Irexit? Alternate history drama plays at Limerick theatre this October
ALTERNATIVE History is one of the biggest sandboxes a writer can play in.
What if the Axis powers won World War 2? What if the Romans won the Battle of Teutoburg Forest? What if Ireland never left the United Kingdom?
The latter scenairo is the jumping off point for a play called The Alternative: A Play For Ireland, that will captivate Limerick audiences at the Belltable on October 3.
The play concerns a world where Ireland is still part of the United Kingdom, and the main narrative thrust of the play is a vote on Ireland voting to stay or leave in the United Kingdom.
Speaking to the Limerick Leader, Belfast-based writer and actor Michael Patrick said the play’s timing is a coincidence.
“We wrote the play just after the Brexit vote was passed in June 2016 – we had no idea we’d be preforming it in October 2019 amid the current backdrop. It’s a very happy coincidence and we didn’t plan it at all,” admitted Patrick.
Patrick and play co-writer Oisin Kearney met at Cambridge University in England and formed the University’s Irish society.
From there, a creative partnership blossomed.
“We did a play called My Left Nut, about the struggles of growing up and being a teenage boy, we’re working on a pilot for the BBC now,” Patrick said.
Patrick is typically an actor by trade, so writing the play was a new challenge for him.
“I can understands why writers are so grumpy all the time!” joked Patrick.
The BBC style of dark comedy seems to be a throughline in Patrick’s work – Armando Iannucci’s seminal satire The Thick Of It was mentioned as an influence on The Alternative – and says The Alternative has something for everyone.
“At the heart of it, the show deals with basic human relationships, has silly humour, but still manages to make a commentary on the times we live in.”
“It’s a nice cocktail of different elements, and I hope Limerick audiences enjoy it – we really think it has something to say about the current state of affairs,” said Patrick.
The Alternative – A Play For Ireland is on at the Belltable on Thursday, October 3, with tickets €18 for concession and standard tickets €20, with doors at 7.30pm.