Agent 160 in Belfast: The Plays

Belfast Agent, Vittoria Cafolla, writes: 

It's starting to get hectic! 

As well as chatting and planning with Lisa, Dan and Louise in England,  I've been spending a lot of time this week with Sarah & Pete from the Black Box, working on, amongst other things:  tech plans, prop lists, publicity, and confirming the rest of our panel.  There has been a lot of interest from the theatrical community here on what Agent 160 do, and are planning to do, and it does seem that people are excited about seeing the shows, attending our panel and the writing workshop with Ioanna & Clare. (Which is nearly full, by the way- sign up here, if you want to attend!)

The directors are also hard at work,  and actors are to-ing and fro-ing between them. (We have 6 actors for 10 roles) It's quite exciting to hear what Moninne & Aislinn are planning, and I can't wait to sit in on a couple of rehearsals.  I think the plays will have a very different feel from the productions that we saw in London, Cardiff & Glasgow- both because we are using Northern Irish actors and -obviously- as no two theatre directors are going to have the same take or reading of a play. On a personal note,  this will be the first time I've had a play directed by two different directors, with different actors-I can't wait to find out what it will be like!

Having seen some of the plays staged while I was in London, and experienced how the audience reacted to each, I am also really looking forward to seeing Northern Irish audiences will react to the great pieces that we are doing. 

I just wish we could have done all the shows from the launch. 

So without further ago, here's our selection of Agent160 Presents plays for the Belfast Festival at Queen's....

 

Ioanna Anderson – How To Be A Pantomine Horse

In an air accident, the normal rules of human behaviour are suspended; people behave in unexpected and sometimes unpredictable ways. In this darkly funny, surreal and moving two-hander, an air crash throws two women into an impromptu but vital partnership.

Vittoria Cafolla – The Last Word

Paedar and Phoebe are in Pompeii, but are the city's ruins the only ones they're exploring? And just how important is it to have the final say in an argument? All is not as it seems when both compete to have the last word.

Clare Duffy – How Do You Sleep At Night?

For three years, Abi has been protesting outside the home of a retired chief executive of a zombie bank. But today, at 4am, the executive’s insomniac wife comes to make Abi an offer.

Sarah Grochala - Red Shoes

And it don’t matter that I ain’t had no tummy tuck caesarean, no postnatal Pilates. Cos I’m thinking it don’t matter what you got, you got it, when you got shoes like that.

Kaz has found the answer to all her problems, a pair of shoes, a pair of red Christian Louboutin shoes. If she has those shoes, she knows she can win her ex, Darren, back. All she needs now is the money to buy them or the guts to steal them.

One night in London when everything goes crazy, she finally gets her chance.

Lisa Parry - Nancy

Nancy lives in Sussex – the rural bit, not Brighton – and is in financial straits. But it’s not just the bank she needs to keep from her door; it’s the rabbits and moles too. But what has this to do with the audience? And why is she on the Agent 160 tour?

Morna Pearson – Skin; or How To Disappear

Robert hasn't left his house since Helen Daniels from Neighbours died. Having pulled out every hair on his body, he has started peeling off all of his skin. His day is interrupted by a visit from an incapacity benefit assessor. Somebody's life is about to change.

If you are going to be in and around Belfast on the 23rd & 24th October, you can buy tickets here.