Ciara O’Neill Archives - North West End UK

No Woman’s Land – Rose Theatre, Arts Centre, Edge Hill University

29Oct

By Mark DavorenNo Comments

North West

No Woman’s Land – Rose Theatre, Arts Centre, Edge Hill University

No Woman’s Land is a powerful and engaging one-woman performance from Ciara O’Neill that blends verbatim theatre and storytelling to bring to life the voices of Belfast’s women activists. Developed through a series of interviews conducted in October 2024, the piece weaves together biographical accounts that illuminate the city’s vibrant feminist legacy. As a work in progress – although it was far more than that – this review contains observations for consideration as part of the ongoing development process. The simple black box staging was ideal for this multi-character performance with the musical opening of Simple Minds’ Belfast Child setting the scene. O’Neill’s own arrival brings her own unaccompanied rendition of Belfast, which was powerful and moving, and with its repeat at the...

The Incident Room returns to Royal Court Studio

Following a sell-out run at The Black-E, Old Fruit Jar Productions return to the Studio at Liverpool Royal Court, after their sell-out run of Twelfth Night, to present a powerful and thought-provoking exploration of a pivotal moment in British history. Exploring the wider issues of misogyny and institutional negligence that surrounded the case, Olivia Hirst and David Byrne’s beautifully crafted The Incident Room is an intense and thought-provoking look into the police investigation into the crimes of the Yorkshire Ripper. Set in Leeds 1975, the focus of the play is centred in and around the Millgarth Incident Room as the biggest manhunt in British police history unfolds. Whilst based on this gripping true story, the focus of the play is on the police officers at the forefront of what...

The Incident Room, Black-E, Liverpool

Old Fruit Jar Productions’ performance of The Incident Room, directed by Alex Carr, is an intense and thought-provoking look into the police investigation into the crimes of the Yorkshire Ripper. The tragic events surrounding these violent offences and their massive impact on the people of Yorkshire are distilled into one tiny room in Millgarth Police Station, where the action takes place. As a venue, the Black-E is perfect. Venues usually only stand out when they have a negative impact on a play, and when the venue is suitable, it fades into the background. In this case however, before the audience even see the stage, the stone spiral staircase leading to the performance space, which happens to be identical to staircases seen in many of Yorkshire’s courthouses, creates a sense of immer...