East Belfast Boy, tonight and tomorrow, Ballymac Friendship Centre, Belfast, 8pm
THIS new play starring west Belfast actor Anthony Boyle has been inspired by the stories of young men from the inner east of the city.
Written and directed by Fintan Brady, the Partisan Productions project at the EastSide Arts Festival finds Boyle (21, recently seen in Game of Thrones) delivering a monologue exploring the life and times of Davy, a young loyalist and part-time DJ.
Part stand-up comedy, part inter-active lecture, part 'bonefire' party, Davy philosophises about family, school, Facebook friends, girls and paramilitaries, as well as explaining how to make a few quid as a DJ if you have the right haircut.
“The character of Davy is an amalgam of lads who live in this area,” says Brady, who worked closely with Ballymac Friendship Trust and spent a night at a Beersbridge Road bonfire during his research for the play.
“This monologue takes their observations and experiences and presents them in a way that suggests what they might mean – how does it connect with their history and environment; how they’ve been brought up?
“Many of the young people I spoke to live in a very immediate, materialistic world that lacks form – they decide not to decide.”
Tickets are ‘pay what you can’ on the door, with all funds contributing to buying a new bus for the Ballymac Centre, and there will also be a techno set from DJ/producer James Kirkpatrick.
:: Eastsidearts.net
