SELVAGE
‘This is a fun and irreverent show that will put a smile on many a face. James Riordan is a live wire entertainer who creates a feeling of madness for all to enjoy.’ No More Workhorse
SELVAGE Production Information
Overview
Granny has been incarcerated, the fairytale has faltered and now something is Gnawing at Joe.
Selvage (a line of self-securing knitting) is a show about unravelling tightly wound modern anxieties and a boy’s triumph over his ”gnaw”. It is a creative examination of the countless avenues people trudge in an effort to calm themselves while a ”gnaw” waits not far from the surface. This evocative, inventive show uses physical storytelling, puppetry and a live, original score.
Nominated for 2 Irish Times Theatre Awards, Best Actor for James Riordan and Best Lighting Design for Sarah Jane Shields
Selvage was first developed through the Druid FUEL program.
Further development happened in Annamakerrig, funded by Galway City Council. The show was performed in March 2019 to sold-out audiences in the Mick Lally Theatre Galway and Station House, Clifden, and successfully transferred to the Town Hall Theatre Galway in Nov 2019. We did a 10 Venue National Tour in 2022 and had our final performances as part of First Fortnight Festival 2024 in Smock Alley Dublin.
Funded by The Arts Council, Galway City Council, Galway County Council. Supported by Town Hall Theatre and Druid.
Production Team
Written and performed by James Riordan.
Original Music Composed and Sung by Anna Mullarkey.
Directed by Lara Campbell.
Produced by Jill Murray.
Dramaturg: Hanna Slattne.
Lighting Design by Sarah Jane Shields
Set Design by Gavin Morgan.
Puppetry Design by Gala Tomasso
Prop/Mask Design by Orla Clogher
2 Irish Times Theatre Awards nominations including Best Actor for James Riordan
Selvage Reviews
No More Workhorse
December 5th 2022
“There is much humour and energy that would suit a younger audience. This is a fun and irreverent show that will put a smile on many a face. James Riordan is a live wire entertainer who creates a feeling of madness for all to enjoy.”
Joe Fanny lives with his Granny in a small town. One day, while Joe is on an epic journey to his local convenience store, his Granny decides to stick it to the patriarchy by burning down City Hall. While her efforts are not totally in vain, she is arrested at the scene of the crime, and locked in prison! What does this mean for Joe? He is lost in a world of social services, fostering and Tulsa. All the while, he awaits the outcome of his grandmother’s trial!
Annie McMahon
An Áit Eile
“Selvage manages to be politically relevant without gaudy didacticism. The irreverent humour of the assorted characters blends seamlessly with the tragic storybook tale of Joe’s ‘hero’s journey.’ “
Anxiety reigns supreme in the packed auditorium of the Mick Lally Theatre for Brú Theatre’s Selvage. It tells the story of Joe Fanny, whose life is disrupted suddenly when his activism-obsessed guardian Granny Fanny runs into trouble, and suddenly Joe is on his own, forced to confront the terrifying “gnaw” that feeds on his vulnerability.