21 strangers embarked on the unknown.
Doing Dublin.
5 days on the Emerald Isle.
What was to be expected? Fun? Frolics?
Cultural immersion or depletion?
Thrown in at the deep end, we initiated our communal journey in testy waters. Dylan Coburn Gray's «Absent the Wrong» plunged us headfirst into the morbid legacy of institutional violence meted out by those who were meant to protect.
We untangled the tricky topic of forced adoption and debated about the destruction of families in the name of The Family.
Truth and testimonials were mediated through the art of storytelling.
As we vicariously felt what it means to lose and lose again and somehow win when in the depths of loss, we bore witness to the resilience and vulnerability of the human spirit.
Emotionally flooded, we tumbled into our Sci-Fi Creative Writing workshop led by another renowned Irish writer, Sarah Maria Griffin.
Here we learned how to pose personally profound questions to inanimate objects and sometimes, even find solace in their responses or, at least, how to sit easy in their silence.
While our minds pulsated, our bodies took over as we mastered the fine art of stage body combat.
Jay Cosgrave married dance routines with martial arts: The violence of VIKINGS without a bruise to show for it!
A pretaste of our roles to come as we donned our capes and headed northwards to the realm of fantasy in the mythical land of Westeros.
Enchanting forests gave way to landscapes of verdant abundance which belied regal intrigues.
Reminiscing about our backstage tour of The Abbey, Enda O'Brien's theatrical celebration of Ulysses' centenary, trad sessions in Dublin pubs and our tête-à-tête with some of Ireland's most inquisitive minds, we bustled back to dirty auld Dublin.
Exhausted. Elated. Inspired.
21 strangers embarked on the unknown.
21 companions returned.
Not necessarily knowing more about life but knowing how the truth is never clear-cut.
And most importantly
Knowing that it is ultimately the relationships we create that will sustain us when life throws curve balls.
Student Quotes:
«It wasn’t just a play, it was a whole performance, a masterpiece.»
«I was amazed. Overwhelmed.»
«Looking back, this was one of the greatest performances I’ve ever seen in a play, so simple, yet so creative. Just brilliant.»
«It was the perfect end to an extraordinary play and for us the perfect start to an unforgettable week in Dublin.»
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