On The Town: A group of "radiant" graduates from the Samuel Beckett School of Drama at TCD opened their latest production at Project in Temple Bar this week.
This is the third production from the young Randolf SD theatre company, which was formed two years ago.
The Drowned World, by Gary Owen, is set in "a post-apocalyptic world where there's a new apartheid - beautiful people and ugly people - and the non-radiant people have taken over and are killing all the radiant people", said Róise Goan, the play's producer.
"We'd been dealing with themes of love and desire," said the play's director, Wayne Jordan. "This was dealing with social issues, and its form is quite unusual. It's very narrative-driven, almost like a storytelling exercise."
The Drowned World's form "is quite open. It leaves a lot of room for a company like ours, interested in design and working in a visual way," added Goan, whose parents, Cathal Goan, director general of RTÉ, and Máighread Ní Dhomhnaill, were among the first-night audience.
Others at the Irish premiere of the Welsh play included actor Mal Whyte and his wife, Enid Reid; Arts Council theatre specialist Muireann Ní Mhóráin, of An Comhairle um Oideachas Gaeltachta agus Gaelscolaíochta, (which is a Department of Education council dealing with resources in Irish-medium education); architect Brian O'Brien, of Solearth, the specialists in ecological design; and the Abbey Theatre's Jennie Scanlon, flatmate of Matt Torney, the male lead who was playing the baddie in the play. Brian Singleton, head of the Samuel Beckett School, was also in attendance to cheer on his former students.
The Drowned World runs at Project until Mar 12