Theatre Archives - John Morton

September 23, 2022 • Theatre

Denouement Published

My play Denouement has just been published by the nice folk at Concord Theatricals.

Feels like a bit of a cheat to have a published play without a production but unfortunately, the pandemic fucked it. Still though, nice to be a published playwright. Here’s the jist of it:

Ireland, 2048. Edel and Liam have been married for 37 years. They live in a small isolated farmhouse at the foot of a mountain. The world is ending and we meet them in their final hour of life before everything is wiped out entirely. Their children have grown up and moved away and now they live together, alone. They take drugs, say goodbye to old friends and former lovers, air old grievances, argue, bicker and ultimately, try to reconcile their relationship. They will do this until the end of time.

Hopefully the show will get a full production sometime, ideally before it becomes a contemporary play in 2048.

Thanks to everyone at Lyric Theatre and Traverse Theatre for their support. Especially Rebecca Mairs.

You can buy a copy of the play here.

(I have no clue if it’s going to be released over here, but will update if it happens. Shipping charges are a fucker from Britain right now)

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June 26, 2019 • devious theatre, Theatre

The Roaring Banshees

So very excited to be bringing this show to the stage this August.

The Roaring Banshees by Peter McGann and myself is the second part of our Ripping Yarn Trilogy following on from The Hellfire Squad which we premiered in 2016. We’re again working with our favourite collaborator, the brilliant Sarah Baxter who will also be directing this show.

It’s one thing to come up with a fairly out there idea but another thing entirely to see it coming to life in such vivid fashion. Anyway, we thought Cumann na mBan versus Al Capone’s Outfit would be a cracking idea for a new play.

Cumann na mBan’s baddest, meanest and most ruthless beures, pulled from their individual clubs by Countess Markievicz and assembled into a unit of Ireland’s most feared assassins. Played by the amazing cast of Nessa Matthews, Ali Fox, Clodagh Mooney Duggan, Aoife Spratt, Amy Dunne, Laura Brady and Aine Ni Laoghaire.

Chicago, 1923.

After a failed assassination attempt on Eamon de Valera, a rogue Cumann na mBán unit flee across the Atlantic to escape the law. With Prohibition in full swing, they earn their keep by making bootleg poitín and selling it on to the Chicago mob.

But it’s not long before a gang war breaks out with them caught in the middle, and the lethal skills they honed back home hunting Black and Tans are taken to the bullet-strewn streets of the Windy City.

Here’s the trailer for the show, made by the brilliant Sean Clancy.

I’m so excited to see this one hit the stage and we hope audiences get a kick out of it. No Let Up.

1-3 August, Watergate Theatre, Kilkenny: https://bit.ly/2NMKObA

12-31 August, Smock Alley Theatre, Dublin: https://bit.ly/2GjFFl7

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June 15, 2019 • Theatre

The Big Chapel

I’m honoured as all hell to be writing the stage adaptation of Thomas Kilroy’s novel The Big Chapel which is premiering at this years Kilkenny Arts Festival. The show, like the book itself, is a fictionalised retelling of the Callan Schools Affair and also like the book will be a dark, satirical take on the religious zealotry and the weaponisation of lies.

The show is being produced by Asylum alongside the Abbey Theatre and Kilkenny Arts Festival. It will be directed by Donal Gallagher. The team behind this one are insanely good and intent on putting on quite the spectacle. 11th-17th August around the streets of Callan. Bring your own riot gear. https://www.kilkennyarts.ie/programme/the-big-chapel

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October 13, 2018 • Theatre

Home Theatre Ireland

I was absolutely honoured to be part of the brilliant Home Theatre Ireland project as part of Dublin Theatre Festival.

I performed Grizzly, a new piece I’ve written, which was directed by Conall Morrison. The show was inspired by my host Michelle and on October 6th I performed it three times in her sitting room. It was one of the most unique working experiences I’ve ever had and I’m so glad to be part of this mad idea to create 30 new shows and perform them in 30 homes all in one day. It’s the kind of project I think people will still be speaking of in years to come. Then the show transferred to Draiocht for Dublin Theatre Festival and on October 11th I got to perform the piece in front of (honestly) one of the best audiences I’ve ever been in front of. It was electric. Congrats to everyone involved who created a really special project and one I loved being involved with.

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June 11, 2018 • Theatre

The Harvest

I’m currently appearing in a new play by Jane McCarthy called The Harvest. It’s a tense, psychological thriller about second chances and second lives. I’m absolutely over the moon to be working on such a meaty piece of writing. It’s very dark, funny, clever and packs a lot of emotional wallops. I don’t want to say much more about it because it really deserves a good, cold watch. I’m working with a belter cast consisting of Fionn Foley, Marcus Lamb and Melissa Nolan. The show is directed by the brilliant Matthew Ralli.

I’ve loved working on this show and hopefully it will go down a storm with audiences over the two week run. Some of the reviews have started dropping so here’s one and here’s another one.

The Harvest runs in The New Theatre from June 11th to 23rd. You can get tickets for the show here.

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January 29, 2018 • Theatre

Pulp Injection

I’m delighted to be taking part in a new live radio play from my auld pal Peter McGann this coming February.

Pulp Injection is a live performance of two retro radio plays as part of Scene and Heard in Smock Alley. The storylines are tasty enough: Eamon de Valera takes on priest-abducting martians and an ex-spy gets tempted back into the game by the re-emergence of an old enemy.

There’s a cracking line up of performers on the night, some of whom I’ve worked with before like Eoin Lyons, Kelly Shatter, Amy Dunne and Stephen Considine and some whom I’m very excited to work with like Giles Brody, Tony Cantwell and John Burke. It’s a mighty line up and should provide many laughs.

One night only on February 16th at 8pm. Get your tickets right here.

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May 27, 2017 • Theatre

The Definitive View with Sneachta Ní Mhurchú

I had a very fun time last summer doing some directing on The Definitive View with Sneachta Ní Mhurchú by The Brownbread Mixtape. It’s got a very appealing synopsis which reads:

Ireland. The near future. You sit down with a cup of tay, and tune in to RTÉ Radio 1 to catch The Definitive View with Sneachta Ní Mhurchú: your favourite arty interview and playback show, featuring the quirkiest, murkiest Irish radio from the past week, hosted by Ireland’s most popular self-important presenter. A brand new comedy radio play with a live musical soundtrack, in the tradition of The Goons and Scrap Saturday.

It went on to be nominated for two Dublin Fringe Festival awards: Best Ensemble and The Bewley’s Little Gem award. It returns now for a week long run in Project Arts Centre with the powerhouse vocal talents of Eva Bartley, Gus McDonagh and Kalle Ryan behind it. It’s a “Pitch-perfect parody of RTE radio” as the Irish Independent called it.

It plays June 20th to 24th at 7.45pm nightly with tickets €16-€18. You can book them here.

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September 15, 2016 • Theatre

Play Mongering

A couple of my plays are now for sale on Playography Ireland if you’re the kind of person who likes buying and reading plays. Here’s what’s for sale at the moment.

Taboo (2016)

Taboo is a black comedy about the first date between a girl who doesn’t get out very much and a man who has trouble meeting new people. Lily cooks a three course meal. Tom brings flowers and wine. On the surface, everything seems fine. But in the modern world, dating is a surprisingly complex thing with a lot of unwritten rules.

“Morton’s script is by turns hilarious, and heart wrenching; and there is a good balance of well-observed naturalism and heightened drama” Emily Elphinstone, No More Workhorse

“A smart critique of dating in a modern world dogged by endless apps and devices” Chris McCormack, Exeunt Magazine

War Of Attrition (2013)

War Of Attrition is a comic thriller about a girl who attempts to track down the man behind the viral video that destroyed her life. With the help of a homeless drifter, she ensnares him. Soon all three develop a tense friendship that leads towards revolution.

“…funny, sharp, relevant and delivered with panache” Una Mullally, The Irish Times

“An Easter Rising / Wikileaks mash up … the bang-on zeitgeistsy script is backed up by excellent use of live technology, and a completely believable spiralling chain of events.” – Susan Conley, Irish Theatre Magazine

Smitten (2008/2011)

Smitten is a musical comedy about Claire, a former nurse, who returns to her hometown to try and fix the emotional wreckage she left in the wake of her emigration years previously.

“Morton uses all characters to convey the myriad of emotions we all experience, whether female or male but he encourages us to fight against them and think before we act.” Darragh Doyle, Yay.ie

“As ever, there is a newness, a freshness, an in-your faceness about Morton’s work” Liam Murphy, The Munster Express.

If you’d like to purchase any of them you can do so from the links on each title or right here.

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August 21, 2016 • devious theatre, Theatre

Pulled

I have nothing to do with this but I’m posting anyway because it’s going to be great and I can’t wait to see it.

I’ve just come off working on the first two parts of Devious Theatre’s Devious 10 programme, Heart Shaped Vinyl and The Hellfire Squad so I just get to watch the third one like a proper fan. And that third and final part is Pulled by Niamh Moroney.

A comedy about two girls fightin’ the fear. Who will pull through? Amanda or Michelle? Maybe they’ll just pull the heads off each other… Join these two man eating club stomping wans as they battle one of the worst hangovers of their lives as they attempt to follow a trail of snapchats, texts, and selfies back to memories long lost to shots- what and who they did last night?! How did Michelle end up here, where the hell was Amanda? Or… do they even want to know?

The show is a collaboration between Devious Theatre and Central Arts down Waterford way. Pulled will be performed by Niamh Moroney and Andrea Bolger who makes her debut with us. The show is directed by Ita Morrissey and produced by John O’Connell of Central Arts.

Pulled premieres in Central Arts, Waterford from September 13th-17th. It follows up with a three night run in the Set Theatre, Kilkenny from September 29th-October 1st. Do go see it.

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July 26, 2016 • devious theatre, Theatre

Squad Goals

The Hellfire Squad kicked off last week for its run in Project Arts Centre. It went down an absolute storm thankfully and we were very surprised (not to mention delighted) to sell out the 7 performance run.

We’ve been bowled over by the reaction to it. Considering how long we’ve been developing it for, it’s great to see it go down so well with audience members. Here’s an article Peter McGann and myself wrote about the writing of it.

Devious Theatre complete the home leg of the run from Thursday July 28th to Saturday July 30th in The Watergate Theatre as part of this years AKA festival. We’re delighted to bring it home and hopefully it will be met with the same reaction it was in Dublin. If you fancy a ripping yarn about the origins of Michael Collins’ hit squad, you can book your tickets on 056 – 7761674 or get them online here.

Here’s some of the plaudits the show has received during its Dublin run.

“McGann and Morton’s script manages to be historically accurate and hilarious” – Sunday Business Post.

“A modern Irish classic” – Pure M Magazine

“Admirably, the playmakers are more interested in a reclamation project, restoring these secret fighters to the record.” – Exeunt Magazine

“The play zips along at breakneck speed under the tight direction of Sarah Baxter” – The Kilkenny People

“An innovative view of the period and shows that we don’t have to treat the heroes of yesteryear with solemnity.” – No More Workhorse

We’ve also made two trailers for the show which you can view here:

God bless the work.

Theatre Category

Denouement Published

The Roaring Banshees

The Big Chapel

Home Theatre Ireland

The Harvest

Pulp Injection

The Definitive View with Sneachta Ní Mhurchú

Play Mongering

Pulled

Squad Goals

Recent Posts

The Hurler

Two Cats Online

Denouement Published

Dead Still on RTÉ

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