A production by Far And Away Productions in association with Brink Productions
Ancient Rain
by Paul Kelly & Camille O’Sullivan with Feargal Murray
Directed by Chris Drummond
Iconic Australian singer-songwriter, Paul Kelly, and magnetic Irish-French chanteuse, Camille O’Sullivan, star in this evocative new music theatre work. They are joined by O’Sullivan’s long-time collaborator, songwriter and pianist, Feargal Murray.
Inspired by the works of W.B. Yeats and other great Irish poets, Ancient Rain combines the spoken word with a song-cycle of new compositions. Kelly and O’Sullivan, both mesmerising performers, inhabit a range of diverse characters as they reveal a tapestry of themes, from the cost of love and the price of independence, to the inadequacy of faith and the power of forgiveness.
An extraordinary opportunity to see these two legendary performers in the intimacy of a theatrical setting, Ancient Rain sees Kelly’s modest yet masterful style meet O’Sullivan’s powerful vulnerability, as they take you on a journey of loss, yearning and redemption.
MUSIC Paul Kelly, Camille O'Sullivan with Feargal Murray WORDS Eavan Boland, Michael Hartnett, Seamus Heaney, James Joyce, Patrick Kavanagh, Donagh MacDonagh, Paula Meehan, Padraic Pearse, WB Yeats and more DIRECTOR Chris Drummond DESIGNER Gaelle Mellis LIGHTING DESIGNER Neil Simpson PRODUCER Lee-Anne Donnolley CAST Paul Kelly, Camille O’Sullivan and Feargal Murray with Paul Byrne, Dan Kelly and Sokol Koka
The World Premiere of Ancient Rain was on 29 Sept, 2016 at the Dublin Theatre Festival, followed by seasons at the Melbourne Festival (12 - 15 Oct), Merrigong Theatre Company (26 – 29 Oct) and Canberra Theatre Centre (2 - 4 Nov)
This project was assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council for the Arts, its arts funding and advisory body and Culture Ireland. Co-commissioned by Melbourne Festival and Adelaide Festival Centre.
