Yerma, a term embodying barrenness and desolation in Spanish, is a cruel, unkind nickname given to a young woman longing to mother a child, yet her hopes are diminished by her inability to conceive. This name reflects the title of a poignant rural tragedy scripted by Federico García Lorca. The woman’s childless predicament leads her being despised and socially segregated by her dogmatic, parochial Andalusian society, leaving her in a never-ending cycle of embarrassment and self-hate.
The challenges of ostracisation and marginalisation were all too familiar to Lorca, who had faced rejection from both the Catholic Church and his own community due to his concealed sexual orientation. Lorca was tragically murdered as a consequence of this public and religious disdain.
Sharing a similar struggle against societal prejudices and exclusion is Patrick J O’Reilly, a creative performer and artist who since 2016 has served as the artistic director of the Tinderbox Theatre Company, Belfast. Having honed his skills at Jacques Lecoq theatre school in Paris, O’Reilly’s dynamic performances and directive prowess echo a distinctly European artistic approach.
In the previous year, O’Reilly had pulled off an extraordinary adaptation and direction of Eugène Ionesco’s anti-fascist show Rhino, which became a prominent theatrical event of 2023. This was succeeded by a daring, vehemently physical adaptation of Alfred Jarry’s surrealistic Ubu Roi. Currently, O’Reilly is engrossed in curating another European classic, Lorca’s Yerma.
Having been raised in a mother-baby house in Dublin, O’Reilly spent his early years in various places before settling in the Cooley Peninsula, close to Dundalk in Co Louth, which he now considers home and visits regularly. Now at the age of 43, O’Reilly has a family of his own. Along with his partner, he takes care of their 12-year-old foster son and is exploring the ups and downs of such a significant responsibility. He acknowledges that, particularly in reference to his present work, his personal domestic setting sparks dialogues concerning the definition of family in contemporary society.
David Gillick, an Olympian, trains young athletes but often finds it difficult to handle the pressure put on by their parents keen on results.
The Late Late Country Music Special, while not exactly on par with the Toy Show, still managed to land a spot in the same league.
This year’s Belfast International Arts Festival has witnessed a formidable reinterpretation of a Lorca drama by an artist driven by his tough early experiences. The original setting of the 1930s southern Spain countryside is replaced with the lands of Cooley, which the adapter is quite familiar with. However, the stage depictions extend beyond the expected greenery, to illustrate barren and sterile landscapes instead. A striking publicity image for the play is of a woman screaming, alongside the tagline “Let the party begin”.
This “party” refers to a gathering O’Reilly partook in last year – a friend’s child’s baptism. Described as a typical large Irish family gathering, O’Reilly found himself contemplating the pain a childless woman may feel amongst the vivacity. This painful imagery sparked inspiration for O’Reilly’s interpretation of a bewildering yet impactful play.
It was Lorca’s ability to seamlessly weave passion and desire into his narrative, particularly Blood Wedding, Yerma, and The House of Bernarda Alba, that drew O’Reilly. The profound passion and scrutiny into human relationships and nature conveyed through Lorca’s ‘duende,’ seemed rich and powerful to him, especially considering Lorca was a gay man writing for women. O’Reilly found it slightly ironic that a play penned close to a hundred years ago still resonates with contemporary global happenings and attitudes.
This striking drama enthralled me. It narrates a rather basic tale: a woman’s inability to conceive propels her into a murderous frenzy due to her longing and fixation. At this stage, it already encapsulates the assorted nuances of torment, longing, and hardship. Yet, it is also a reflection of our current times. The recent referendum in Ireland concerning women’s roles and family concepts, along with the remarks of Trump and Vance about Kamala Harris not having children, proves that the matter is far from settled.
Regrettably, the world we live in still prominently features dominant patriarchal views on femininity and body autonomy, and debates over the true definition of ‘family’. These attitudes persist, despite the dwindling religious influence on moral codes and lifestyles, demonstrating that these deep-seated values still have a hold on us mentally and physically.
O’Reilly, who has vast experience with European approaches, recognises a form of expressive theatre in this play, encapsulating what he terms ‘complete theatrical stenography’. He aspires to offer audiences much more than a regular theatre experience. This is partly why the visual narratives of Lorca, characterised by their ability to communicate human emotions in a profound yet universal manner, appeals to him greatly.
The theatre enchanted me due to its ability to elevate me beyond the humdrum of everyday life into a larger, more enriching realm in which I feel wholly part of. Our responsibility, as directors and theatre practitioners, is to immerse our audience in this realm, ensuring they experience a genuine feeling of belonging and cohesion. Theatre is a rare art form that affords such an experience, I reckon. The training I got from Le Coq reshaped my perception of theatre creation, promoting inventive storytelling. As narrators, we must ensure the narratives sinks in on an assortment of levels and impacts people in distinct ways. Theatre has to ignite passion, it should make you lean in.
O’Reilly was far removed from the stimulating, creatively dense ambience at one of Europe’s premier drama academies where he trained. His initial curiosity for physical theatre was sparked by a weekly Saturday gymnastics class in Dundalk.”
Entering the world of acrobats drew a young man’s attention to the human body’s significance, and he started incorporating theatre into his newly discovered interest at about the age of 12. Belfast Metropolitan College became his educational home in 2000, where he was introduced to iconic directors including Grotowski, Artaud, and Peter Brook. He soon realised his passion for theatre could create a vivid, multi-sensory, bodily stimulus, bringing him a sense of vivid vitality.
The narrative takes place in his borderland hometown which is characterised by a harshness in the landscape and energy derived from the interface between the North and the South side. His name: Patrick J O’Reilly. Thanks to his involvement with the European Creative Rooftop Network, he encountered Isaias Fanlo, a Catalan queer theatre theorist and an expert on Lorca who also lectures at Cambridge University. O’Reilly and Fanlo collaborated on an adaptation project together.
O’Reilly explains how the network plans rooftop festivals across Europe, and how he had the pleasure of performing in Faro, Rotterdam and Marseilles this year. He describes their collaboration in capturing play’s essence as a wonderful opportunity.
His personal experiences triggered a strong resentment toward the church, attributing this to being born in a home for mothers and babies and being homosexual – two situations the church was averse to recognise. On one hand, his birth outside of wedlock was not acknowledged, and on the other hand, his sexuality, which didn’t align with the church’s beliefs at that time, made him feel like an eternal outsider.
The heroine, Yerma, baffles O’Reilly for her unwavering loyalty to her husband. Despite possessing the courage to voice her opinions, she is deemed as mad or hysterical. The community attempts to silence her to prevent any disruptions to their established norms. Despite being acutely miserable, she clings onto what he perceives as a rather archaic perception of familial structures and womanhood.
The production is both a challenging and thrilling experience, as I find myself in disagreement with her on a multitude of points. Yet, simultaneously, I feel a profound sense of empathy for her. The performance takes place in my homeland, the borderlands, marked by its somewhat harsh terrains and the dynamic interplay between the North and South.
The place and people have a firm grip on both religion and an intimate bond with the geographical features and the raw, natural forces at play. The ubiquitous cultural mysticism of Yerma aligns perfectly with the mindset and ambiance of the borders, especially the conflict between religious beliefs and traditional customs connected to the land.
The play, Yerma, put on by the Tinderbox Theatre Company, will be having its preview at the Lyric Theatre, featuring in the Belfast International Arts Festival, on the Thursday of 10th October. The show will then continue its run starting from Friday, the 11th of October, through to Sunday, the 3rd of November.