THE IRISH THEATRE GROUP
WHO WE ARE
The Irish Theatre Group (ITG) is a not-for-profit organisation, here to share our love of theatre and our rich tradition of storytelling with the international community of Brussels. We started back in the early 1980s with a desire to stage some of the classics of Irish theatre and we haven’t stopped since. Fortunately for us, and we hope for you, the world of Irish theatre is vibrant and increasingly diverse and there is no end to the stories that need to be told and that are worth telling.
Upcoming Show: Normal Conversations?
28 February 2023 - 4 March 2023
The ITG is delighted to bring you to you ‘Normal Conversations?’ directed by Lyn Wainwright. This double-bill of drama features two plays, ‘The Approach’ by Deirdre Kinahan and ‘Salad Day’ by Mark O’Rowe.
Both plays are set in Dublin in the recent past. They explore how we can all appear to communicate our stories honestly, but we often reveal our true selves only partially. As a result, both plays offer universal insights and as many questions as answers as the characters develop.
The play will be staged between 28 February 2023 and 4 March 2023.
Read below to find out more:
SALAD DAY
A short conversation between an elderly man and woman is set in a residential convalescent home. The pair share memories of their respective but separate lives in previous years.
Surreptitiously at first, the woman devises a plan for them to escape together but is foiled by circumstances from carrying it out.
This poignant play was the forerunner of a successful full length drama ‘Halcyon Days’ by the author Deidre Kinahan.
THE APPROACH
Three women meet over a number of years, always in pairs, and between what is said and what is not said during their conversations lies the truth.
What, on the surface, appears to be simple gossip between old friends hides a deeper tension. They are haunted by their memories of what they once shared together but now no longer enjoy.
There is a cyclical element to the play where they find themselves having the same conversations with subtle differences during different pairings and they often ask the same questions as if hoping for a different response.
Several years pass between each conversation and the cyclical nature of the play is emphasised when, at the end, we suddenly return to the beginning of the first conversation. Only then do we realise that we had originally joined it halfway through.
This will be the second play that the ITG has chosen to perform written by the successful Irish author Mark O’Rowe having previously performed ‘ Our Few and Evil Days ‘ in 2019.
OUR MOST RECENT PRODUCTION:
FLY ME TO THE MOON
(26-30 APRIL 2022)
A moving comedy by Marie Jones, ITG's production of 'Fly Me to the Moon', was directed by Csaba Bartos and performed in the Warehouse Studio Theatre, 26-30 April 2022.
Fly Me to the Moon (2012) tells the story of Davy, an 84-year-old Frank Sinatra fan and his two carers Francis and Loretta.
WATCH OUR FEATS 2021 SHOW
GSOH by Suzanne Walsh
We celebrate Bloomsday on 16 June every year. While we couldn't host our usual Bloomsnight get-together we can offer you “something we prepared earlier”. Put the kettle on, or whatever you’re having yourself, click forward and sit back to watch this 15 min play, GSOH, by Suzanne Walsh. Thanks again to the ECC for bringing the continent-wide amdram community together, virtually, for a warm, social, and entertaining FEATS event, and to our peers for continuing to produce great theatre.
DANCING AT LUGHNASA
November 2008
Brian Friel's acclaimed masterpiece.
THEATRE COMMUNITY
The Irish Theatre Group is part of a vibrant theatre community in Brussels and the surrounding region. From William Shakespeare to Tennessee Williams, opera to stand up, and youth theatre to festivals, find out more about what Brussels’ various English language theatre groups have to offer.
THE WAREHOUSE
Our home in Brussels
In 1994, the Irish Theatre Group, the American Theatre Company and the English Comedy Club purchased a complex now known as The Warehouse at Rue Waelhem in Schaerbeek. Managed by the three groups it features a 65-seat studio theatre, rehearsal rooms and workshop and is the centre for amateur English language theatre in Brussels.
WHAT PEOPLE SAY
Whether treading the boards or working backstage, for me, working on an ITG play is to learn the true meaning of teamwork. I personally love the creativity, escapism and fun of it all.
Sinéad Meehan van Druten
It was a real blessing to find the Irish Theatre Group when I first arrived in Brussels — a wonderful chance to explore a passion for theatre as part of a welcoming, friendly, and supportive community!
Eoin O'Leary
I've met some of my best friends in Brussels through the ITG and learned so much along the way. It's a great community to be part of whether you are acting, producing or working backstage.