The Wheelchair on My Face; Charolais; The Humours of Bandon

Description

This hilarious volume brings together three funny, vibrant and theatrical monologue plays for female performers. The Wheelchair on My Face by Sonya Kelly Sonya tells her story about growing up with poor vision that went undiagnosed until she was seven years old. Combining memoir, theatre and stand-up comedy, this delightful story of a myopic child shows us how we can better the world even if we cannot see the world. Charolais by Noni Stapleton A dark comedy of love, longing and an intense rivalry with a Charolais cow. Siobhan is forced to share the affections of her farmer boyfriend with his beloved, prize-winning French heifer. Overcome with desire, Siobhan develops a homicidal jealousy for this cow, while feeling equally murderous towards her snobbish, soon-to-be mother in law. The Humours of Bandon by Margaret McAuliffe Nobody knows where their five year old will take that first after-school activity. To the surprise of her mother, Annie takes it all the way to the top - of the Irish Open Dancing Championships. Armed with optimism, drive and passion, Annie's about to learn that life doesn't always go according to plan. Developed as part of Show in a Bag, an artist development initiative of Dublin Fringe Festival; Fishamble: The New Play Company; and Irish Theatre Institute to resource theatre makers and actors. The plays were then produced by Fishamble, touring throughout Ireland, the UK, USA and Europe.

Sonya Kelly is an Irish playwright and actor. Her debut solo show, The Wheelchair on My Face: a look back at a myopic childhood, won a Scotsman Fringe First Award for new writing at the Edinburgh Fringe 2012 and was Critic's Pick in the New York Times. How to Keep an Alien debuted at the 2015 Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Noni Stapleton is an Irish actress, voiceover artist and playwright. She graduated from the Gaiety School of Acting in 2002. She wrote and performed Charolais in 2014. Margaret McAuliffe is an actress and playwright. She graduated from the Gaiety School of Acting in 2010. In 2016 her play The Humours of Bandon enjoyed rave reviews, a sellout run in Bewley's Cafe Theatre and earned her the Bewley's Little Gem Award for Tiger Dublin Fringe 2016.

Amid nicely observed vignettes about the icky toilets, subtle mind games and opaque scoring methods of youthful dance contests, McAuliffe portrays a whole range of vivid supporting characters, while spinning a tale of a young woman finding her feet, so to speak . . . both writing and performance are by turns sharp, charming and hilarious, evoking the jealousies and joys of Irish dancing, right down to the final piece of choreography. All round, a champion turn. **** * Irish Times on The Humours of Bandon * A fast-paced, witty, and intensely emotional tale filled with laughter, loss and despair . . . **** * Irish Times on Charolais * A lively, often funny account of a childhood marred by a disability which goes too long undiagnosed . . . Instead of a triumph-over-the-odds-tale, she does something more understated, possibly more interesting: a story about coping with what life throws at you, and just being normal. **** * Scotsman on The Wheelchair on my Face * delightful . . . **** * The Stage on The Humours of Bandon * [A] clever and engaging script . . . a little gem. **** * theartsreview.com on The Humours of Bandon * sharp, charming and hilarious. **** * Irish Times on The Humours of Bandon *