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My Left Nut

Full-Length Play, Dramatic Comedy  /  1m

Michael Patrick, Oisín Kearney

Adapted into a major BBC Three series, this original coming-of-age comic monologue is the true story of a Belfast boy growing up with no father to guide him through – and a giant ball to weigh him down.

My Left Nut

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  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    1m
  • Duration
    Duration
    60 minutes (1 hour)
  • SubGenre
    Subgenre
    Biography
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Adult

Details

Summary

400 millilitres. That’s how much liquid was drained from Michael’s left testicle. That’s more than a can of Coke. He should have told someone sooner, but who could he turn to? His dad died ten years ago, and besides, school is full of rumours about what the giant bulge in his trousers actually is. Who wants to stop that?

Adapted into a major BBC Three TV series, this original coming-of-age comedic play is about Belfast, masculinity, friendship, family, love, grief and testicles.

History
My Left Nut premiered at Bewley’s Café Theatre at the Dublin Fringe Festival in September 2017. Directed by Oisín Kearney, the production featured Michael Patrick.
Keywords
Performing Groups

All characters to be played by one actor.
No costume or props used to indicate different characters, just vocal and physical changes.
MICK and YOUNG MICK both talk to the audience and inhabit the scenes they are in. No other characters talk to the audience.

MICK – An awkward teenager.
YOUNG MICK – Mick as an eight-year-old child.
MOTHER – Mick’s mother, Pauline Campbell.
UNCLE – Mick’s uncle.
MAURICE – Mick’s younger brother.
SISTER – Mick’s sister.
TOMMY – Mick’s friend from school. Loud and boisterous.
CONOR – Mick’s friend from school. Slower.
DOCTOR – Consultant in hospital.
NURSE – An overworked nurse.
ULTRASOUND MAN – An ultrasound technician. Brash.
BUS DRIVER – A person who drives the bus.
NIAL THE NUTTER – Teenage party-goer.
SIOBHAN – Teenage party-goer.
MARY – Teenage party-goer.
CAHIL – Eighteen-year-old from the countryside.
TOMMY’S DA – Tommy’s father.

  • Time Period Present Day, 1990s
  • Setting A single chair in the middle of an otherwise empty stage.
  • Features Contemporary Costumes/Street Clothes
  • Additional Features No Intermission
  • Duration 60 minutes (1 hour)
  • Cautions
    • Mild Adult Themes

Media

“Laughing one minute, crying the next… a touching story of a Belfast boy dealing with grief.” – Sunday Times

“One of the most uproarious and affecting fringe theatre shows of recent years.” – The Guardian

“So much energy in the writing it’s almost exhausting.” – The Stage

“The funniest and most heartbreaking piece of work I have seen at the Fringe… a fantastically innovative piece of work which expertly combines comedy and tragedy.” – Monthly Entertainment Guide

“Brilliant, entertaining, funny, thoughtful and touching… it is, to put it simply, a wonderful theatrical work in all senses.” – The Red Curtain Review

“I was expecting a special show and I got it. My Left Nut is a true story with a message and a moral… it’s 60 minutes of laughter and suspense with all the bombast of a boy and his mates growing up.” – Belfast Times

Videos

  • My Left Nut – Promo youtube thumbnail

    My Left Nut – Promo

  • Michael Patrick discusses My Left Nut youtube thumbnail

    Michael Patrick discusses My Left Nut

Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: £55 per performance plus VAT when applicable.

Scripts

Available Formats:
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Authors

Michael Patrick

Michael Patrick

Michael Patrick was born and raised in Belfast, where he still lives today. In primary 6, he wrote a story of the nativity from the donkey’s perspective and his teacher told his mother that he was going to be a writer. He then went off to study Physics at Cambridge University ...

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Oisín Kearney

Oisín Kearney

Oisín Kearney is from Warrenpoint, Co. Down. He studied Politics at the University of Cambridge. He now lives in Belfast, where he works as a writer and director for stage and screen.

Oisín localised Willy Russell’s script of Educating Rita to 1980s Belfast for the Lyric T ...

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