Surrender To The Movement Of Dancing At Lughnasa

The Gloucester Stage's selection of Brain Friel's Tony and Olivier Award-winning 1991 drama Dancing at Lughnasa is a triumphant turn of its groundbreaking 2018/19 season, which focuses primarily on works about the female experience and empowerment. The autobiographical memory play is a stunning portrait of rural Irish life, weaving together themes of remembrance, remaking the past, love, betrayal, family and a touch of make-believe.

The modern classic is set in a small cottage just outside of Ballybeg, County Donegal in 1936, just as the region begins celebrating the annual Celtic Harvest Festival. Narrator Michael Evans recounts a Summer spent surrounded by the love of his four aunts and mother, the Mundy sisters. Whilst many memories are happy, the family is plagued by poverty and so they dance to bring joy into their lives. When their missionary brother Jack returns from Africa with malaria, his loss of his Catholic faith stirs up turmoil. Michaels errant father Gerry also hovers in the wings with seeds of discontent...