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Charabanc

CHARABANC

  (1983 - 1995)
Nationality:    Irish
email:    n/a     Website:    n/a

Literary Agent:    Curtis Brown Group Ltd  

Charabanc Theatre Company was formed in 1983. It was born out of the frustration of five Belfast-based actresses at, not only the lack of work available to women in theatre, but also the quality of what was available. The company initially worked as a team to research, improvise and write plays reflecting the experiences of Belfast women, but also branched out to produce new and existing texts of relevance to audiences throughout Ireland. Over the next 10 years the company become one of Ireland's most significant independent companies, producing many award winning shows and touring throughout Ireland and around the world. The group disbanded in 1995.

Research:    http://www.irishplayography.com/company.aspx?companyid=200

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below is a list of Charabanc's plays - click on a Play Title for more information

         Blind Fiddler Of Glenadauch, The         Cauterised         Girls In the Big Picture         Gold in the Streets         Hamster Wheel, The         House of Bernarda Alba, The         Illusion, The         Iron May Sparkle         Lay Up Your Ends         Now You're Talkin'         October Song         Oul Delf & False Teeth         Somewhere Over the Balcony         Terrible Twins' Crazy Christmas, The         Vinegar Fly, The         Weddins Weeins and Wakes         Wife, A Dog And A Maple Tree, A

Blind Fiddler Of Glenadauch, The

Synopsis:
The Blind Fiddler Of Glenadauch explores the idea of cultural and familial legacy through the story of one Belfast family. After the death of her beloved father Pat, Kathleen, a prosperous civil servant, goes on a bemused pilgrimage to Station Island in Lough Derg to retrace his annual visit and to try to understand why he allowed her childhood to be sacrificed to the social ambitions of her mother. In flashback we see the younger Kathleen in the pub her father owned in Belfast where she spent her happiest days among the impoverished fiddle players, drinkers, chancers and raconteurs.

Notes:
written by Marie Jones

1st Produced:
Amharclann na Carraige/The Rock Theatre, Belfast    1990

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Samuel French, London,    -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
one act drama

Parts:
Male:  1            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
http://www.irishplayography.com/play.aspx?playid=578

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Cauterised

Synopsis:
A hardware shop in a Northern Irish town. the mangaress and her assistant talk of their lives - but are they telling the truth?

Notes:
written by Neill Speers

1st Produced:

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  3            Other:  -

Further Reference:
http://www.irishplayography.com/play.aspx?playid=541

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Girls In the Big Picture

Girls In the Big Picture
Three women in rural Ulster in the 1960s. They feel that the Swinging Sixties has left them behind. They meet smoothie Pat. He shows them the excitement of sex and modern gadgetry and then dumps them

Notes:
written by Marie Jones

1st Produced:
Ardhowen Theatre, Enniskillen    22 Sep 1986

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Contained in: "Four Plays by the Charabanc Theatre Company" published by Colin Smythe, 2006   978-0861404384

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Drama

Parts:
Male:  5            Female:  8            Other:  -

Further Reference:
http://www.irishplayography.com/play.aspx?playid=502

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Gold in the Streets

Gold in the Streets
Three women from different times are all forced to emigrate from Ireland to England. 1912 a weaver's wife. At the end of World War One a widow. In 1985 a policeman's wife

Notes:
written by Marie Jones. Devised by the company. A shorter version of this play was commissioned by Camden Borough Council for performance in community centres in 1985. It was rewritten and expanded for full production in Belfast in 1986 as listed.

1st Produced:
Arts Theatre, Belfast    13 Jan 1986

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Contained in: "Four Plays by the Charabanc Theatre Company" published by Colin Smythe, 2006   978-0861404384

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
piece

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  4            Other:  In the original production one actor played multiple characters

Further Reference:
http://www.irishplayography.com/play.aspx?playid=501

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Hamster Wheel, The

Synopsis:
Jeanette Duncan is a supervisor at the school canteen, taking equal pride in her work and her home. Her husband Kenny is a long-distance lorry driver, their daughter Cathy is about to start college, and they are just about to buy their council house. Just as all their plans seem to be coming to fruition, Kenny suffers a stroke. When he returns from hospital, Jeanette becomes a full-time carer, with no job description, no information and no idea of what lies ahead of her. Passing through anger, resentment, frustration and guilt, she arrives at a level of understanding and acceptance, making choices which others find incomprehensible.

Notes:
written by Marie Jones

1st Produced:
Arts Theatre, Belfast    06 Feb 1990

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
in the Crack In the Emerald, Nick Hern Books, London, 1990   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  3            Other:  -

Further Reference:
http://www.irishplayography.com/play.aspx?playid=543

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House of Bernarda Alba, The

Synopsis:
Somewhere in the middle of Ireland, at some time in the not too distant past. In the middle of nowhere, during a heatwave, a strange family of women is locked into darkened rooms. they are mourning the death of their father, the last man to have entered the house. One of the rooms contains their grandmother, who their mother says is mad. Every so often she escapes. Mother reckons that eight years of mourning should be enough. By the time that is over, some of them will be old. A man has come looking for a rich wife. One of the daughters is an heiress. All of them want to escape.

Notes:
Original Playwright - Federico Garcia Lorca. Adapted by Lynne Parker

1st Produced:
Arts Theatre, Belfast, Ireland    08 Feb 1993

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Adaptation

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  10            Other:  doubling possible

Further Reference:
http://www.irishplayography.com/play.aspx?playid=549

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Illusion, The

Synopsis:
Pridamont desperately wants to heal the wounds of his ten-year estrangement from his son Clindor. On the search for his son, the Father once again unearths the prejudices that separated them in the first place. A drag artist in a Parisian nightclub, Clindor is the antithesis of Pridamont's sexual model.

Notes:
An adaptation by Peter Sheridan of 'L'Illusion Comique' by Corneille.

1st Produced:
Samuel Beckett Theatre, Dublin    05 Oct 1993

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Adaptation

Parts:
Male:  5            Female:  5            Other:  -

Further Reference:
http://www.irishplayography.com/play.aspx?playid=554

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Iron May Sparkle

Synopsis:
Claudette and Olive were children in the 1950s. Now their children have grown up and left and their husbands are useless. They settle down for an evening in front of the television. They fall asleep and dream

Notes:
written by Thomas McLaughlin

1st Produced:
Drill Hall, London >>>    01 Nov 1994

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
http://www.irishplayography.com/play.aspx?playid=559

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Lay Up Your Ends

Lay Up Your Ends
The mill girls go out on strike when their hours and wages are cut. The strike leader Belle Thompson becomes involved with James Connelly

Notes:
Written by Martin Lynch in collaboration with the company.

1st Produced:
Arts Theatre, Belfast    15 May 1983

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Lagan Press   978-1904652496

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Drama

Parts:
Male:  1            Female:  5            Other:  -

Further Reference:
http://www.irishplayography.com/play.aspx?playid=498

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Now You're Talkin'

Now You're Talkin'
An American couple run a retreat in Northern Ireland so people can relax away from the Troubles. Five women have checked in for the weekend. But it wont be a peaceful weekend as the press are snooping around and a paramilitary group

Notes:
written by Marie Jones. Devised by the company.

1st Produced:
Arts Theatre, Belfast    17 Mar 1985

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Contained in: "Four Plays by the Charabanc Theatre Company" published by Colin Smythe, 2006   978-0861404384

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Drama

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  5            Other:  -

Further Reference:
http://www.irishplayography.com/play.aspx?playid=500

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October Song

Synopsis:
October Song tells of the struggle of the O'Donnell sisters to resolve the legacy of the family history, against the wider backdrop of a community celebrating All Soul's Night, attempting to lay its own ghosts to rest. - http://www.irishplayography.com/play.aspx?playid=545

Notes:
written by Andrew Hinds

1st Produced:
the Playhouse, Derry, Ireland    14 Apr 1992

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Carysfort Press, Dublin,    0-9534-2574-6

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  3            Other:  -

Further Reference:
http://www.irishplayography.com/play.aspx?playid=545

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Oul Delf & False Teeth

Synopsis:
The run up to the 1949 Stormont elections - the lives of stall holders in Belfast market

Notes:
written by Marie Jones. Written with the company, in association with Pam Brighton and Martin Lynch

1st Produced:
Arts Theatre, Belfast    26 Feb 1984

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Drama

Parts:
Male:  1            Female:  5            Other:  -

Further Reference:
http://www.irishplayography.com/play.aspx?playid=499

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Somewhere Over the Balcony

Somewhere Over the Balcony
Three women on the balcony of a high rise flat observe Belfast bellow them. Their husbands, offspring, soldiers and a siege

Notes:
written by Marie Jones

1st Produced:
Drill Hall, London    09 Sep 1987

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Contained in: "Four Plays by the Charabanc Theatre Company" published by Colin Smythe, 2006   978-0861404384

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  3            Other:  -

Further Reference:
http://www.irishplayography.com/play.aspx?playid=539

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Terrible Twins' Crazy Christmas, The

Synopsis:
Baron Begrudger has stolen the spirit of Christmas, and Santa's reindeer can't fly. Walter the pigeon enlists the help of twins Christopher and Noele, born on Christmas Day, to defeat the Baron with the aid of a fairy, the Children of Lir and a six-foot leprechaun.

Notes:
written by Marie Jones

1st Produced:
Riverside Theatre, University of Ulster, Cromore Road, Coleraine, Co. Derry    28 Nov 1988

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
one act TYA

Parts:
Male:  3            Female:  3            Other:  doubling possible

Further Reference:
http://www.irishplayography.com/play.aspx?playid=573

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Vinegar Fly, The

Synopsis:
1912, on board a ship bound for Africa, at the mission station and in the bush. Sister EvAngelist and her younger, more idealistic companion Sister Dympna set out for an African mission, on which their faith is tested.

Notes:
written by Nick Perry

1st Produced:
Soho Poly, London    28 Oct 1988

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Play One Act

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
http://www.irishplayography.com/play.aspx?playid=555
Theatre Record Vol VIII (1988) Page 1516

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Weddins Weeins and Wakes

Synopsis:
The trials and tribulations of the Watson family: rearing their families, marrying them off and then burying them.

Notes:
written by Marie Jones. A full-length version of 'Weddins, Weeins and Wakes', with original music by Trevor Moore, was subsequently produced at the Lyric Theatre in November 2001.

1st Produced:
Shankill Festival, Belfast    1989

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
One act

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  3            Other:  -

Further Reference:
http://www.irishplayography.com/play.aspx?playid=579

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Wife, A Dog And A Maple Tree, A

Synopsis:
"Marriage Matters" a television programme have invited Mandy, Jamesie, Joanne and Kevin on. Kevin wants to talk about his happy marriage. Mandy about how hers failed. Jamesie wants a second chance

Notes:
written by Sue Ashby

1st Produced:
the Playhouse, Derry, NI    24 Feb 1995

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  3            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
http://www.irishplayography.com/play.aspx?playid=560

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