October | 2012 | Youth Theatre Ireland Young Critics

The Ties That Bind- Shibari Review

Posted on October 16, 2012 by Youth Theatre Ireland Young Critics

Janet Moran and Orion Lee in the Abbey Theatre production of Gary Duggan’s SHIBARI, directed by Tom Creed on the Peacock stage as part of the Dublin Theatre Festival. 4 Oct – 3 Nov 2012. Pic by Fiona Morgan.

SHIBARI by Gary Duggan
Directed by: Tom Creed
Reviewed by: Luke Casserly, 08 October, 2012

Shibari is a contemporary piece of modern theatre which hones in on the ties, connections and interlinked relationships which exist between people in modern-day Dublin. Through a series of vignettes we see into the lives of six ordinary people living in the city.
A distinct and bold Japanese flavour wavers through this play at all times and many aspects of the lighting, setting and costume design are inclusive of this Japanese sense.

The clean and elegant knot transitions were admirably smooth, as was the quirky set, designed by Frank Conway. The gradual colour changes in costume from knot-to-knot were wickedly effective and acting was faultless throughout. I commend Janet Moran and Kate Nic Chonaonigh in particular on their excellent character development, which shone brilliantly on the night I attended.

I enjoyed this play a great amount. It doesn’t follow the conventional and linear structure of a play, instead, it unfolds in a series of knots, rather than scenes. The play’s clever structural arrangement along with its direct and sometimes witty dialogue was highly entertaining and indeed thought-provoking; Shibari is a play which is intensely real and relative to a modern Irish audience. Having said this, the play did not personally offer me any long-term effect. It did not cause me to think for any longer than a few hours post show.
Tom Creed has directed a wonderfully modern, symbolic and different piece in the form of Shibari, which is presented on the Peacock Stage. A play full of realism and quirk, it is highly entertaining to say the least. As I had seen it in its preview stage, I look forward to seeing the further development which the production undergoes. It is highly recommended by this critic that you go and experience Shibari for yourself.

Luke Casserly is a member of NAYD’s Young Critics 2012

Dublin Theatre Festival. Young Critics 2012 – Sarah Mc Goohan

Posted on October 2, 2012 by Youth Theatre Ireland Young Critics

6 days. It is how long I have spent so far with my fellow Young Critics. 6 days. It is how long until myself and 15 other buzzing young theatre lovers are spoiled with an action packed weekend of good quality theatre, analytical discussion and guaranteed enjoyment. From the 5th to the 7th of October the Young Critics Programme, led by Alan King (NAYD’s youth theatre officer) and Dr. Karen Fricker, will hold their third and final residential weekend of 2012 as a part of the Dublin Theatre Festival.
I eagerly await next weekend with anticipation as from researching the line up of plays that we will be seeing and critiquing, I think it is going to be one of the best weekends so far which I can’t believe I’m saying after experiencing the wonderful Cork Midsummer Festival in June and prior to that, our weekend in Dublin in early April. Over the course of the three days we will be seeing three shows: Shibari by Gary Duggan presented by The Abbey Theatre, DruidMurphy- Plays by Tom Murphy : A Whistle in the Dark and The Wooster Group – Hamlet by William Shakespeare.
From tapping our feet to the music of Liam Ó Maonlaí and dancing on stage with the performers of ‘Rian’ in Cork Opera House, subtly taking over a shopping mall as part of Parallel Cities site specific Saturday afternoon show, Dylan Tighe’s emotionally provocative ‘Record’ and yet another late night visit to Parallel Cities: ‘House’, sitting down to relish in some straight drama like ‘Hamlet’ or ‘A Whistle in the Dark’ will contrast just beautifully.
Something that we, as 16 young critics, will be experiencing this weekend is publically discussing our feelings and opinions on what we have seen, heard, liked, loved or disliked at our public panel discussion on Sunday, October 7th at Project Arts Centre, Temple Bar. Both Dr. Karen Fricker and Alan King have (hopefully) sufficiently prepared us for this event by asking us questions and thus stimulating our thoughts and leading our analysis in the right direction. We now know what questions to ask and why to ask them. “Why did the director make the decision to do this or that?” “Did it work?” “If so, why?” – and so on and so forth.
The Young Critics Programme has also helped us with our own personal artistic issues. I find it much easier now to see from an audience’s perspective and how to access different obstacles we are faced whilst acting, directing or designing. It has made me more appreciative of theatre and my love for the stage and performance has done nothing but blossom since I have fallen in with NAYD.