New theatre company to debut with bold Kafka adaptation at Corn Mill
Director Oisín Hourican says the bold adaptation blends mime, movement and dark humour
A bold new theatre company is preparing to make its debut in County Leitrim this month with a striking adaptation of The Metamorphosis at the Corn Mill Theatre & Arts Centre.
An Stoirm Chiúin (The Quiet Storm) will stage Steven Berkoff’s acclaimed adaptation of the Kafka classic for a two-night run on Friday, May 22 and Saturday, May 23 at 8pm.
Directed by Oisín Hourican, the production marks the first public outing for the newly formed company and promises a visually intense blend of physical theatre, mime and dark humour.
Originally written by Franz Kafka in the early 20th century, The Metamorphosis follows travelling salesman Gregor Samsa, who wakes one morning to discover he has transformed into a giant insect. The surreal and unsettling story explores themes of alienation, family breakdown and isolation, while never fully explaining how or why Gregor’s transformation occurs.
Speaking ahead of the production, director Hourican said Kafka’s work continues to resonate because of its emotional honesty and absurdity. “Kafka’s stories are really absurd in the sense that something happens to a character and we’re never told why,” he explained. “We just know it happened and everybody has to deal with the consequences of it. That’s what makes it so unsettling.”
Hourican said Berkoff’s adaptation brought a radically different style of theatre to the stage when it first emerged in the 1960s.
“He was part of this movement away from naturalistic acting into expressionism,” he said. “If you walked into a scene and straight back out again, you’d instantly know what the characters were feeling just from the physicality and movement. That’s the kind of theatre Berkoff was interested in.”
The director said Berkoff drew inspiration from mime and physical theatre pioneers such as Marcel Marceau, blending exaggerated movement and visual storytelling into dramatic performance.
“A lot of the play is very mad because of his style,” Hourican laughed. “There’s movement, mime and this very physical energy running through it.”
Hourican first encountered Berkoff’s work while studying physical theatre in Dublin and said he became fascinated by the style. “It’s not hugely popular in Ireland, but I always loved that kind of acting,” he said.
Rather than imposing rigid direction on the cast, Hourican encouraged performers to experiment and shape scenes collaboratively throughout rehearsals.
“One of the first things I did was give everybody the script, let them read it, then I took all the scripts away and left the room,” he explained. “I told them they had 30 minutes to create some version of what they had just read. When we came back, they performed this three-minute piece that was mostly movement and dance. It was brilliant.”
He said the process helped the cast connect with the themes of the play rather than simply memorising lines. “If you can’t explain what the play is about in three minutes, then we need to go back and look at what we’re doing,” he said.
The production has been rehearsing since January, with Hourican admitting there were moments where the show seemed far from complete. “I was very worried about a month ago,” he admitted. “We’d been working on it for so long and it just wasn’t coming together. Then suddenly, over three or four rehearsals, everything clicked and shot way up.”
The director said moving rehearsals onto the Corn Mill stage and introducing lighting transformed the production. “Once the lights and proper set came in, suddenly everything looked so much better,” he said. “You go from actors trying to remember lines to fully understanding their characters and making stronger choices.”
The cast features performers from across the region, including Connor Sheridan in the central role of Gregor Samsa.
Connor Sheridan, known for his role as “Horse” in The Night Joe Dolan’s Car Broke Down, appears as the Chief Clerk and Lodger. The cast also includes Taragh Donohoe, Michèle Ciba, Paddy Sheanon, Sinead Conefrey and Sarah McGearty.
Hourican praised the experience and dedication of the cast, admitting he was initially intimidated directing such seasoned performers. “Some of them have been doing professional productions for years, they’ve been incredible to work with.”
Tickets for The Metamorphosis are priced at €15 and available online through the Corn Mill Theatre website. Organisers say an additional performance on May 29 may be added depending on demand.