August 2009 – The Abbey Theatre is proud to present the world premiere of a new play by twice Booker-nominated writer, Sebastian Barry, as part of its programme for this year’s Ulster Bank Dublin Theatre Festival. TALES OF BALLYCUMBER opens at the Abbey on Wednesday 7 October (previews from 30 September) and features Oscar-nominated actor, Stephen Rea, and Aaron Monaghan in the leading roles.
In TALES OF BALLYCUMBER young Evans Stafford calls to the home of a friend and strong-minded traditionalist, Nicholas Farquhar, for advice on a budding love interest. The seemingly innocent words passed during this brief encounter have a horrific effect, leaving Farquhar struggling to understand what dark, unsettled history within him and his Ballycumber homeland may have pushed the younger man towards his violent action.
Along with Rea and Monaghan, the cast for this superb play includes Barry Barnes and Derbhle Crotty. Direction is by David Leveaux, whose production of THREE SISTERS was a big hit at the Abbey last year. Set and costume design is by Mike Britton, lighting by Matthew Richardson, musical composition by Corin Buckeridge and projection and video design is by Dick Straker.
Sebastian Barry was born in 1955 in Dublin and educated at the Catholic University School and Trinity College Dublin. He recently received a Lord Mayor’s Award for his services to Dublin and Literature. His plays include Boss Grady’s Boys (1988), Prayers of Sherkin (1990), White Woman Street (1992), The Only True History of Lizzie Finn (1995), The Steward of Christendom (1995), Our Lady of Sligo (1998), Hinterland (2002), Fred and Jane (2002), Whistling Psyche (2004), The Pride of Parnell Street (2007), and Dallas Sweetman (2008). His novels include The Whereabouts of Eneas McNulty (1998), Annie Dunne (2002), A Long Long Way (2005) and The Secret Scripture (2008). His many awards include the Irish-America Fund Literary Award, the Christopher Ewart-Biggs Memorial Prize, the London Critics’ Circle Award, Kerry Group Irish Fiction Award and the most recently awarded James Tait Black Memorial Prize for Fiction. A Long Long Way, which was shortlisted for the Man Booker and the Dublin International Impac Prize, was the Dublin: One City One Book choice for 2007. The Secret Scripture was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize and won the 2008 Costa Novel Award. He lives in Wicklow with his wife Alison and three children.