LANGUAGE ROULETTE
1996
‘The writing is inspired.’ Lyn Gardner, The Guardian
Set in Belfast on the first night of the ceasefire in 1994, Daragh’s first play, Language Roulette, was produced by Tinderbox Theatre Company and opened at the Old Museum Arts Centre, Belfast on May 27, 1996. It tells the story of a reunion of old friends at the time of the ceasefire in Northern Ireland
The play was revived in February 1997, when it toured Ireland and played at the Bush Theatre, London and the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh. The first American production was at the New Art Theater, New Hampshire in March 1999.
Language Roulette is included in the collection Far From the Land: Contemporary Irish Play. Purchase the anthology on Amazon.
DUMPED
1997
As Nick and Liz hoke through a skip to find stuff for their new squat, they meet Franco Murphy – raconteur, bon viveur, stand-up comedian. He has just been left by Julie.
Dumped by his woman, with revenge on his mind, Franco enlists Nick and Liz as his gorgeous new assistants. He has a plan and he’s sure Julie will see the funny side.
Dumped is Daragh’s second play and was produced by Tinderbox Theatre Company, opening in September 1997 for a Northern Irish tour. It was subsequently produced by the National Youth Theatre of Great Britain at the Pleasance Theatre, Edinburgh in August 1998, and at Battersea Arts Centre and the Petit Hebertot, Paris in April 1999.
OBSERVATORY
1999
‘Carville’s third offering is confirmation that his star is in the ascendant.’ The Sunday Times
A gothic science-fiction thriller, Observatory details the entangled lives of four people across two centuries.
Set at the Armagh Observatory and Museum for Astronomy and Natural Philosophy, in both 1799 and 1999. Historian Jon McKenna, hired to compile a computerised catalogue of the archives, finds his life becoming entangled with that of Nicola McLoughlin, assistant astronomer at the Observatory.
Together they work to uncover the 200-year-old story of astronomer Archibald Hamilton and his assistant Robert Hogg: man of science, man of God, and revolutionary. The Observatory, a symbol of both science and religion, becomes the setting for a powerful exploration of nationhood and revolution, love and betrayal.
Observatory was first performed at the Peacock Theatre in Dublin on March 25, 1999. The play was later translated into Dutch by Manon Smits and presented at the ‘Verse Waar’ Festival at Breda in the Netherlands, in May 2000.
Observatory is published by Methuen. Purchase a copy from Amazon. It has also been translated into Italian by Monica Randaccio and published under the title L’Osservatorio in 2005.
CONVICTIONS
2000
‘One of the most vivid and original experiences I’ve had in the theatre.’ Mark Lawson, BBC Late Review
In a radical new site-specific work set in the historic Armagh Courthouse, Tinderbox presented seven new dramas by some of Northern Ireland’s leading playwrights.
Audiences were taken on a journey through the building, visiting the locations of many past dramas: the Civil Court, the Jury Room, the holding cells, toilets, Judges Room, the Criminal Court and the main hallway.
Each writer had been asked to explore the themes of justice and the act of passing judgement, with Daragh naming his The Proposal.
The Proposal was subsequently translated by Manon Smits and presented at Dutch theatre festival Verse Waar at Breda in the Netherlands, May 2003.
THE HOLYLAND
2001
English and Irish, students and the homeless, those looking for love and those trying to escape, drug addicts and a dodgy Velvet Underground tribute band all tell their stories as the sirens wail and the violence brews on New Year’s Eve in the student area of Belfast, with its aptly named streets – Damascus, Jerusalem and Palestine – otherwise known as the Holylands.
The Holyland was first produced by the National Youth Theatre of Great Britain at the Pleasance Theatre, Edinburgh and the Lyric, Hammersmith in August 2001. A scene from the play featured in the NYT’s 60th anniversary Gala Celebration at London’s Shaftesbury Theatre on Sunday, September 16, 2016.
The Holyland is published by Methuen and is available to purchase from Amazon.
FAMILY PLOT
2005
‘A darkly comic ensemble piece far removed from the conventional kitchen sink drama.’ CultureNorthernIreland.org
Inside their family grave, three generations of Kerrs are dead and buried – but still condemned to argue.
To begin with, the family’s predicament is darkly comic, but as Daragh expertly reveals long hidden truths, Family Plot becomes a gripping and terrifying story of lives damaged by secrets and lies.
When young Emer, the last of the family line, arrives in the grave, the Kerrs are brought face to face with the consequences of forgotten love and shocking betrayal.
First produced by Tinderbox Theatre Company at the Belfast Festival at Queen’s in November 2005.
THIS OTHER CITY
2009
‘The new Belfast – a post-apocalyptic society where men in suits enjoy power lunches and hungry young journalists rely so much on switch cards that they forget to bring loose change. Belfast has moved on. With This Other City, Carville explores the shift.’ CultureNorthernIreland.org
Patrick is working late. He has important clients. He’s busy, Building a Better Belfast. Gemma’s beauty business is on the up and up. Their teenage daughter is sharp and funny. They’re a success story in the new metropolitan Belfast.
Until one night. One phone call. When Gemma finds out Patrick isn’t where he’s meant to be. And as she looks for answers the glamorous surface of their life begins to crack, with devastating consequences.
This Other City was first produced by Tinderbox Theatre Company at the Baby Grand, Grand Opera House, Belfast on April 30, 2009. It is published by Oberon Books and available to purchase on Amazon.
THE LIFE AND TIMES OF MITCHELL & KENYON
2014
‘An immensely enjoyable evening.’ The Guardian
Blackburn, 1995: in a dusty old shop, two workmen make a startling discovery when they unearth a treasure trove of film reels once thought lost to the ages.
Blackburn, 1897: Sagar Mitchell and James Kenyon make their first factory-gate films and embark on a filmmaking partnership that will change their lives forever.
The Life and Times of Mitchell & Kenyon was first performed at the Dukes Theatre, Lancaster in April 2014, before transferring to the Oldham Colosseum.
WHAT WE’RE MADE OF
2016
‘Originally inspired by issues surrounding the refugee crisis following a writers’ conference involving Croatian and Northern Irish writers, there is happily no direct mention of Brexit. Yet the question of identity hovers over all three works.’ CultureNorthernIreland.org
Three new one act plays that question who we think we are, challenge what we think we know and celebrate what it means to be alive. Three performances in one evening – What We’re Made Of is a visceral, powerful and unforgettable theatrical experience.
In History, Daragh gos straight to the heart of love and how we long for a passion stronger than ourselves.
In a quiet cafe on a normal day, Emma drops a bombshell that rocks the very foundations of Declan’s happy, settled life. Passions that were never allowed to blossom are suddenly acknowledged and there is nowhere to hide.