Gays Against The Free State (Smock Alley Boys School, 2016)

Written by Oisín McKenna (Grindr: A Love Story, Tiger Dublin Fringe 2013) and influenced by Primetime Investigates and the Reeling In The Years 1980s boxset, Gays Against The Free State is a show about LGBTQ+ activism today and republican activism in the past. It had its initial premiere as part of Tiger Dublin Fringe, 2016. In this production, I played both a drag queen version of Miriam O’Callaghan, presiding over a debate about gay assimilation, and a Christian Brother enraged during the centenary year of the 1916 Rising.

Direction: Colm Summers

Performers: Lenny Buckley, Eavan Gaffney, Sian Ní Mhuirí, Stephen Quinn and Oisín McKenna.

Scenic Design: Eugenia Genunchi

Costume Design: Sorcha Ní Fhloinn

Composer: Séamus Ryan

Lighting Design: Tilly Taylor

AV Design: Hugo Lau

Production Manager: David Doyle

Stage Manager: Jennifer Aust

Producer: Oisín McKenna

Praise for Gays Against the Free State:

“the bristling sincerity is [...] an undoubted strength. You leave the space whistling the message.” – The Irish Times

“a brilliantly thought-provoking excavation.” - Meg.ie

Nominated for the Judge’s Choice Award at Tiger Dublin Fringe 2016.