Cabaret de la Boîte (NI Opera, The Black Box), The Lost Boy (NI Opera, The New Orpheus Ballroom).

About The Director

Lisa May is the Artistic Director and Founder of Bruiser Theatre Company. Established in 1997, Bruiser produces innovative live performances, combining text and physical theatre techniques. Lisa coined Bruiser’s artistic policy of “minimum set for maximum impact”. Her style of direction focuses on the actors ability to engage the audience, without relying on elaborate sets, costume and lighting. The actor is the central mechanism of performance, and Lisa’s choice of scripts allows exploration of the essential dynamics of theatre: the actor, the audience and the space.

Over the last 26 years Lisa has directed all but one of Bruiser’s productions, most recently Mojo Mickybo, Teechers, The Trial, The 39 Steps (Bruiser/Lyric Co-production), The Colleen Bawn (Bruiser/Lyric Co-production), The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, The Importance of Being Earnest (Bruiser/MAC Co-production) and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare [Abridged]. She was recently nominated for Best Director at the Irish Times Irish Theatre Awards and is also a previous winner of The Belfast Telegraph Woman of the Year in the Arts.