The guests don't hear the whispering on the prison officers' "back-to-back" radios. "The minister is on his way," they say. They pass the word along quietly.
The Minister for Justice, John O'Donoghue, arrives for Mountjoy Prison's production of Brian Friel's Philadelphia, Here I Come. He is guided up to the top of the hall. Justice Dermot Kinlen makes his way up also. Anthony Ryan, who took up classical guitar just three months ago, is up on the stage, playing us gently to our seats.
District Judge Gillian Hussey and Sister Catherine Lillis are the first to arrive. Justice Paul Carney is here with his two aunts, Eileen Brehony and Eithne Morrissey. Justice Nicholas Kearns is here with his wife, Eleanor Kearns.
Putting on such a production "raises a lot of expectations", says John Lonergan, governor of Mountjoy. "The whole place benefits from it and the atmosphere improves. It's a big thing for them in their lives; they can show themselves in a positive way. You can see how important it is for them."
Backstage, the cast are getting ready. Are they nervous? Robbie Rogers, William Meredith, Lisa Sutherland, John Tomkins and Eamonn Hargan look more elated than nervous. The curtain is just about to go up. Silence falls, and it begins.