EVANNA LYNCH LEADS AN IRISH CAST IN A NEW PLAY ABOUT THE TROUBLES

Posing questions about family loyalty, morality and how young men and women are drawn into violence, Under the Black Rock is a play set in Belfast around the time of the Troubles, starring Evanna Lynch, best known for her role as Luna Lovegood in the Harry Potter films. With twists and turns of plot, and laced with gallows humour, the thriller traces the shifting fortunes of a family at the height of Northern Ireland’s violent recent history. Evanna Lynch will play Niamh Ryan, a woman who is drawn into the conflict as part of a community where secrecy and treachery are commonplace, and no one is quite who they seem. As the 25^th anniversary of the Good Friday agreement approaches, Under the Black Rock is a pertinent reminder of Northern Ireland’s turbulent recent history.

Evanna, whose theatre credits include The Omission of the Family Coleman and Disco Pigs, leads an Irish cast. She is joined by John Nayagam (Emmerdale’s Hari Prasad), Flora Montgomery (Norma Major in The Crown, Irish Times Best Actress Award for Miss Julie), Jordan Walker (Live From Hell, Turbine Theatre), Matthew Blaney (Belfast, Not Now, the Finborough), Elizabeth Counsell (Veronica Bainbridge in Brush Strokes), Keith Dunphy, (The Lovely Bones, Birmingham REP) and Glen Wallace (Malachy Fisher in Hollyoaks).

Playwright Tim Edge, “I worked and travelled extensively in Northern Ireland during the Troubles. I still maintain a deep affection for the people of the six counties. They have endured so much and deserve the consolation of optimism and relative stability. The play is dedicated to them.”

Bluebird Productions was set up in 2022 to showcase new writing and develop young directors, producers and creatives. Director Ben Kavanagh is an actor, director, writer, podcaster and educator. His work includes Victims (writer and director, Drayton Arms), The Convert (writer, Above The Stag) and Boy Meets Boy (Jermyn Street) for which he was nominated for an Offie for his performance.

UNDER THE BLACK ROCK

Venue

Arcola Theatre
24 Ashwin Street
London E8 3DL

Performance Dates

2 – 25 March 2023
Previews: 2 – 4 March

Performance Times

Mon – Sat 7:30PM
Saturday 2:30PM

Ticket Price

Previews £28 – £12
Standard £34 – £12
PWYC on Tuesdays

Box Office

www.arcolatheatre.com | 020 75031646

Running Time

2hrs 20 min (inc interval)

Suitable for ages 16+

Content Warning

Under the Black Rock is set in Belfast during the Troubles and contains language and attitudes common at that time. The play also includes suicide references and brief scenes of torture, terrorism and domestic violence.

COMPANY INFORMATION

Director: Ben Kavanagh
Writer: Tim Edge
Set and Costume Design: Ceci Calf

Lighting Design: Joseph Ed Thomas
Fight Director and Armourer: Dimitris Kafataris
Producer: Sam Edmunds

CAST

Niamh: Evanna Lynch
Cashel: John Nayagam
Sandra/Bridget: Flora Montgomery

Alan/Fin: Jordan Walker
Jimmy Lynch/Fr Francis: Winter Matthew Blaney
Mary O’Brien: Elizabeth Counsell

Fr Paul Flynn/Prison Guard 1: Keith Dunphy
Brendan Swords/Prison Guard 2: Glen Wallace