
Men at Play (Galway Show)
Is masculinity just one big performance?
*****Winner of the Best Theatre Production Award at the Galway Fringe Festival 2018*****
“Congratulations, it’s a fine healthy boy” declares an off-stage voice, compelling and coercing our characters – brothers Fergus and Fionn – into performing an assigned gender. Follow this amiable duo, a gay man with an alter ego and a straight man with issues, through various stages in life, from childhood to fatherhood, as they react to and perform the male identities assigned to them which don’t always reflect who they are. But who are they anyhow – two men struggling with identity, two actors struggling to put on a play or something in between? Via a medley of song, movement, dance and depictions of real-life dramas, both hilarious and harrowing, Men At Play explores the performativity of male identity, through performance. Written and directed by Brian Burns, and featuring actors Kieran McBride and Ruairí Lenaghan.
Reviews “a witty, insightful, playful, moving and richly theatrical look at masculinity … a hugely impressive writing debut from Brian Burns … excellent performances from Kieran McBride and Ruairí Lenaghan … a delight of a show” The Galway Advertiser’s Charlie McBride
“a poignant tale of struggling with identity and coming to terms with who you are in rural Ireland in the 80’s and 90s … beautifully crafted … charming, captivating and genuinely touching” The Galway Player’s Kieran O’Malley