An 80th birthday party that no-one seems to want. 

Four generations of Northern Irish women, reunited under one roof. A house full of hungry ghosts, with more than one skeleton in the closet. Turn off your phones at dinner. 

Winner of the Women’s Prize for the Playwriting 2022, Karis Kelly’s play is a pitch-black and twisted comedy of dysfunctional family dynamics, generational revolt and national boundaries. Paines Plough are touring Karis Kelly’s dark comedy Consumed,.A co-production with Belgrade Theatre, Sheffield Theatres and the Women’s Prize for Playwriting, in association with the Lyric Theatre Belfast, the tour begins at Edinburgh’s Traverse Theatre for the Fringe before touring the country through September and October

Playwright Karis Kelly commented: “I am absolutely delighted to be working with such an incredible creative team. For me, to be working with a full Irish cast, rehearsing at the London Irish Centre (where I attended many cultural events growing up) is a full circle, dream come true moment. I was lucky enough to be in the auditions and I was absolutely blown away by their talent. I cannot wait to get into the room and work with Katie and the whole team, and watch this play come to life!”

Directed by Paines Plough’s Joint Artistic Director, Katie Posner, the cast includes Julia Dearden (Derry Girls; After Life; Dancing at Lughnasa), Caoimhe Farren (The Ferryman; Derry Girls), Andrea Irvine (Blue Lights; Line of Duty) and Muireann Ní Fhaogáin, who makes her professional stage debut in Consumed.

Joining them in the creative team are Lily Arnold as Set and Costume Designer, Beth Duke as Sound Designer and Composer, Guy Hoare as Lighting Designer, Suzanne Bell as Dramaturg, Gina Donnelly as Assistant Director, with Jacob Sparrow as the Casting Director. The team is joined on tour by Amy Bending as Company Stage Manager, Will Tucker as Assistant Stage Manager, Mark Hartley as Production Manager for TPO Global, and Naomi Thompson as Wardrobe Supervisor at Belgrade Theatre in Coventry.

Director Katie Posner commented: “I am beyond excited to be directing this incredible cast and team for the world premiere of Consumed. From the first moment I read it for the Women’s Prize for Playwriting, Consumed gripped me completely. It’s Granny Eileen’s 80th birthday party, and as the family reunion unravels, the story peels back the wallpaper to reveal the tensions between four generations of northern Irish women, speaking to the silences and secrets passed through them all.”

“Karis invites us into a world that feels disturbingly, viscerally, hilariously familiar… especially to anyone who’s been shushed at the family dinner! After hit runs of previous Women’s Prize winners, we’re so proud at Paines Plough to continue producing and platforming outstanding female and non-binary writers. We can’t wait for this play to meet its audiences and are delighted to be collaborating with our fantastic partners, the Belgrade Theatre, Sheffield Theatres, Women’s Prize for Playwriting and the Lyric Belfast.”

For further information about the play, and to buy tickets for the tour please check out the Paines Plough website.

Images (c) Pamela Raith