Loveplay by Moira Buffini is a witty and powerful play that takes a serio-comic look at relationships, love and sex through the ages. In ten contrasting scenes that occur from AD 79 to the present day, we experience a tangled trail of seductions, encounters and transactions that take place in the same location over the course of 2000 years.
These scenes depict couplings of various kinds, romantic and commercial, willing and forced, hetero and homosexual, achieved and frustrated. The location changes from a wood where Roman soldiers are building a latrine to a medieval abbey, an elegant townhouse, a Victorian studio, a 1960s squat and a modern dating agencey.
The essence of what has gone before accumulates over time, building up a complex web, the constant factor being the quest for love and sex while dealing with changing social, economic and sexual mores.
Loveplay was first produced in the RSC in 2001.
Cast:
Patrick Murphy
Dada, Whispers in the Dark by Tom Murphy. Directed by Roisín Flood.
Ketch, Our Country’s good by Timberlake Wertenbaker. Directed by Roisín Flood.
Hiker, The Year of the Hiker by John B. Keane. Directed by Roisín Flood.
Ted, Ghost of a Chance by Colin Carters. Directed by Helene Montague.
Fr. Hogan, Theresa’s Wedding by William Trevor. Directed by Roisín Flood.
Theseus, A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare. Directed by Derek Chapman.
Sixth Boy/Pilot, The Raft of Medusa by Georg Kaiser. Directed by Stephanie Courtney.
Lee Coffey
Don the Cook, Ghost of a Chance by Colin Carters. Directed by Helene Montague.
Derek, Once a Catholic by Mary O’Malley. Directed by Roisín Flood.
Coleman, Lonesome West by Martin McDonagh. Directed by Roisín Flood.
Edmund, Along Days Journey into the Night by Eugene O’Neill. Directed by Roisín Flood.
Lysander, A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare. Directed by Derek Chapman.
Gar Private, Philadelphia Here I Come by Brian Friel. Directed by Roisín Flood.
Allan, The Raft of Medusa by Georg Kaiser. Directed by Stephanie Courtney.
Laura S. Walsh
Ann, The Raft of Medusa by Georg Kaiser. Directed by Stephanie Courtney.
Sergeant Casey Connor, Ghost of a Chance by Colin Carters. Directed by Helene Montague.
Mag, Lovers/Winners by Brian Friel. Directed by Roisín Flood.
Hermia, A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare. Directed by Derek Chapman.
Sophie, Star Spangled Girl by Neil Simon. Directed by Amanda Maguire.
Beth, On the Outside by Tom Murphy. Directed by Roisín Flood.
The Duchess of Padua, The Duchess of Padua by Oscar Wilde. by Brian Friel. Directed by Roisín Flood.
Zoe Gorsuch
Mabel Chiltern, An Ideal Husband by Oscar Wilde. Directed by Roisín Flood.
Maureen, One Last White Horse by Dermot Bulger. Directed by Roisín Flood.
Olga, Three Sisters by Brian Friel (after Chekhov). Directed by Roisín Flood.
Blanch DuBois, A Street Car Named Desire by Tennessee Williams. Directed by Roisín Flood.
Gwendolen Fairfax, The Importance of Being Ernest by Oscar Wilde. Directed by Roisín Flood.
Annabeth, Ghost of a Chance by Colin Carters. Directed by Helene Montague.
Second Girl, The Raft of Medusa by Georg Kaiser. Directed by Stephanie Courtney.
Helena, A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare. Directed by Derek Chapman.
Darren Lyons
Forth Boy, The Raft of Medusa by Georg Kaiser. Directed by Stephanie Courtney.
Gar, Philadelphia Here I Come by Brian Friel. Directed by Roisín Flood.
Mick, The Caretaker by Harold Pinter. Directed by Roisín Flood.
Biff Loman, The Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller. Directed by Roisín Flood.
Demetrius, A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare. Directed by Derek Chapman.
Artie Cornish, Theresa’s Wedding by William Trevor. Directed by Roisín Flood.
Edmund, King Lear by William Shakespeare. Directed by Derek Chapman.
Joe, Ghost of a Chance by Colin Carters. Directed by Helene Montague.
Peter Williams
Oberon, A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare. Directed by Derek Chapman.
Shay, Ghost of a Chance by Colin Carters. Directed by Helene Montague.
Second Boy, The Raft of Medusa by Georg Kaiser. Directed by Stephanie Courtney.
Screw Doyle, Theresa’s Wedding by William Trevor. Directed by Roisín Flood.
Phil, Boy’s Life by Howard Korder. Directed by Roisín Flood.
Roche, Rat in the Skull by Ron Hutchinson. Directed by Roisín Flood.
Sandra Hyland
Denise, Ghost of a Chance by Colin Carters. Directed by Helene Montague.
Titania, A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare. Directed by Derek Chapman.
Theresa, Theresa’s Wedding by William Trevor. Directed by Roisín Flood.
Third Girl, The Raft of Medusa by Georg Kaiser. Directed by Stephanie Courtney.
Mary, Sucking Dublin by Enda Walsh. Directed by Roisín Flood.
Nora. The Plough and the Stars by Seán O’Casey. Directed by Roisín Flood.
Michaela Coleman
Fourth Girl, The Raft of Medusa by Georg Kaiser. Directed by Stephanie Courtney.
Ghost/Violet, Ghost of a Chance by Colin Carters. Directed by Helene Montague.
Olga, Three Sisters by Anton Chekov. Directed by Roisín Flood.
Bella, Same Old Moon by Geraldine Aron. Directed by Roisín Flood.
Denise, Hush by April De Angelis. Directed by Roisín Flood.
Starveling, A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare. Directed by Derek Chapman.
Sara, December Bride by Sam Hannah Bell. Directed by Roisín Flood.
Chris Daly
Fr. Walsh, The Lonesome West by Martin McDonagh. Directed by Roisín Flood.
Davies, The Caretakers by Harold Pinter. Directed by Roisín Flood.
Saul, As Is by William M. Hoffman. Directed by Roisín Flood.
Danger, Clinic by Seán O’Casey. Directed by Roisín Flood.
Quince, A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare. Directed by Derek Chapman.
Frank, Ghost of a Chance by Colin Carters. Directed by Helene Montague.
Third Boy, The Raft of Medusa by Georg Kaiser. Directed by Stephanie Courtney.
Rob Wallace
Myles, Ghost of a Chance by Colin Carters. Directed by Helene Montague.
Fifth Boy, The Raft of Medusa by Georg Kaiser. Directed by Stephanie Courtney.
Harry, Whispers in the Dark by Tom Murphy. Directed by Roisín Flood.
Valeen, The Lonesome West by Martin McDonagh. Directed by Roisín Flood.
The Monster, Frankenstein by Mary Shelly. Directed by Roisín Flood.
Chris Keller, All My Sons by Arthur Miller. Directed by Roisín Flood.
Eddy, Theresa’s Wedding by William Trevor. Directed by Roisín Flood.
Bottom, A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare. Directed by Derek Chapman.
Director: Bairbre Ni Chaoimh
Has worked extensively as an actor on stage, screen, radio and television. Since making her début at The Abbey Theatre she has performed with many companies including The Gate, Druid, Rough Magic, Calypso, Fishamble, Storytellers and The London Stage Co. She is also a theatre director and has presented plays in Ireland, England, Scotland, Germany, Kosovo, Macedonia, America, Canada and Australia. She was an Associate Artist at The Abbey Theatre for three years and while Artistic Director of Calypso Productions she received an Irish Times Special Judges’ Award. Favourite directing credits include Master Harold and the Boys, The Wonderful World Of Dissocia and Operation Easter for Calypso, three short Beckett plays for The Gate (Act Without Words II, Play and Come and Go), Catalpa for Donal O’ Kelly and adaptations of several Oscar Wilde stories for Storytellrs and Bewleys Café Theatre. Most recently she directed a touring production of An Triail for Aisling Ghéar and acted in Laundry (which won Best Production at this year’s Irish Times Awards). Bairbre has previously directed One For Sorrow, Bad Sunday and The Stone for Core Productions. She is delighted to be directing Loveplay with this year’s graduating Drama students and wishes them all the best of luck for the future.
Cast and Creatives
Bairbre Ni Chaoimh
Director
Patrick Murphy
Cast
Lee Coffey
Cast
Laura S. Walsh
Cast
Zoe Gorsuch
Cast
Darren Lyons
Cast
Peter Williams
Cast
Sandra Hyland
Cast
Michaela Coleman
Cast
Chris Daly
Cast
Rob Wallace
Cast
Sandra Phillips
Costume Design
Core Productions
Set and Lighting Design
Laura S. Walsh
