Women’s voices going back 100 years to be heard at the Lyric Theatre
Voices gathered from over 100 years in Tiger’s Bay in Belfast shine a light on the lives of women will be showing at at the Lyric Theatre Belfast and at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Four women. Four generations. One Belfast family fighting for freedom and future.
In a ferociously optimistic tale of home and hope, we meet Ethel, Jeanette, Sarah and Pam each trapped by the narrow streets and looming mountain of Tiger’s Bay.
None of them had the chance to leave until now. Pam may have broken the cycle and followed her dream of a life elsewhere, but can she ever truly escape her ancestry? There are stories of battle, passion and hope still demanding to be told.
The Half Moon is a celebration of the best of Belfast, and of the women who’ve risen above the odds to make their lives their own.
Originally produced in Belfast to sell out audiences in April 2022, Alice and the company are delighted to be reprising the work to showcase the work at Lyric Theatre.
They will then bring the best of Belfast talent to Pleasance at Edinburgh Fringe.
The work was originally produced by Green Shoot, but now Alice and company are pleased to collaborate with Thistle and Rose Arts, a female-led theatre company.
Writer Alice Malseed said: “The Half Moon is inspired by the women of Tiger’s Bay, Belfast
“It was written based on the real-life stories of strong and moving women from community. As Writer in Residence, I spent time across a two-year period talking to residents about the area, their lives, histories and hopes.
“The Half Moon is a play about hope and resilience. I was so inspired by these women, by their tenacity, drive and togetherness.
“It’s so important for work from Northern Ireland to be showcased and celebrated in the Edinburgh platform, and we are very pleased to be bringing the show to Lyric Theatre first.
“It will show the stories and experiences that we all live through here. The show platforms the craic, storytelling and huge sense of community alive in all Belfast women.”
CAST
Performed by Ruby Campbell(@_rubycampbell)
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Alice Malseed (@alicemalseed)
Director: Emily Foran (@emilyforan_)
Lighting Design: Alan Mooney(@AlanM_Design)
Set Design: Pai Rathaya
Sound Design: Stuart Robinson
Movement: Paula O’Reilly
Produced by Alice Malseed & Thistle and Rose Arts
In Partnership with Lyric Belfast & Pleasance @LyricBelfast
The Half Moon
Presented by Alice Malseed and Emily Foran, Thistle and Rose Arts Lyric Belfast, and Pleasance will show at:
Lyric Theatre, Belfast
Dates: July 26th – 29th
Times: 20:00 / 15:00 (Saturday only)
Tickets: £15 – £20
https://lyrictheatre.co.uk/whats-on/the-half-moon
Pleasance Dome (Jack Dome), Edinburgh
Dates: Aug 2nd-28th
Times: 14:35
Tickets: £9-£14
https://www.pleasance.co.uk/event/half-moon
Lyric Theatre Belfast is a creative hub for theatre-making, a safe space for nurturing talent and embodies an unwavering passion for creating meaningful connections through theatre and the arts.
Here they always do things a little differently at the Lyric. From its modest beginnings in 1968, this special place has been a springboard for internationally acclaimed playwrights, poets and actors.
As Northern Ireland’s only full-time theatre to produce its own productions from page to stage, they care deeply about maintaining a high-quality, diverse and inclusive programme that captures the imaginations of our audiences, leaving them changed, charged and empowered.
Alice Malseed is a writer and theatre-maker based in Belfast.
Her work has appeared across the UK, Ireland, in Sri Lanka and New York. Alice was part of BBC WritersRoom Belfast Voices group 2018-2019 and Lyric New Playwrights Programme 2018.
Alice was awarded a Jerwood New Work Fund in 2019 to support her work and she received the Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival Theatre Award in
January 2021. From 2022 – 2023 Alice was a resident Hatch Artist at the Mac, Belfast.
‘playful, sharp, and dry-witted. Painstaking and thoughtful, it’ll make you laugh and punch you in the gut all at once’ – The Irish Times on ‘it’s getting harder and harder for me’
Emily Foran Emily is a director for theatre and film based in Belfast and trained at The Lir Academy Dublin.
Her work spans across the island of Ireland, working with Druid Theatre after receiving the Marie Mullen Bursary, as well as The Lyric, The MAC, The Everyman Cork, An Grianán Theatre Letterkenny, The New Theatre, Dublin and Greenshoot Productions.
Ruby Campbell Ruby trained at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama.
Theatre credits include: Akedah (Hampstead Theatre) Translations (Abbey Theatre/Lyric Theatre) The Snow Queen, Rough Girls, Lovers: Winners and Losers, Alice the Musical, Driving Home for Christmas (Lyric Theatre) Into the Woods (NI Opera), The Half Moon (Green Shoot) Sylvan, Tragik Plastik (Tinderbox) The Broads (Strand Arts), Dirty Talk (No Touching Theatre), And The Band Keeps Marching On (Sky Arts/Barbican) Splish Splash (Oily Cart), The Ferryman (Sonia Friedman Productions), Girls and Dolls (Pintsized Productions), Babble, Lifeboat (Replay) Lady Windermere’s Fan (MAC/Bruiser).
