Venture back in time, where personal history meets Irish mythology.

Part fictional, part biographical; all elements overlap. The line between what is myth and what is reality blurs. This new show will follow the story of Oona Doherty’s Great Great Grandfather Specky Clark and his arrival in Belfast. It unravels as a series of theatrical images and is brought to life by an international cast of nine dancers.

On Oona’s father’s side there is a history of working in Belfast’s abattoir and of owning pigs in the back garden tracing back to the 1940’s. Along with a long history in the docks. On the other hand, her mother’s family owned a butcher’s shop in Belfast. For Oona there is something in the meat of her. There is a pink fleshy vulnerability. There is a violence.

Specky Clark features music composed by Maxime Fraisse which combines new and existing scores from Irish band Lankum. Irish playwright Enda Walsh is dramaturg, Sabine Dargent is scenographer, and long-time collaborator John Gunning is lighting designer.

Header image description: A busy table in a pub filled with people, some holding cigarettes and pints. The image shows a view through the crowd, revealing that some individuals are wearing masks. The main focus is on a person wearing a hat and round glasses, staring expressionlessly at the camera.

Header image © Luca Truffarelli