Meet the faces behind ABLAZE Productions

By Clara Potts

Meet the faces behind ABLAZE Productions, whose reimagination of femininity and family in Cailíní foretells a promising future for Irish Theatre.  

Meet the (Northern)Irish production company ABLAZE, which is dedicated to sparking meaningful performances and encouraging post-play conversations. Their latest play, Cailíní premiered in November 2023 in Dublin’s Samuel Beckett Theatre and will be showcased in Lyric Theatre’s Naughton Studio next month, from Thursday, May 2nd to Sunday, May 5th. 

Clara Potts sat down to talk with the founders of ABLAZE productions, Íde Simpson, Beth Strahan, and Megan Doherty, delving into the intricacies of their play Cailíní and the company’s future endeavours. 

To support written dialogue between the three founders, Íde, Beth, and Megan, ‘Í’, ‘B’ and ‘M’ indicate the responses provided by each individual. The interview has been edited for precision and clarity. 

1.     To start, could you please provide an overview of your production company’s mission and artistic vision, particularly regarding your approach to creating theatre that you state ‘breaks the realm of naturalism while maintaining linguistic integrity?’

B: During the devising process for Cailíní, one of the main motivations of our rehearsal room was to explore movement as a vehicle of expression. By this, I mean that we wanted to emphasise embodiment and physicality and in this way show our audiences what was happening instead of saying it. This blurred the boundaries between what was ‘real’ in the world of our play (what was actually happening) and what was figurative. Abstract moments like these allowed my ensemble to explore their characters’ emotions. In any familial dynamic, so much goes unsaid. By allowing the characters’ inner monologues to take over, rather than focusing on language and narrative, we could achieve a more nuanced representation of femininity and sisterhood. As a director, language can always be questioned—is what I am hearing the truth? Are these characters reliable narrators? ABLAZE pioneers theatre that breaks the realm of naturalism to semi-answer these questions: things are never as they seem. 

2.     What inspired the formation of ABLAZE, and how has your collective journey influenced the development of your distinctive approach to theatre production, including the integration of movement, sound, and post-show discussions? 

M: Producing a show on a professional level, like at the Lyric, has been a new experience for all of us. When the opportunity arose, we were so excited but of course, nervous! The three of us working together in this has been a great support, and most of the original production team from the first iteration of Cailíní are on board with us again. 

Í: We have a great working dynamic, and a lot of respect and time for one another. I think the consistency of this throughout the process has made our job a lot easier. It’s so refreshing to be able to have professional and personal relationships that are so fulfilling. We have a very similar vision, so when one of us comes to the group with an idea —it’s never too crazy not to give it a shot!

3.     I’d like to discuss your play, Cailíní. The title is usually the first glimpse individuals have into a work, so it must be provocative and somewhat telling of its contents. Cailíní has multiple meanings associated with it. Rendered ‘girl’, ‘unmarried woman’, ‘maid’, or even ‘useful thing’. What inspired this choice, particularly the masculine connotation of the suffix ‘-in’ in contrast to these commonly understood meanings, and what (if anything in particular) do you hope audiences think of when they hear it? 

B: As a theatre maker from Northern Ireland, I wanted this project to be the first time that I staged my version of what it means to be a woman in Ireland. Having only moved to Dublin four years ago, I remember being shocked on the Luas in 2020 when the automated voice read out the stops in Irish as well as English. This was a genuine, sheltered reaction from a girl who had never once, on a familial or curriculum level, been introduced to the language. Since then, this ‘responsibility’ to familiarise myself with the language has resonated with me, and subconsciously fed into my theatre-making. 

Í:  Obviously, as we bring the play from Dublin to Belfast, the audience's reaction to the title and play is going to differ. But, sometimes the best moments in theatre are the conversations that happen after. Simply, we hope that this play sparks discussion. About women. About Ireland. About your own mothers, fathers, and siblings at home. We at ABLAZE are ready for this exciting response.

M: Some people have asked me when they first hear the title Cailíní - is the show as Gaelige? No it is not. I’m not a fluent Irish speaker. Although like most, I learned Irish all through school. Using the Irish language in our title, allows us to highlight this piece of Irish work, by Irish women. It is our way of paying homage to where we all come from and who we are.

4.     The challenges in devising theatre lie in adapting traditional structures and addressing historical gaps in knowledge and representation. What (if any) were some of the challenges you faced when adapting theatrical structures in this devised piece, and how did you address them? 

B: Devising is not easy. It isn’t. I mean, in six weeks we had to fully flesh out six characters, a script, an original sound design. The list goes on. I think it is so refreshing to see that the Debut Festival this year was a fully devised programme bar two performances. This shows that the department is training its students to really think about the theatre that they want to make. All it takes is a ‘seed’– an original thought. A source of inspiration that makes you go, “Yeah, I want to develop this''. For us, this came from our own experiences of sisterhood. All three of us have younger sisters, so it made sense to create theatre around these relationships. When it came to devising these experiences, it was important to not let ‘traditional’ structures inhibit our work – theatre can be anything that you want it to be. In my mind, there are three core elements of theatre - a space, actors, and an audience. With these secured, the sky's the limit. This is a responsibility that ABLAZE must honour with its new and emerging work.

Í: Beth and I sat on this ‘seed’, this idea, all throughout the summer of 2023, and by the time September came, we were practically bursting with anticipation for the project! Although it is a far cry from that original concept we had, it is something that we may never have found without the collaboration and devising process with our amazing cast and peers. Cailíní is a labour of love, and hopefully, that rings true in the project’s future. 

5.     You describe the play as a ‘kitchen sink drama’. As a cultural movement that emerged in the 1950s and early 1960s, I’m interested to hear how your play draws inspiration from this, particularly in its portrayal of disillusionment with modern society.

B: The kitchen sink drama goes back to colonial Ireland. At the opening of the Abbey Theatre in 1904, Lady Gregory and W.B. Yeats presented Kathleen Ni Houlihan on the National stage – at its core, a kitchen sink drama. From here was born the ‘Mother Ireland’ motif, where women literally and figuratively were portrayed as weak, passive vessels of beauty throughout the War of Independence and beyond. When we look at Ireland’s theatre history, a pattern does arise of male playwrights writing plays about women in kitchens. Why? Why is the domestic sphere the only place women are seen in? The answer is obvious: because that’s what’s expected. Domesticity is so intrinsically linked to Irish femininity, and I wanted Cailíní to reverse these expectations, to explore what happens when you give women, real women, flawed women, loud women, control and power within the kitchen. I don’t see Cailíní as disillusioned at all, I see it as a sharp take on the turn in women’s rights in Ireland today.

6.     Could you discuss how Cailíní challenges the conflation between Irish femininity and domesticity in response to the Article 41.2 referendum of March 2024? 

B: As we know, the referendum passed with a no/no vote in March. The words ‘women’ and ‘mother’ are still used synonymously in its wording. Cailíní was conceptualised before the referendum, and unfortunately, the production still performs against the backdrop of antiquated gender norms enforced by the Irish constitution. Now, more than ever, we as Irish female theatre makers have a responsibility to continue to forge female-focused narratives.

M: I think all of the female characters in Cailíní challenge the traditional Irish woman or ‘Mother Ireland’ narrative. The women in the piece are fierce. They challenge gender norms and break the mould of what is expected of them- they all are unique and independent. 

7.     You mentioned Marina Carr and Deirdre Kinehan as inspirational figures because they exemplify the ‘flawed’ woman in contemporary theatre. Why do you think that this depiction is important? How does their work contribute to challenging nationalistic stereotypes?

Í: Irish theatre seems to be having a sort of resurgence in recent years, with a lot of previously lesser-known artists being thrust onto a wider, more global stage. And who would we be as Irish theatre makers if we didn’t acknowledge the contribution Irish artists like Marina Carr have made to this resurgence, to our theatre canon as a whole! She has shifted the lens of the past, and rewritten women out of historically subordinate positions. With more sexual charge and insatiability than ever, I have always been inspired by the lust and honesty of Marina’s women. Women who rarely back down in the face of power, especially as they are often the ones who wield it. 

9.     Following this, could you discuss the role of music in your performance art and its impact on the overall theatrical experience for the audience? How do you choose the music to complement the themes and emotions of the play?

M: The music in our piece is an original score by our composer and sound designer Hayden Kline. Initially, in the rehearsal room, we had lots of influences from Irish music and Irish artists - like Sinead O’Connor and the Cranberries. I remember, at the very start of the rehearsal process, each actor created a character-specific playlist, and this is what we would use for our warm-ups. So there is definitely some influence in our score from cast and production members, but Hayden did an amazing job at creating a soundscape for what we were devising. Once we heard these sound files, the performances were instantly enhanced. Music can be a really powerful backdrop for performance.

Í: ‘Troy’ by Sinead O’Connor was my anthem during our writing process. It’s the perfect pre-show song in terms of my character’s trajectory. We compiled our playlists with such attention to detail, that every song was thought through in terms of the path of our characters, and in relation to all the other characters on stage. Music is a huge part of the work I create in general, I almost always visualise a scene with music in my head before I even know what the characters are saying to one another. 

B: Music is such a core part of our friendships, never mind our work. So it wasn’t a surprise that music became integral to the creative process. Before Cailíní, most of my directing experience was in Musical Theatre. So, when afforded the talent that is Hayden Kline, our original sound score became a narrative device. From sound came plot, dance, and self-expression. It was also so important that we provided moments of relief for our audiences throughout what is actually quite a heavy show, so sound and music were the perfect way to provide this. 

10.  You describe the play as suitable for a diverse audience, including sisters, families, displaced individuals, Irish and non-Irish people. How do you ensure that the themes and messages of the play resonate with such a wide range of audiences? 

M: I think anyone who comes to see this play will recognise and resonate with how families operate with one another - especially sisters. 

Í: The universality of this play was something we really honed in on when originally devising. The fact that this kitchen is set in Ireland was of course important, but really, when separated from that Irish locale — it could be set in any kitchen, in any corner of the world. While writing with my writing partner, Beth, we really strived to maintain an almost Chekhovian sense of realism within the dialogue we had. I’m a big advocate for silences on stage that can speak for themselves. Of course, these moments have to be worked for and are not simply granted, but by grappling with the words, and making cuts of any dialogue that wasn’t serving the immediate drive of the dialogue, our writing process became a lot simpler. 

11.  Lastly, if Cailíní were to be adapted into a film, who would be your dream cast for the leading roles, and why? 

Í: My portrayal of the character I play in Cailíní, ‘Úna’, was always inspired by a culmination of performances I adore, so I would probably like one of my muses to play me! I had a real phase of watching the National Theatre’s production of Medea on repeat, and definitely had Helen McCrory’s depiction of Medea in my head whilst preparing for my role — her talent was completely staggering. I also love actors Camille Cottin and Donna Murphy: they would do Úna justice I’m sure. Lucy Punch who plays ‘Amanda’ in the BBC’s incredible Motherland would be my dream ‘Mairead’. 

M: Having built such an attachment to my character, Clodagh, I think I would definitely be picky in choosing someone else to play her! She would definitely have to be another ginger. 

Í: Jessica Chastain then?

M: I’m protective over Clodagh, I don’t want to give her to anyone else! There, that’s my answer! 

B: Paul Mescal would be a great Eamonn. 

M: Classic. 

̛Í: Or Andrew Scott! 

M: Andrew Scott as Dad, for sure.

Í: Don’t do my man dirty like that!

12.  Returning to our discussion on your production company, ABLAZE, do you have any exciting future plans you’d like to share? 

M: Bringing our show to the Lyric is such an exciting trajectory. We want to make the most of this opportunity and ensure that we keep the ball rolling. Cailíní is so special to us, and we would love to bring it to more audiences in Dublin, and elsewhere. We have plans to apply for Edinburgh Fringe 2025 and are also hoping to venture into adapting for the screen. I’m excited to continue collaborating with two of my best friends, and I know we are going to keep making some cool stuff together. We have different plans after we graduate, so it’ll be interesting to see what directions we go in, and how we can come back together to continue making work.

Í: We’re definitely planning to traverse into the screen side of things in this coming year. I’m doing a film residency in Calabria this June so hopefully, I’ll be able to bring some new skills to the table in that regard! I’m speaking on behalf of both the girls when I say this: our love for theatre will always remain at the heart of all our ventures. Our experience working together theatrically has changed my life; I hope it continues to do so. 

Follow the instagram @cailinitheplay