Heartwarming new musical as Gaeilge, SAOIRSE, to premiere at Galway International Arts Festival
An Taibhdhearc presents the world premiere of SAOIRSE from 10 - 26 July as part of the Galway International Arts Festival. Set in the Kerry Gaeltacht, SAOIRSE is a funny and heartwarming new musical which celebrates first loves and losses. Bursting with energy and hormones, SAOIRSE is full of humour and heart and features a large ensemble of ten multi-talented actors/musicians performing live onstage.
With a young queer love story at its centre, it also explores contemporary issues facing Gaeltacht communities today; the impact of rising rents, second home ownership and potential closing of the College. Could this be the last Coláiste Samhraidh/summer college ever?
SAOIRSE strikes a powerful, deeply resonant chord for teenage audiences and anyone who is nostalgic for those first summer céilís. Summers in the Gaeltacht are a rite of passage for many. The arrival of the first summer of freedom brings excitement to the air. Saoirse, Róisín and Aoife are grappling with life's big questions - Who am I? Who’s stolen my hair straightener? What even is the Modh Coinníollach?
The show is in Irish, with English language subtitles available using the SIBRWD app. Irish Sign Language is available on the 25 and 26 July.
Written and composed by Shauna Carrick, (composer and lyricist All Growed Up - Lyric Theatre Belfast), with co-composer Aidan Byrne. Directed by Muireann Kelly with an impressive creative team including Choreographer Meadhbh Lyons (Olivier award winning, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) and Sound Designer / Music Supervisor, Michael John McCarthy, (Olivier award winning, Pride and Prejudice Sort of) making it one of the must-see shows of the summer.
Featuring a stellar cast including Juliette Crosbie, (who recently debuted with The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and features in the musical comedy Power Ballad), Callum Maxwell, (West End production of Stranger Things: The First Shadow), Ciara Cox as Saoirse (Saol Ella TG4), Evanne Kilgallon (Small Town Big Story, Obituary), actor and sean-nós singer Síofra Ní Éilí (Muicín), as well as the hugely talented Lesley Conroy, Ursula Early, Colm Mac Gearailt, Aidan Byrne and Elliot Nolan.
“This show is a love letter to the Irish colleges and Gaeltachts. I hope that it inspires nostalgia in us adults, but that it also reflects the lives of teenagers today as they learn more about their language, their relationships, and themselves.”- Shauna Carrick, Writer and Composer
“We are so proud to finally share our exciting new musical SAOIRSE with audiences this summer at Galway International Arts Festival. Supporting and developing artists such as Shauna Carrick to produce vibrant and contemporary work is at the heart of our ambitions at An Taibhdhearc, as the National Irish Language Theatre.” - Muireann Kelly, Artistic Director and Co-CEO, An Taibhdhearc
Tickets for SAOIRSE, running from 10–26 July as part of the Galway International Arts Festival, are available now at antaibhdhearc.com/saoirse or by calling (091) 357 011.
What the press said [Shauna Carrick Wants a Dog]:
“heartfelt and heart-warming” - The Reviews Hub
“Obscene that one person should have this much talent…exceptional, funny” - The Arts Review