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The Alternative

Full-Length Play, Drama  /  3w, 4m

Michael Patrick, Oisín Kearney

What if Ireland was still part of the United Kingdom? What if Home Rule had passed? What if there was no War of Independence? No Civil War? No partition? What if the island had only one soccer team?

The Alternative

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  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    3w, 4m
  • Duration
    Duration
    120 minutes (2 hours)
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Adult, Teen (Age 14-18)
Accolades
Accolades

  • Winner! 2019 Fishamble's A Play For Ireland
    Nominee: 2020 Irish Times Irish Theatre Award, Best New Play

Details

Summary

What if Ireland was still part of the United Kingdom? What if Home Rule had passed? What if there was no War of Independence? No Civil War? No partition? What if the island had only one soccer team?

The year is 2019 and it is the eve of the Referendum. British Prime Minister Ursula Lysaght is returning to her hometown of Dublin to convince voters to Remain. With the threat of chaos in the streets, and personal conflict behind the scenes, the final debate is set to begin at BBC Dublin: Should Ireland leave the UK?

History
The Alternative was first previewed at The Everyman, Cork, before opening at the Pavilion Theatre, Dún Laoghaire, as part of the Dublin Theatre Festival, on 26 September 2019.
RICHARD DEVLIN (BBC Producer, Grainne’s father)
GRAINNE DEVLIN (Physics Student, Richard’s daughter)
JOHN FITZGIBBON (BBC Debate Presenter)
HANNAH MURRAY (BBC Assistant Producer)
URSULA LYSAGHT (Prime Minister of The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland)
PETER KEOGH (Irish First Minister and Leader of the Irish Parliamentary Party)
PATRICK (Vote Leave protestor)
Three members of the audience will be given cards and asked to read the lines for:
QUESTIONER 1
QUESTIONER 2
QUESTIONER 3
  • Time Period Contemporary, Present Day
  • Features Contemporary Costumes/Street Clothes
  • Duration 120 minutes (2 hours)
  • Cautions
    • Mild Adult Themes

Media

“… The Alternative explores much bigger questions about nationalism, democracy, and who gets left behind.” – Financial Times
“Its invention shines out in a festival line-up that mostly sticks to more familiar ground...” – Financial Times

Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: £70 per performance plus VAT when applicable.

Scripts

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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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