Irish rogues steal the stage

Irish plays have a way of plumbing all the emotional depths, revealing the universal passions, hatreds and surprises that plague mankind. Whether it’s the lyricism of dialogue or the compelling subject matter, the Irish create compelling theatre.

The Serca Festival of Irish Plays, the only one of its kind in Alberta, starts Tuesday, June 28 for a six-day run at La Cité Francophone.

Former St. Albert Children’s Theatre instructor Garrett Ross stars in Owen McCafferty’s tragic Mojo Mickybo, a tale set in the sectarian violence of Belfast. In this two-hander, Mojo (Mat Busby), a Protestant kid and Mickybo (Ross) forge a deep friendship against the backdrop of prejudice and death surrounding them.

“The play examines the whole mentality of how conflicts of previous generations are being sustained even though often they don’t know why the conflict exists. It is being put upon them by society,” explains Garrett.

Mickybo is the poor Catholic kid who always seems to plant the duo in troubling escapades. Mojo is a Protestant who appears to come from a well-off family. “But the mother is distraught. She’s always watching the fires burn against the sky.”

One day Mickybo’s father is shot. “It hits Mickybo that there are two sides and that Mojo is on the other side. The friendship falls apart.”

In total the two actors play 17 roles — an exercise that induces a regular “brain fart,” laughs Ross. “You’re jumping in and out, playing characters back and forth. Sometimes it’s like having a conversation with yourself.”

Although the play sounds serious, the two boys inject a great deal of humour into their lives. “You’re looking through the eyes of two playful boys and it’s quite innocent. It doesn’t get horrific until the end.”

Surreal SoReal Theatre is hosting Beckett’s Shorts, a play long on desperation and absurdity. Three characters are trapped up to their necks in an urn and they recount their love affair. St. Albert resident Kyla Shinkewski stars along with Vincent Forcier and Gianna Vacirca.

Faith Healer is a disturbing and funny meditation on the truths and lives that tie us together. Molly Sweeney is a rich narrative of a blind woman and how an operation affects those around her. And Secrets of Immortality, conceived by Edmonton’s Jeff Page, is adapted from Oscar Wilde’s prison writings.

For a complete list of plays and times visit www.sercafestival.ca.