Heroin

Image of HEROIN as axis Ballymun 2011, by Barbara Cieslar with Barry O’Connor, Ger Kelly and Lauren Larkin

WINNER - Spirit of The Fringe Award 2010

“Heroin manages to convey the needle and Irish society’s wilful ignorance of the damage done” - IRISH THEATRE MAGAZINE

“[The show] effectively charts the rise of heroin, and society’s inability to deal with it, from the late 1970s to the present day…. this is a tough play about hard times and a horrible existence that is handled with skill and ambition.”  - THE IRISH TIMES

“the feel of ‘Reeling in the Years’ on Smack.” - WRITING.IE

★★★★★ - Sunday Times     

★★★★ - Irish Times

HEROIN was first performed in Smock Alley Theatre as part of Dublin Fringe Festival in 2010, written and directed by me and presented by THEATREclub

We are fuck ups and we are fucking it up. 

There’s dust in our mouths, we’re breaking our windows, we can’t remember who we’re voting for. 

We’ve collapsed all our veins so we’re standing up and shouting. We’re staying in, We’re bailing out, we’re up and away, we’re on, we’re gone. 

WE’RE GETTING THE FUCK OUT OF HERE. 

We’re reefing off our rings and buying more gear. 

Smile. 

HEROIN is a radical staging of how we got here, and how much we care.

HEROIN 2018 Poster Designed by Cliona Ni Laoi with an image by Dorje de Burgh with Lloyd Cooney, Tony May Junior and Eva Jane Gaffney

I wrote directed and produced the premiere performance with input from Tony, Mark, Billser, Danny and Michael and the staff and clients of Rialto Community Drug Team, Rachael Keogh and her book Dying to Survive, and the actors who performed in the first production Barry O’Connor, Conor Ryan, Conor Madden and Lauren Larkin.

Everytime HEROIN was restaged over the following ten years, new artists, actors and drug users contributed more to it. I did workshops in drugs services the lenght and breadth of the country.

Credits

2010-2020

Cast (3 each show)

Barry O’Connor, Lauren Larkin, Gerard Kelly, Conor Madden, James O’Driscoll, Conor Ryan, Tony May Junior, Eva Jane Gaffney, Lloyd Cooney, Conor Byrne.

Accompanied by two young boys (and sometimes girls!) who slagged the audience as they came in, did the first scene and the last scene, of which there are far too many to name.

Written and Directed by Myself

Additional Writing in 2018 by Rachael Keogh

‘Dying to Survive’ by Rachael Keogh was read from during each live performance

HEROIN premiered at ABSOLUT Fringe 2010 at Smock Alley Theatre and went on to tour to Axis, Ballymun (two runs) It was revived as part of Dublin Theatre Festival 2011 - it then toured to Draiocht Blanchardstown (two runs), NOORDERZON Groningen 2012, Culturgest Lisboa 2013, Mermaid Arts Centre, Bray, St Andrews Community Centre, Dublin 8, Lyric Theatre Belfast, Downpatrick Arts Centre, Everyman Palace Cork, Dunamaise Arts Centre Portlaoise, Pori Festival Finland, Ballymun Trinity Comphrensive, Lime Tree Theatre Limerick, Limerick City Build, Town Hall Theatre Galway, The Glens Manorhamilton Arts Centre, The O’Reilly Theatre, Dublin, Liberty Hall Dublin and Mainline Festival Amsterdam. I’m sure I forgot somewhere, it was on for ten years! Live!

Producers

Ruairi O’Donovan, Sarah Murphy, Grace Dyas, Shane Byrne, Nyree Yergainharsian, Joanna Crawley

Audience Design

Clare O’Connor, Grace Dyas, Shane Byrne, Ruairi O’Donovan

Production Managers

Helen Collins, Eoin Winning, Sean Dennehy

Lighting Designer

Eoin Winning

Set Designer

Doireann Coady

Costume Design

Emma Fraser

Stage Management

Tom Mullan, Emma O’Grady, Barry O’Donovan, Emma Fraser