As part of our ongoing and evolving programme of support for artists, The Civic, Tallaght, is delighted to announce that AboutFACE Theatre Company will take up residency with us throughout 2020… and hopefully beyond!
There’s already great history here for between 2003-2005 – back in the pioneering early days of the company – they regularly premiered their work at The Civic including memorable productions of Rebecca Gilman’s Boy Gets Girl, Donald Margulies’ Collected Stories and The Laramie Project by Moisés Kaufman.
Then before we knew it, founding Artistic Directors, Anna and Paul Nugent headed off west to the Big Apple… only returning to Dublin in 2016, older, wiser, stronger, bolder, to pick up once again where they started, promoting and producing new and unseen works – be they Irish, American or from wherever – that excite, provoke and entertain. So, now we come full circle and welcome them back home again to The Civic. For we also share a belief that great stories lead to memorable, meaningful nights out. We too cherish a warm welcome, placing the audience squarely at the heart of the experience. And we’re equally passionate about the power of live performance to transcend the everyday and to bring us somewhere, anywhere, as long as we journey there together!
Its early days but plans are afoot to hit the ground running:
The company are already secreted away in our main auditorium exploring a new adaptation by Paul Nugent of The Devil Himself by legal historian Andrew Porwancher, a timely work which explores tensions around the growing power of women in a time of technological and social change. This will be followed in August/September by a cross-cast “mini-season” of 2 plays, titles TBD, but one a world premiere and the other a renowned classic, split in rep over a two week period in both our main and studio spaces. And then in November, in partnership with Smock Alley Theatre, they will once again bring their NEWvember new play reading festival to the Civic for an interactive, audience driven exploration of all that’s excitingly new about plays fresh off the mint (and our audience has already had a taste of this great day when they took part last year, as well as hugely enjoying the world premiere The Gods of the Ozarks by Matthew Cole Kelly, which was developed at NEWvember 2018 and premiered to great acclaim in our studio theatre in autumn 2019).
Commenting on the residency, The Civic’s Artistic Director, Michael Barker-Caven, says:
“The company have more than just sticking power and maturity. They have guts, vision and the know how to deliver terrific productions that do what theatre does best – build a uniquely thrilling world and then populate it with people you just want to learn more about! Importantly they also place the audience’s experience at the heart of the process, just one of the many attributes that makes them a perfect fit for The Civic at this time. I am delighted to welcome them back where they belong and I’m confident they will light up our stage as they have always done in the past.”
Anna & Paul Nugent of AboutFACE comment:
“We are so hugely excited and humbled to have our theatre company AboutFACE resident at the Civic for 2020. Remembering our hectic and wonderful time at the Civic between 2003-2005 as young and crazy kids, and returning now to sharing again with the audience here, who’ve always been so engaged with and responsive to our plays, this feels like a lovely coming full circle. The Civic matches so much with AboutFACE’s values of creating memorable and meaningful nights out through story, of a warm welcome and taking care of the audience. We are just delighted to be able to make the Civic our home and to be working with Michael and his fabulous team – it’s so amazing to come back to a place after years away, and be immediately remembered by the gang here, people like Sandra and Louise in the box-office just make you feel like family. This feels like the start of a big adventure in a special place, and we can’t wait to share some really exciting projects with the Civic audience in the next year.”
More Info & Podcast with Michael Anna and Paul coming soon!
Thanks to the continued support of Arts Council Ireland.
