By the Bog of Cats - Greek Style tragedy in the Midlands

Marina Carr’s haunting By the Bog of Cats opens at the Abbey Theatre this August, and runs until mid September.

By the Bog of Cats is a powerful, haunting play from Marina Carr, one of Ireland’s leading playwrights. It reimagines the Greek tragedy Medea, set in the midlands of modern Ireland.

The story centres on Hester Swane (Susan Lynch), an outsider in her community. She is an Irish traveller with a deep connection to the land, haunted by her past and tormented by a lifetime of abandonment. The play tests her, tearing her world in two and seeing how far she will go to protect what’s hers.

Themes of rejection, revenge and predestination emerge in the script. Directed by Selina Cartmell, the play questions and challenges a human’s facility to endure.

The cast includes:

Jane Brennan – Monica Murray
Emmet Byrne – Waiter
Caoimhe Cassidy – Waiter
Elodie Devins – Josie Kilbride
Peter Gowen – Xavier Cassidy
Susan Lynch – Hester Swane
Eve Maher – Josie Kilbride
Bríd Ní Neachtain – Catwoman
Des Nealon – Father Willow
Rachel O’Byrne – Caroline Cassidy
Barry John O’Connor – Carthage Kilbride
Marion O’Dwyer – Mrs. Kilbride
David Shannon – The Ghost Fancier
Rob Walsh – Young Dunne
Niall Wright – The Ghost of Joseph Swane

Previews for By the Bog of Cats run from 14th of August, and the play opens on the 19th of August, running until 12th of September. Tickets cost from €13 to €45 and may be reserved onine.

There will be a Sign Language Interpreted Performance at 7:30pm on Thursday, 3rd September, and an Audio Described and Captioned Performance at 2pm on Saturday, 5th September.

CONTACT DETAILS
Abbey Theatre
26, Lower Abbey Street
Dublin 1

Tel: 01 878 7222