While the end of reading week might signify a reluctant return to work for some students, for a handful of final-year drama students it’s crunch time. Over the next five weeks, five budding directors will present their respective debut productions in the Samuel Beckett Theatre. Each production will then be assessed by the drama department as part of each student’s final year grade.
To cut the ribbon on this year’s Debut Festival Winter Season, fourth-year drama student CN Smith will present his directorial realisation of Van Gogh’s Sunflowers.
The play, originally written by American playwright Charles L Mee, pivots on a series of letters exchanged between Vincent Van Gogh and his brother Theo across the six to eight months Vincent spent in the St Paul Asylum in St Remy. Notably, the last letter in the series is written from the outside. This scriptural conversation is also embellished with interventions from a group of ensemble performers throughout the piece, Smith explains.
Smith first became fascinated by Charles L Mee and his work when Mee’s play, Big Love, was chosen by Trinity’s Drama Department to be performed as the second-year production in 2017. To his delight, Smith later discovered that Mee offered an open online archive filled with his work. “You can take his plays, break them up and turn them into different plays for free and he has no problem with that”, Smith beams. Fast-forward a couple of years, and Smith finds himself in the final stages of doing just that.
This production, which is described by Smith as “whack” and “bizarre”, will show at 7pm in the Samuel Beckett Theatre from Wednesday, October 30th to Friday, November 1st. Tickets are €12 or €6 for students and concessions.
Further productions as part of the Debut Festival Winter Season will run from weeks nine to 12 of Michaelmas Term.
