Revu Republic of Silence
“Republic of Silence” Poster
Considering the brief description that I was sent prior to attending, the last thing I was expecting to do during the opening scene of Póg Productions’ Republic of Silence, was laugh. But I did.
As an Irish person, I should have known better than to assume that a predominantly Irish company and cast would shroud tragedy in anything other than humour. The production is based on true stories from the Sean Ross Mother and Baby home and the uncovering of the extent of its history. It was sensitive, humorous and heartbreaking. I also didn’t have to wince once at a bad Irish accent. So Póg Productions, I thank you for that.
“Republic of Silence”
The play is set on the grounds of the Sean Ross Mother and Baby home, with scenes alternating between 2015 and 1965. In 2015, we see Colm (played by Oisín Nolan) and Seán (played by Jack O’Shaughnessy). Colm, works as a gardener on the grounds and when he discovers a series of unmarked mass graves, he feels compelled to act. Seán, a young local councillor, battles against him to keep the past in the past. In 1965, two young girls, Aisling (played by Áine McNamara) and Niamh (played by Eanna Ferguson) have fallen pregnant and therefore find themselves at Sean Ross.
Kaci Kerwick’s writing is fantastic. Her quick-witted humour slotted naturally into comfortable, characterising and revealing dialogue. The alternation of past and present day scenes was another thing that I loved about this script and not only because both pairs of actors, and characters, complimented each other excellently. The contrast between the 2015 and 1965 scenes gave firstly, a sense of the generational impact that these events had and secondly, reinforced the extent to which control was taken away from these women and their children. The only criticism I could have about the script is the slightly rushed pacing when it came to the closing scenes and a similarly rushed progression of Aisling’s character. However that being said, I understand Kerwick is working with a 60-minute slot and she does so very well.
The set was dressed as the laundry room that Niamh and Aisling work in at the home. It was very well done with minimal but effective props. Long lace fabric hung from the sides of the stage as well as pieces of clothing or bedsheets hanging along the backwall. I felt this particularly complimented the 1965 costumes, creating an almost black and white aesthetic for the scenes set in the past. The costumes of the characters in 2015 were consistently blues, reds and tans contrasting with the set and the other characters. This allowed for the two pairs to maintain a distinct separation from each other even while all four were on stage together. I found this to be very effective in furthering how immersive these scene oscillations were.
All of Kerwick’s characters were very well written and equally well embodied by the cast. From the moment Ferguson set foot on the stage the audience were in stitches. Throughout, she managed to maintain the perfect pacing and cadence so that every joke, witticism or throw away comment landed perfectly. She balanced this with several extremely tender moments that came just as natural as her humour. McNamara managed to bring a laughable while also pitiful level of naivety to her character. Her innocence broke my heart and the two characters foiled each other perfectly.
“Republic of Silence”
As did Nolan and O’Shaughnessy’s characters where there was a similar tension between naivety and awareness. Nolan’s character brought moral urgency to the stage while O’Shaughnessy’s shut him down continuously. Nolan brought a tangible and loveable tenderness to his role and from the character’s introduction we have no choice but to be on his side. O’Shaughnessy made his character annoyingly charismatic which was absolutely perfect. The audience often found themselves guiltlessly laughing along with him only to be hit by the reality of his actions further down the line. All of these performances of course also speak to the excellent direction from Fiona Lynch and Kaci Kerwick.
The sound featured interjections from Sinéad O’Connor, most notably excerpts from ‘Tiny Grief Song’ beautifully sung by McNamara and Ferguson. There were a few tiny slippages regarding sound, but for an opening night I was very impressed with how smoothly the run was overall.
This production’s opening night was sold out and I am not surprised. I would be delighted to hear that Republic of Silence is being performed again at another Fringe Festival and I would most definitely recommend attending. The cast and crew were so blatantly passionate about the project and that shone through in every element. I will be looking out for Póg Productions’ next endeavour.
4/5 Stars
“Republic of Silence”
Review by Emma McKeown
