Jay is the Oscar-winning actor taking the lead in a new play that connects with his Irish roots. Leigh is the ambitious director who will do anything to get noticed. And Ruth is the Northern Irish playwright whose voice must be heard.
The stage is set for great success but when the three meet to discuss the play’s challenges and provocations a line is crossed, and the heated discussion quickly escalates to a violent climax.
Exploring consent, abuses of power and the confusions of cultural identity, Ulster American is confrontational, brutally funny and not for the faint of heart.
Written by David Ireland, whose most recent play Cyprus Avenue won the James Tait Black Award 2017 and Best Play at the Irish Times Theatre Awards 2017, and directed by Traverse Associate Director Gareth Nicholls (How to Disappear, Letters to Morrissey, Trainspotting).
What was the inspiration for this performance?
Ulster American deals with abuse of power, consent and male privilege. David Ireland (the writer) tackles these issues head-on with writing that’s witty, confronting and brutal, and creates a hilarious satire that exposes the characters’ grotesque nature in an utterly compelling and enlightening manner. What it has to say about power and entitlement in light of the #metoo revelations is fascinating – and I’m sure it will provoke some fierce conversations long into the night afterwards.
Is performance still a good space for the public discussion of ideas?
Absolutely. For me theatre is at its best when it’s a communal experience, where people can come together and respond to something –live and in the moment. And this certainly was the case during the first outing of Ulster American.
So many people connected with it as it touched on themes such as identity and gender politics – themes that are absolutely at the forefront of peoples’ minds, both politically and socially.
It provoked some strong emotions and sparked debates in the bar, online and in the papers long after people saw the show. I think theatre has a unique power to do this and it’s vital we don’t shy away from that.
How did you become interested in making performance?
I stumbled into it really when my high school forced me to choose between a Drama GCSE or a Physical Education GCSE. I was getting good grades in Drama and figured it would be easy (plus I could play football after school down the park). Turns out I was wrong about drama being easy – it’s pretty hard I discovered.
Is there any particular approach to the making of the show?
We’ve been incredibly rigorous with what the piece is saying politically and culturally, spending a long time testing each and every word and its implications within the story – so while that’s taken time it has also been an incredibly rewarding process.
That said, we’ve also got an outstanding cast with actors at the top of their game and David has written something that, while uncompromising and controversial, is also extremely funny and witty – so staging it has also been a bit of a joy as well.
Does the show fit with your usual productions?
That’s tough for me to answer. Audiences might be able to pick out some common denominator that links all my productions together but I tend not to think of my shows in that way. I take each one on its individual merit. That said, Ulster American asks big questions of the audience in an entertaining and hopefully thrilling manner – and that’s something I look for in all the shows I direct.
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