A NEW piece of documentary theatre, No Escape, based on the Ryan report into institutional child abuse, and compiled by journalist Mary Raftery, has been commissioned by the Abbey Theatre and will be staged in April.
It is part of a series at the Peacock, The Darkest Hour, picking up on a phrase from Taoiseach Brian Cowen's response to the report, and is described by the theatre as "engaging, thought-provoking and which interrogates an Ireland both past and present".
The series will include a rehearsed reading of Richard Johnson's controversial courtroom drama The Evidence I Shall Give, which premiered at the Abbey in 1961. Based on a true case of a 13-year-old girl moved from an orphanage to an industrial school because of alleged indiscipline, Co Kerry District Court Judge Johnson's play had a long run and made a big impact in the 1960s.
The series finishes with Gerard Mannix Flynn's compelling play, James X, which will be Flynn's Abbey debut, from April 29th.
Abbey literary director Aideen Howard said the theatre had looked at ways to respond theatrically to the abuse reports. No Escapewill use testimonies from the Ryan report and other material. Raftery is working on the script – "it's a work in progress, a relatively immediate process in theatre", says Howard. Róisín McBrinn will direct and the show is due to open on April 14th.