Rathmines Road by Deirdre Kinahan

Photograph by Patrick Redmond

Fishamble: The New Play Company &
the Abbey Theatre present

Rathmines Road

by Deirdre Kinahan

Will truth out?

Set over one evening, Rathmines Road by Deirdre Kinahan is a play that rages in a tiny room. Fraught, funny, and ferocious, this new drama challenges the cultural response to accusations of sexual assault.

Olivier Award-winning Fishamble and the Abbey Theatre are delighted to present Deirdre’s latest powerful and questioning drama. Bristling with tension, Rathmines Road unleashes a brutal truth that affects us all. It is a play that asks: when and how do we take responsibility?

Click HERE to read Deirdre Kinahan's note on Rathmines Road.

Created By:

Directed by Jim Culleton
Set and Costume Design by Maree Kearns
Lighting Design by Kevin Smith
Sound Design by Carl Kennedy
Dramaturgy Gavin Kostick
Assistant Director Karen Stanley
Fight Director Ciaran O’Grady
Hair and Make-up Val Sherlock
Fishamble Production Manager Marie Tierney
Abbey Theatre Production Manager Cliff Barragry
Fishamble Stage Manager Steph Ryan
Abbey Theatre Stage Manager Anne Kyle
Fishamble Assistant Stage Manager Sarah Purcell
Fishamble Production Coordinator Ronan Carey
Production Intern Katie Shea
Fishamble Producer Eva Scanlan
Abbey Theatre Producer Jen Coppinger
Fishamble Marketing Chandrika Narayanan-Mohan
Publicity and Production Photography Patrick Redmond

Cast:

Karen Ardiff
Charlie Bonner
Janet Moran
Enda Oates
Rebecca Root

Previous Dates

2018:
4 - 6 Oct: Civic Theatre, Tallaght, Dublin Theatre Festival (Preview)
9 - 27 Oct: Peacock Theatre, Dublin, Dublin Theatre Festival

Reviews

'superb…magnificent…masterful direction…unapologetically challenging'
★★★★ The Arts review

'superb script... spectacular performances... this thought-provoking, provocative new play deserves to be seen'
★★★★ Sunday Times

‘intense and riveting theatre… a timely engagement’
Reviews Hub

‘A compassionate imagining of one woman’s private torment’
The Irish Times

‘a maelstrom of emotions… powerful’
No More Workhorse

‘highly topical…powerful writing’
Mail on Sunday

‘Splendid cast… a fine play’
Sunday Independent

‘riveting… superb’
Exeunt Magazine

‘powerful, funny and tense… a brave piece from this talented playwright.’
Irish Mail on Sunday

'explosively relevant... precise direction... remarkably stirring'
Sunday Business Post

Productions Shots

Photographs by Patrick Redmond.

Meet the Team

Deirdre Kinahan
Writer

Deirdre Kinahan is an award winning playwright. She is an elected member of Aosdána, Ireland’s association of outstanding artists, Literary Associate with Meath Councy Council Arts Office and has served as a board member for the Abbey Theatre, Theatre Forum Ireland and the Stewart Parkert Trust. Deirdre’s work is translated into many languages, published by Nick Hern Books and produced regularly in Ireland and on the International stage.
In 2018 Deirdre has new work at the Old Vic London (Renewed with Julie Walters), The Abbey Theatre Dublin (The Unmanageable Sisters – a new version of Les Belles-Soeurs by Michel Tremblay), Fishamble Theatre Company/Abbey Theatre (Rathmines Road), Meath County Council on Tour (Me & Molly & Moo, a play for children), Solas Nua Washington (Wild Notes), Penatabus Theatre Company UK (Crossings) and Draiocht Dublin (House). Deirdre also has a number of other writing projects in development for 2019/2020.
Plays include: Rathmines Road, Crossings, Unmanageable Sisters ,Wild Sky, Spinning, Halcyon Days, Bogboy, Moment, Hue & Cry, Melody, Maisy Daly’s Rainbow.
For Radio: Bogboy (RTE) & A Bag on Ballyfinch Place (BBC)

Agent Representation: Lily Williams, Curtis Brown, London.
Leah Hamos, Gersh, New York.

‘A ferociously funny and unexpectedly shattering writer’
London Metro on MOMENT 2011.

Jim Culleton
Director

Jim Culleton is the artistic director of Fishamble: The New Play Company. For Fishamble, he has directed productions which have toured throughout Ireland, UK, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the US. His productions for Fishamble have won over a dozen Irish and international awards, including an Olivier Award for Silent. He has previously directed Reading the Decades, Bookworms, Shush, and Down Off His Stilts for the Abbey Theatre, as well as Fishamble’s Forgotten, Silent, Underneath and The Music of Ghost Light, at the Abbey. He has also directed for companies including Woodpecker/the Gaiety, 7:84 (Scotland), Project Arts Centre, Amharclann de hIde, Tinderbox, The Passion Machine, The Ark, Second Age, RTE Radio 1, The Belgrade, TNL Canada, Dundee Rep Ensemble, Draíocht, TCD School of Drama, CoisCéim/Crash Ensemble/GIAF, RTE lyric fm, Origin (New York), Vessel (Australia), and Symphony Space Broadway/Irish Arts Center (New York). Jim has taught for NYU, NUIM, GSA, Uversity, the Lir, Notre Dame, Villanova, TCD and UCD. For Fishamble, he most recently directed Maz & Bricks by Eva O’Connor in Edinburgh, and will next direct Before by Pat Kinevane on national tour, and On Blueberry Hill by Sebastian Barry in New York and on national tour.

Karen Ardiff
Sandra

Karen was born in Dublin and graduated from the Samuel Beckett Centre in TCD.
Karen most recent screen appearances include the Oscar nominated Brooklyn, alongside Saoirse Ronan and Domhnall Gleeson, directed by John Crowley as well as RTEs Acceptable Risk opposite Elaine Cassidy and Angeline Ball. Other Previous Film/TV includes The Bookshop (Isabel Coixet), Noble (nominated for several international awards and three IFTAs), A Terrible Beauty… (Tile Films) as well as Evelyn opposite Pierce Brosnan.
Karen most recently appeared on stage in the highly successful show The Unmanageable Sisters on the Abbey Stage in the leading role of Rose. Other recent stage credits include: Normal (Maisie Lee, WeGetHighonthisCollective), Angela’s Ashes (Thom Sutherland, Bord Gáis Energy Theatre), Oedipus (Wayne Jordan, The Abbey Theatre), Peer Gynt (Lynne Parker, Rough Magic – Irish Times Best Supporting Actress nomination), Threepenny Opera (Wayne Jordan, The Gate Theatre) Steel Magnolias with Mischa Barton (The Gaiety Theatre), and Love in the Title (Abbey/International tour – ESB/Irish Times Best Actress Award).
Work with other companies includes: The Colleen Bawn (Bedrock – Irish Times Best Supporting Actress nomination), The Stuff of Myth (Crazy Dog Audio Theatre & Lane Productions) and Helene Hannf in 84 Charing Cross Road (Andrews Lane Theatre – Irish Times Best Actress nomination for both).
Karen has also performed in numerous radio dramas including: Duet (Newstalk), Tempting Faith and Greed is Good (BBC4).

Charlie Bonner
Eddie

Charlie has worked with most theatre companies in Ireland north and south for over 25 years including ‘Walkabout’ and Fishamble Shorts with Fishamble, and ‘Philadelphia Here I Come’, ‘Good Evening Mr. Collins’, ‘Monkey’, ‘Melonfarmer’, ‘Macbeth’, ‘Observatory’, ‘Living Quarters’, ‘The Shaughraun’, ‘Toupees & Snare Drums’ and ‘Portia Coughlan’ with the Abbey, and companies including the Gate and Lyric theatres, Prime Cut, Verdant Productions, Livin Dred, Pan Pan, Red Kettle, Corcadorca, Field Day and Second Age amongst others.
Film and television include Zoo, Maze, The Devil’s Doorway, Childer, Rebellion, Red Rock, Omagh, The Tudors, The Race, Starfish, Proof, Fair City and The Crush.

Janet Moran
Linda

Janet Moran is an actor and playwright based in Dublin. Selected Theatre work includes Ulysses, The Plough & The Stars, Juno and the Paycock (National Theatre, London/Abbey Theatre coproduction),Shibari, Translations, No Romance, The Recruiting Officer, The Cherry orchard, She Stoops to Conquer, Communion, The Barbaric Comedies, The Well of the Saints and The Hostage all at the Abbey Theatre, Car Show, Dublin by Lamplight, Everyday, Freefall and Desire under The Elms for Corn Exchange Theatre co. Other theatre includes The Weir, Pineapple, Xaviers, Royal Supreme, Her Big Chance, Unravelling the Ribbon, Dancing at Lughnasa, Playing from the Heart, Guess Who’s Coming for the Dinner, All’s well that ends well. Film and television work includes Trivia, Love/Hate, Love is the Drug, T (RTE),Dublin Oldschool, The Bailout tv3 The Butcher Boy, Breakfast on Pluto, Milo, Minim Rest, Bono and My Ex, Moll Flanders, Nothing Personal, Volkswagen Joe and Quirke (BBC).

Enda Oates
Ray

Enda Oates has a long association with Fishamble going back to 1999 when he appeared in Joseph O’Connor’s True Believers at Andrew Lane and its subsequent Irish tour and its run at The Tricycle London. Other Fishamble productions include, The Plains of Enna (Pat Kinevane), Whereabouts and Pilgrims in the Park by Jim O’Hanlon. Enda is delighted to be returning in Fishamble’s 30th year with this show.
At the Abbey Theatre, credits include, Curse of the Starving Class, The Corsican Brothers, Big Maggie, Colours, The Devil’s Disciple, St. Joan, A Child’s Christmas in Wales and Blinded by the Light amongst others. He played Prospero in Corcadorca’s open air production of The Tempest for Cork’s Year of Culture in 2006 and Shylock in The Merchant of Venice for Second Age.
Other theatre: Philadelphia Here I Come (Lyric/Gaeity Theatre), The Field (Gaeity), Jacques Brel is Alive and Well (Noel Pearson Productions/Gate Theatre), Uncle Vanya (Field Day) The Plough and The Stars (Young Vic), Studs/Buddleia (Passion Machine Project Arts/ Donmar Warehouse), Juno and the Paycock (Gate Theatre/Broadway), The Ha’penny Bridge (Point Theatre) , The Country Boy, The Chastitute (Ed. Farrell Prod) Further than the Furthest Thing (Hatch Theatre , Project Arts).
In 2015 Enda won Best Actor IFTA for his role as Pete Ferguson in the RTÉ production Fair City.
Radio credits include, The Hit List, written and directed by John Boorman, Charlois, Ma (Elaine Murphy), Goodnight Irene (Jenifer Johnson) and The Thriller Series, Grave Danger amongst others.
Film and Television: Secret Scripture (Voltage Productions), Striking Out (Blinder Films), Glenroe, Upwardly Mobile (RTE), Tri Sceal, Wrecking the Rising (TG4), Moone Boy (Sky 1), Raw, Rebellion 2 (RTE), Val Falvey, Superhero (Grand Pictures), The Bailout (TV3), Stardust (Media Films), Ordinary Decent Criminal (Littlebird), An Everlasting Piece (Dreamworks), Eden (Samson Films) and Damo & Ivor (Granno Productions).

Rebecca Root
Dairne

Rebecca is best known for playing Judy in BBC Two’s ground-breaking comedy series Boy Meets Girl.
Other screen credits include The Sisters Brothers, Colette, The Danish Girl, Flack, The Romanoffs, Moominvalley, Hank Zipzer, Doctors, Hollyoaks, Celebrity Mastermind, Casualty, The Detectives, Midsomer Murders, and Keeping Up Appearances.
Theatre credits include the award-winning play Trans Scripts at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2015, revived in 2017 at American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Other theatre includes The Bear / The Proposal at the Young Vic, and Hamlet at the Gielgud Theatre.
Rebecca is also a voice and speech coach, working chiefly with trans clients.
She is patron of the charities Liberate (Jersey) and Diversity Role Models, and is a passionate advocate for LGBT visibility, equal rights and societal acceptance.
For further information please visit www.rebeccaroot.co.uk

Maree Kearns
Set & Costume Design

Maree's work spans across theatre, musicals, dance and opera. Rathmines Road marks her third time working with Fishamble having previously designed Maz and Bricks and Invitation to a Journey (CoisCéim Crash Ensemble coproduction) She has also designed two other Deirdre Kinahan plays: These Halcyon Days (Edinburgh Fringe First 2013) & Moment for Landmark/Tall Tales.
Some of her most recent designs include Class for Inis Theatre in association with the Abbey Theatre (Edinburgh Fringe First 2018), Giselle for Ballet Ireland and The Wizard of Oz at the Cork Opera House. Other work includes Annie the Musical & Prodijig the Revolution for Cork Opera House, Agnes, Pageant & Faun/ As You Are for CoisCéim Dance Theatre, Vampirella, Opera Briefs 2018, 2016 & 2014 for R.I.A.M, Monsters, Dinosaurs & Ghosts at the Peacock, Desire under The Elms for Corn Exchange, These, Zoe's Play & Far Away From Me at The Ark, Hamlet, King Lear , Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth & Dancing at Lughnasa for Second Age, Moll & Anglo the Musical for Verdant Productions, Plasticine for CorcaDorca, A Winter's Tale, Three Winters, In the Next Room, Scenes from the Big Picture & Troilus and Cressida for the Lir, The Dead School & Observe the Sons of Ulster Marching Towards the Somme for Nomad Theatre Network (Irish Times Best Set Designer 2009).
Maree is the MFA Stage Design Course Director in the Lir Academy of Dramatic Art in Dublin.

Kevin Smith
Lighting Design

Kevin trained at The Samuel Beckett Centre, Trinity College Dublin. This is the third time he has a designed a Deidre Kinahan premier, having previously designed Spinning with Fishamble, These Halcyon Days with Tall Tales & Landmark Productions which won a Fringe First in Edinburgh and Wild Sky with Ten42 Productions.
His other theatre design credits include Class with Inis & Abbey Theatre which recently won a Fringe First in Edinburgh. Also Monsters Dinosaurs & Ghosts (Abbey Theatre, Peacock Stage), Rhinoceros (Blue Raincoat Theatre Co), Scenes from The Big Picture, In The Next Room, Three Winters, La Ronde (The Lir), Barney Carey Gets His Wings (Barnstorm), Beowulf The Blockbuster (Pat Moylan Productions), The Family Hoffmann Mystery Palace (The MAC & Cahoots NI), Driving Miss Daisy, Moll (Gaiety), The Faerie Thorn, Puckoon (Big Telly)
His dance design credits include 12 Minute Dances (Liz Roche Co.), Coppelia (Ballet Ireland), Manefesto (Maiden Voyage), He also designed An Outside Understanding with Croí Glan which was nominated for Best Design Absolute Fringe). Kevin's Opera design credits include Vampirella, Saints & Sinners and Clori Tirsi é Fileno with RIAM. and Flatpack (Ulysses Opera) which was nominated for an Irish Times Best Opera Production.