A new take on the nativity

A UNIQUE adaptation of the nativity story will be staged by Roslevan-based Dhá Lámh Theatre next week.
In a break with traditional nativity plays, this production will cast off any religious elements and present two radically different versions and concepts based loosely on the well-known and regularly performed standard Christmas play.

Dhá Lámh Theatre has been around for about four years, under the careful direction of local actor and writer, Laura Mulcahy. The drama group has two sections, the Dhá Lámh Youth Ensemble and the adult group and in recent years the acting company have performed a variety of thought-provoking and interesting plays, including most recently a children’s play called The Chickens of Doom, the adult group’s production of Dancing at Lughnasa and four plays by Beckett – Quad, Come and Go, The Old Tune, and Act Without Words 2.
The Nativity Play, which is a mixture of the children’s and adult legs of Dhá Lámh Theatre, will be performed on December 19 and 20 in the Scouts Hall on Station Road, Ennis.
Laura explained that the play is constructed around the character of Methuselah, who is telling the story of the nativity as he sees it.
“But he is interrupted by a mouse, who has a very different version of the story. Methuselah tries to kills the mouse. Mary and Joseph are having a terrible time. Not only are they late to sign for the census but the town of Nazareth is buzzing with people and they are having great difficulty finding a place to stay. This coupled with the fact that Joseph, oblivious to the needs of his heavily pregnant wife, has everyone in a bad mood. In this nativity play, all of the religious elements have been removed and the central themes of the play are personal drama and dilemmas. I’ve taken elements of the traditional nativity play, such as Mary and Joseph, and adapted them into something very different. The play is underscored with traditional Indian music and the characters are dressed in traditional costumes,” she said.
She added that some of the characters in the play are puppets, including the Three Wise Kings, while people play others. “It is a very interesting piece of theatre, very thought-provoking and challenging. It emerges towards the end of the production that some of the characters know they’re in a play. Because I wrote this play myself, I can make it work whatever way I want and change it. This isn’t a cute play and isn’t in any way like a pantomime – it’s really quite meaty and weighty, which is to be expected given that my background is in literature.”
Laura explained that one of her main literary influences is Eugene Ionesco, a writer who she said is taken up with absurd concepts and puts much consideration into language and dialogue. “I’m also a huge fan of Samuel Beckett, whose works are also quite complex,” she added.
She commented that this nativity play is quite unusual and not what people might expect with a nativity play. “It’s also quite spectacular in its own right. It features a 14-foot dragon and puppets, which I made myself and the cast is multi-racial.”
Laura has been involved in interesting acting and writing projects over the years, including work with female prisoners in Mountjoy Prison.
“I worked in the Dóchas section of the women’s prison with an occupational therapist. In conjunction with final-year students of occupational therapy in Trinity College Dublin, we brought eight students into the prison as part of their final-year projects on peer education. There was a recognised need for drama among the female prisoners, so we placed drama as the occupation and had these two groups, a group of prisoners and the students working together. During this time, I made a film with some of the prisoners called The Puppet Play of Don Cristobal by Federico Garcia Lorca. It was screened as part of the Phibsboro Arts Festival,” she explained.
Laura said one of the reasons that she writes works for children to perform is because she believes there is a lack of “good material” of this kind.
“Primarily, I can’t stand the way children’s plays are because they are so patronising and don’t use the English language very well. I want to challenge children with the language presented to them in plays. It’s also more thought-provoking and in a number of ways makes for much more interesting plays and performances for children and adults alike.”
Laura was introduced to drama at a very young age through her mother, Marcella Mulcahy, who was heavily involved in theatre and productions. Laura is also an accomplished actor.
She did a primary degree in English in Galway and completed a masters in theatre under playwright Tom Gilroy, also in NUIG.
“I’ve been involved in dramatic productions all of my life, including as a performer with the Bunratty Entertainers and with many different drama and singing groups. I’ve also sang a number of songs on a traditional album of songs with Dan Rossumatto from Alaska,” she added.
Dhá Lámh Youth Ensemble, which currently includes 16 seven to 16-year-olds, meets twice a week. The adult section of Dhá Lámh Theatre currently has about eight local actors participating.
As a self-professed committed socialist, Laura said she is not into the frills that often come with drama productions.
“We aim to keep costs down as much as possible, so we do everything ourselves from writing, to production, to performing, to sets, props and art work.
“We generally ask people to pay what they can to come into one of our performances, in a bid to make theatre accessible to as wide an audience as possible,” she explained.
On both nights of the play, doors will open from 7pm, with a range of fun activities for the audience. There will be a raffle with many spot prizes, a toy sale, face painting and a kids disco after the play on December 19.
“We’ll also be selling books and bric-a-brac, as well as cakes, teas and coffees.
“There will also be free advice available on animal behaviour from a fully qualified veterinary nurse. Another element is a swap stall for children’s toys, where children can bring toys that they are finished with and swap them for a toy of similar value. We will be making a donation to animal charity, Paw Pourri, from the show and these events also.”
Tickets are available on the door on both nights, from Paw Pourri Animal Rescue, Westgate Business Park, Ennis or from 085 1576324.