Little Thing, Big Thing

By Donal O'Kelly

In Nigeria, a frightened child puts an old roll of film into the hands of Dublin-bound teacher Sister Martha. In Dublin, ex-con Larry, with a wounded backside, has to get out of the city to rob a convent. Meanwhile, Scarab Oil plans to unleash its new clean fuel of the future.

The film roll Martha is carrying attracts the urgent interest of some very powerful and ambitious people.

Sorcha Fox and Donal O’Kelly play Martha and Larry, who take a high octane jump into the brutal world of international energy skullduggery and awaken passions they thought were long behind them.

Donal O’Kelly is one of Ireland’s foremost socially engaged playwrights. In this stream-of-consciousness thriller, he pulls out all the stops.
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WINNER: THE STAGE AWARD FOR ACTING EXCELLENCE, 2015
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Commissioned by Fishamble in partnership with the STROLLERS Touring Network.

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Created By

Written by Donal O’Kelly
Directed by Jim Culleton
Set & Lighting designer John Comiskey
Sound designer Carl Kennedy
Costume designer Maria Tapper
Producer Marketa Dowling
Dramaturg Gavin Kostick

Cast

Sorcha Fox
Donal O'Kelly

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Performances

2016: Irish and International Touring
23 Feb – 13 March: ADELAIDE FRINGE

2015: Irish and International Touring
21-25 April: Clwyd Theatr Cymru, Wales
29-30 April: Centre Culturel Irlandais, Paris
2 May: Geneva Literary Aid Society
5-16 May: Project Arts Centre, Dublin
6-30 August: Assembly George’s Square, Edinburgh Festival Fringe
2-27 Sept: 59E59 Theaters, New York, as part of 1st Irish Festival

2014: Irish and International Touring
5th March: Linenhall Arts Centre, Castlebar
6th March: Solstice Arts Centre, Navan
7th-8th March: Draíocht, Blanchardstown
12th March: Hawk’s Well, Sligo
13th March: Riverbank Arts Centre, Newbridge
14th March: GB Shaw Theatre, Carlow
15th March: The Source Arts Centre, Thurles
19th March: Watergate Theatre, Kilkenny
20th March: Siamsa Tíre, Tralee
22nd March: Garter Lane, Waterford
25th-29th March: Civic Theatre, Tallaght
2nd-3rd April: The Glens Centre, Manorhamilton
4th April: Roscommon Arts Centre
5th April: Town Hall Theatre, Galway
7th April: The Simon Ryan Theatre, Tipperary Excel
9th April: Mermaid Arts Centre, Bray

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Critical Praise for Little Thing, Big Thing

‘director Jim Culleton’s enjoyable production can effectively do no wrong…O’Kelly finesses this deceptively breezy, carefully constructed story with his signature imagistic, action-oriented approach to language…Fox and O’Kelly’s winning double act…a little subversive, but that effect can be big enough’    
★★★★
Irish Times

'impressive...impeccable.... a cloak-and-dagger comedy with a pure but unsentimental heart and a social conscience…Ms. Fox slips in and out of the characters she draws with crisp outlines and fills in with fine details. Mr. O’Kelly(’s) chameleonic talents are impressive…an ending that stops you short, right before it makes you think'
New York Times

‘exciting…directed with astutely controlled frenzy by Jim Culleton…it’s a pleasure’
​Huffington Post
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‘an enjoyable fast paced play that never lets you catch your breath.. The writing is impressive in this new work and there are many great comedic moments contained within… There are some great characters in the mix, with the Dublin junkie living long in the mind. It’s far fetched and fun, played at a lightning pace… if it’s light hearted fun with a touch of madness you’re after, it’s here in spades.’
NoMoreWorkHorse

'dynamic, linguistically inventive thriller...a finely executed piece of political theatre...funny and madcap'
 SUNDAY BUSINESS POST
 
‘funny, moving and profound by turns…one of the most enjoyable plays I’ve seen at the Fringe’
​SCOTSMAN 
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