Fergal O'Byrne

This play is about redemption and forgiveness; it centers around three people trapped in a bar during a snowstorm. Stan, the putative bar owner, and his aging uncle Dunphy, share the place with wannabe screenwriter Amy.

On initial introductions it looks like a typical bar with their ordinary people with the usual stresses and strains for life. Closer inspection reveals a different perspective. Strange things happen to objects in the bar, the clock is stuck at 5.50 and then there is the outside presence of Clem, an angel observing them all as if in some petri dish, a waiting room, limbo.

There is a concept in many religions about the idea of limbo or purgatory; indeterminate time, stretching on for infinity – souls awaiting judgment. Judgement arrives in the shape of Clem, an ethereal angel figure – a wolf in sheep’s clothing perhaps.

Clem reveals their past and highlights reasons why they might be in purgatory – and perhaps she can offer redemption – to those who are ready for it. Amy turns out to be the victim of a car accident which the two men were driving after a heated drinking session. Dunphy had been fired from the university over an alleged transgression with a female student but we never find out fully if he's guilty or innocent. He is good at playing the martyr. It is revealed that his nephew switched places with him in the car when they struck Amy. They did not stay at the scene of the crime and ostensibly the Amy died. Should Amy have gone to heaven directly?

The play has many levels one is a focus on current geopolitical issues - our leaders can lie without consequences. The setting is surreal – there is a limbo and purgatory in most religions - an intermediate holding cell between heaven and hell.

A female CEO candidate needs to go to extraordinary, and unexpected, lengths to persuade an ageing Chairman she is the right person for the job.

A park bench, 2 characters meet in 3 different scenes. They could be the same people - perhaps not. One of them in each scene carries a shopping bag with a light emanating from it. Is it a cheap trick, or the very light of life itself? The other character in each scene wants to see the light, badly. Will they risk everything for one look? This absurdist, yet humour-filled piece, has been likened to Beckett meeting Mamet.

Niels is in a foul mood. It is not the wheelchair he is incarcerated in, nor his wife Catherine's frenetic mutterings about which tablecloth to use and not even his friend Gavan's constant to-ing and fro-ing from the kitchen. It is none of these things. Niels is in a bad mood because his wonderful, only daughter, Mette is bringing home her fiancee for the first time, and he is particularly upset because she is brining home … a Swede.
As an old Dane he has been indoctrinated into disliking Swedes for no good, reasonable or rational reason. Rapprochement is in short supply at this dinner party. As the evening unfolds each of the diners bring to the table more than meets the eye. Secrets will be revealed ... secrets that were definitely better off left ... Unsaid.

A fast-paced and humorous look at the future. The year is 2251. Humans have successfully colonised Mars. However, an unknown microbe is playing havoc with peoples’ teeth causing them to decay dramatically. Is it something to do with the addictive drug OmniGrin that Earth supplies freely to subdue the Martian colonists? Can the fake dentist Doctor Sørensen unearth the Underground movement? The Martian dental surgery becomes a cauldron of tension, intrigue and trickery. Can humans learn to trust other humans when they do not share the same history, identity or heritage? An emotional, funny, touching, quirky, robotic, thirsty, thought-provoking, dusty, dark comedy.

Rub-a Dub-Dub is a dark comedy about the endurance of human friendship against a backdrop whereby Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) is becoming ever more indispensable in our technological, brave new world.

SiSi is a replicant programmed to tell the truth. It is not a choice for her – it is hardwired in ones and zeros. She observes the 3 humans in this story and records everything. She can even analyse their biometric data and give hints as to how healthy (or not) they may be. When Neil, effectively her owner, announces that he plans to commit suicide by euthanasia emotions run high. This is when “SiSi the observer” becomes “SiSi the participant”, and discovers that to be human you sometimes have to bend the truth.

The play is set in a research base located on the frozen vastness of Antarctica. A deep and prolonged winter is forecast and most of the international science team have headed back North, via the supply ship, to warmer climes. This leaves only a skeleton crew behind; Angela, Lars and Bertram. Base Commander Fiskler has gone to the ship but, wracked with guilt and uncertainty, changes his mind and makes the perilous, solo trek back to the station.

In Act One we see how the three scientists are struggling to cope with the weather, the rations and the complete lack of information from the outside world. Bertram, the seasoned campaigner, is drifting in and out of hallucinations due to his age and limited rations. Lars, the pragmatist, helps to keep them sane and Angela is a brilliant micro-biologist, tries to keep all the plates spinning. At the end of Act One Angela makes the ominous announcement that she is pregnant.

In Act Two they grapple with the news of Angela’s pregnancy and the implications this will have on their survival. Bertram drifts further in hallucinations and the other two have to sedate him to prevent him from self-harm. Lars and Angela rely more and more on each other. Just when things are drifting into chaos Fiskler arrives back at the base station, half dead from exhaustion, but perhaps their saviour.

Why does Fiskler risk his life to return? Will the rations for three stretch to four? And will Angela’s pregnancy news shock or delight Fiskler? During Act Three the four, disparate and desperate companions, receiving only distorted bursts of news from home about possible nuclear Armageddon. The team must come to terms with the very real possibility they are humanity’s last survivors. Will one of them make the ultimate sacrifice to save the others or will they be forced to make the most difficult decision imaginable?

A cautionary tale of trust in a hyper connected world. Four business people (based in Ireland, Singapore, Copenhagen and New York are all working on closing a multi-million dollar deal. They conduct their business over video calls. No one trusts any one but the deal must get done. Who will blink first in this fast-paced hyper connected world?

A Madness Of Three centres around the characters; Liz, Andrew and Jennifer, all either living or working in an asylum. During the play it becomes apparent that Liz’s delusions are influencing Andrew. They start to act in unison to carry out Liz’s nefarious plan.

Shem, a young Irish man, has moved to New York looking for a new lease of life. Imperceptibly, he descends in to a murky world of drink, racism and drugs … and eventually, his own demise. On one level this is a simple tale of an emigrant ending up on the wrong path. On another it is the story of the many young people who go to the States and do not end up as successful politicians, presidents of large corporations or successful movie stars.