Presented by BoyFace & Standard Practice Productions
Set in a working-class suburb of south Dublin, the play centres around JT O’Brien and his father Stephen “Buzzer” O’Brien as they deal with the recent death of JT’s mother Marie. A blackly comic look at how men grieve, New Era, New Éire is a play about change and memory that touches upon more serious issues in Iife such as grief, alcoholism and mental health challenges.
The play alternates between late night and early morning, as JT arrives in from a night of drinking in a mates house in town, before his father gets up for his job as a Dublin Bus driver. The two men contemplate their strained relationship with each other, which grew distant as JT got older. Now they only seem to bond when an Ireland football game is on the telly or an auld drink is involved. Both must deal with change both socially, physically and emotionally as their lives moves forward.
Developed at Scene + Heard Festival.
ABOUT THE COMPANY
Both BoyFace and Standard Practice Productions are award winning production companies in the world of cinema. This is the first theatre production for both companies, who hope to provide an entertaining and poignant look into modern Dublin, the power of memory and the inevitability of change. Luke De Brún has been writing plays since the mid-2010’s as he focused mainly on creating films. Despite the cinematic background, he gained a wealth of experience writing for theatre during his time in University College Dublin, where he had renowned playwright Frank McGuinness as a professor. During his time in UCD, he found the works of other writers such as Mark O’Rowe, Sarah Kane and Conor McPherson and developed a keen interest in “In-Yer-Face” theatre. While he enjoys absurdism, De Brún assures that “New Era, New Éire” is a more down to earth, kitchen-sink look at how masculinity shapes emotions and just how important football is as a cultural entity.
CAST Jason Corbett + Desmond Daly
WRITTEN + DIRECTED BY Luke De Brún
PRODUCED BY Michael Earley, Jane L. Tobin + Sau Dachi