UNDER THE BLACK ROCK Comes to Arcola Theatre Next Month

Posing questions about family loyalty, morality and how young men and women are drawn into violence, Under the Black Rock is a play set in Belfast around the time of the Troubles, starring Evanna Lynch, best known for her role as Luna Lovegood in the Harry Potter films. With twists and turns of plot, and laced with gallows humour, the thriller traces the shifting fortunes of a family at the height of Northern Ireland's violent recent history. Evanna Lynch will play Niamh Ryan, a woman who is drawn into the conflict as part of a community where secrecy and treachery are commonplace, and no one is quite who they seem. As the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday agreement approaches, Under the Black Rock is a pertinent reminder of Northern Ireland's turbulent recent history.

Evanna, whose theatre credits include The Omission of the Family Coleman and Disco Pigs, leads an Irish cast. She is joined by John Nayagam (Emmerdale's Hari Prasad), Flora Montgomery (Norma Major in The Crown, Irish Times Best Actress Award for Miss Julie), Jordan Walker (Live From Hell, Turbine Theatre), Matthew Blaney (Belfast, Not Now, the Finborough), Elizabeth Counsell (Veronica Bainbridge in Brush Strokes), Keith Dunphy, (The Lovely Bones, Birmingham REP) and Glen Wallace (Malachy Fisher in Hollyoaks).

Playwright Tim Edge, "I worked and travelled extensively in Northern Ireland during the Troubles. I still maintain a deep affection for the people of the six counties. They have endured so much and deserve the consolation of optimism and relative stability. The play is dedicated to them."

Bluebird Productions was set up in 2022 to showcase new writing and develop young directors, producers and creatives. Director Ben Kavanagh is an actor, director, writer, podcaster and educator. His work includes Victims (writer and director, Drayton Arms), The Convert (writer, Above The Stag) and Boy Meets Boy (Jermyn Street) for which he was nominated for an Offie for his performance.

Running Time: 2hrs 20 min (inc interval) | Suitable for ages 16+

Content warning: Under the Black Rock is set in Belfast during the Troubles and contains language and attitudes common at that time. The play also includes suicide references and brief scenes of torture, terrorism and domestic violence.

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