Presented by UnCut Diamond Players and the New Theatre, A One and One deals with two modern social issues. Presented as a theatrical experience incorporating two short plays, the stories unfold before us, tackling problems that are extremely relevant to modern Irish society.
The majority of young Irish people are acutely aware of the two issues presented to us in this play – homelessness and drug use. With the country in a perpetual state of crisis over both, those of us fortunate enough to be experiencing these issues from an outsider’s perspective should find a production which depicts the two in such an unorthodox way incredibly informative and hard-hitting.
The first of the two, entitled Amber: A Girl in Homeless Land, tells the story of a young girl whose family is rendered homeless. Rather than taking a harsh, cutting-edge angle, the director chooses to tell Amber’s story through her eyes – a childish, surreal point of view focusing on relatively trivial issues as the darker scenario unfolds around her. The play adopts the lens of a naive child who has not quite realised the magnitude of her situation and instead views it with a wonder and curiosity that is poignant in its air of misunderstanding.
Our second story, Under Pressure, deals with the drug crisis in Ireland. We are told the story of Simon, whose life is abruptly uprooted when the debt he owes to two men is transferred over to his grandparents, thus involving his closest relatives in a drug-related situation. The play depicts a situation that is sadly common for Irish families, and shows their struggle in trying to obtain justice.
Although both plays deal with difficult contemporary issues in our society, they do so by approaching them from a fresh new angle, portraying these societal problems with humour and hope rather than darkness and desolation.
A One and One will be running in the New Theatre from October 15th to 17th. Tickets are €14 or €12 for concessions.
