We’ve been working with a playwright who has written a
new play. It’s a
semi-autobiographical play that explores the sexual abuse of a teenage boy with
learning disabilities, and how this effects the boy, his family and community.
Set in 1970’s Northern Ireland, in a
close knit community, the play is initially a warm, humorous, chaotic portrait
of a Catholic family with six teenage boys crammed into a three bedroom
terraced house. There’s not much work for anyone, money’s tight, dad’s a full
time philosopher in the local bar, the older boys are borrowing dad’s car
without his permission, mum’s the family stalwart, the violence of the Troubles
are raging, there’s an explosion at the bottom of the street, mum’s worried
that the boys will be recruited by the IRA, and the disabled son is the small
boy that everyone on the street looks out for.
But suddenly he’s a small boy no more; he’s
sixteen and teenage hormones are kicking in. He’s smoking, buying cigarettes
for the younger children on the street, and mum’s caught him masturbating. But
then, when he’s seen down a back alleyway, clothes in disarray, panting and
moaning, with an older man from the street, all hell breaks loose. Dad wants to
kill the man, the brothers agree…except one brother who wants to call the
police…but they can’t…the police…during the darkest days of the Troubles…in
this street? They’d be lynched. So what do you do? Who do you turn to when the
police have no place in your community? The Church? The IRA? But what if
they’re implicated? It’s mum who firmly takes control, and has to make the most
difficult decision of her life…
We’re currently fundraising for the
play, and hope to perform it later this year.
The
Playhouse
5-7 Artillery Street
Derry Londonderry
Northern Ireland
BT48 6RG
Tel: +44 (0)28 71 268027