WHAT DO you want in life? Money, success, possessions, love? Are these vital to our wellbeing, or are they social constructs we have been persuaded into thinking are the ultimate goals of existence?
This is one of the central concerns of Apoptosis, which follows five characters who are trying to choose what they want in life, and deal with the consequences of those choices.
Apoptosis, written and directed by Rebecca Spelman, and staged by Calamity Theatre, will run in the Town Hall Theatre studio from Monday February 25 to Thursday 28 at 8.30pm. It stars Claire Ahearne, James Mackenzie, Joe Bohan, and Tim Meaney, with [pictured below] Lucy Pollock and Sean Gandolfi.
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Apoptosis examines generational divides, insecurity, meta-narratives, life goals, and the desire to categorise as a means of understanding life, through a combination of theatre and PowerPoint presentation. Claire, a millennial, struggles with financial instability; baby boomer couple, Robert and Sharon try to understand their own and each other's desires. Throughout, the play asks if religion, capitalism, and relationships are paths to fulfilment and how insecurity and anxiety are rooted in the need for stability we crave, but cannot achieve, due to the flowing, impossible-to-categorise, nature of life.
Following its original performance at the Galway Fringe Festival, The Irish Times' Lorna Siggins said of it: “Spelman’s nihilistic take on the legacy of baby boomers is rich with humour”.
For tickets contact the Town Hall (091 - 569777, www.tht.ie ). See also www.rebeccaspelman.com
