Abbey Theatre | Youth Theatre Ireland Young Critics

Gulliver’s Travels – A Review BY Niall McDaid

Posted on September 2, 2013 by Youth Theatre Ireland Young Critics

Photo by Ros Kavanagh

The National Youth Theatre production of

Gulliver’s Travels

by Johnathan Swift, adapted for the stage by Conall Morrison

I went to see the NYT’s production of Gulliver’s Travels on Monday 26th August. As it was the first preview I was expecting one or two small mistakes but I didn’t notice any. It was clearly very well rehearsed and well put together. I really liked the way it looked exactly like a professional production but kept the feel of a youth theatre play about it. The story was shown very clearly and the use of a live camera feed to help show the size difference between Gulliver and the Lilliputians worked very well. Never having been to the Peacock before, I was expecting a larger stage and auditorium but I really think the smaller stage worked well as the show felt much more personal. All sixteen cast members were absolutely brilliant! The animated facial expressions were a real highlight for me. Overall it was an excellent show, well written script, brilliant performance from the cast, great style and just a spectacular show and I’d highly recommend it.

Niall McDaid is a member of Letterkenny Youth Theatre and a recent participant on the NAYD Young Critics International Encounter

Gulliver has finished it’s run at the Peacock Theatre and has now travelled down to the Everyman, Cork. Three shows only.

Cork

Venue: The Everyman
Dates: 5 -7 September at 8pm.
Tickets: €18. Concession €15 Family price €60 (2 adults, 2 children)
Youth Theatre members €12 (not available online)
Bookings: Phone The Everyman on 021-4501673

http://www.nayd.ie/news/press/gullivers-travels-tickets-now-on-sale

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