Blinkered in New York 1st Irish Festival
January 2019
We are delighted to announce that we have been invited to the 1st Irish Festival in New York in January 2019. This is an amazing opportunity to showcase new work from Northern Ireland in New York.
Blinkered is a powerful play that addresses the very important issue of mental health and suicide in young people and the impact on the family. It toured Northern Ireland in 2016 and 2017 to great acclaim. The play will tour to Derry and Belfast in 2019 with the support of the Halifax Foundation. We will work in partnership with the Samaritans who will be available to talk to throughout the event. The performance is followed by an interactive theatre discussion where the audience can explore ways to talk about mental health and suicide, with input from actors and a suicide prevention professional.
As a result of the success of this play we have been invited to tour the play in and around New York as part of the 1st Irish Festival. We will be working in partnership with the New York Department of Education, the Northern Ireland Bureau, the New York Irish Centre and Solace House (formerly Pieta House, a suicide prevention support service).
We are fundraising at the moment to find partners and sponsors for the tour in New York. We have some funding secured from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland but need to raise the remainder to cover costs. If you as an individual or your business is interested in supporting this important work please contact Patricia Byrne on solepurpose@mac.com or 0044 28 7127 9918 for more information and to discuss the possibilities. You can also Donate below at the link.
"I saw Blinkered today at the Hawks Well Theatre with a group of my senior secondary school students and to say I was BLOWN AWAY is an understatement. This performance is such a powerful, realistic and heart wrenching portrayal of a young person's suicide and the devastating effects it has on the family left behind. It is a MUST SEE for all teenagers that are struggling to make sense of their feelings and frustrations. It is a MUST SEE for all adults who are trying to make sense of their children and indeed their own life struggles. My students and I are were truly touched by the performance and although the subject matter is dark we felt a sense of optimism and positivity after the workshop that made us all feel that there is light at the end of every tunnel no matter how dark it may initially seem. Thank you to all involved for taking this often taboo subject of suicide and refusing to shy away from the harrowing effects it has on those left behind. GO and see this show!!!!" Fiona Gallagher, Teacher, Donegal VEC 2017
Patrick McBrearty and Pat Lynch
Patrick McBrearty and Gemma Walker
Photos by Gav Connolly
