Christian O’Reilly’s Stewart Parker Award-winning play is set for a major revival with a 10 venue nationwide tour, including the Pavilion Theatre, to mark its 15th anniversary.

To celebrate the 15th anniversary of its original production, multi award-winning Irish theatre company Rise Productions revisits Christian O’Reilly’s smash hit play The Good Father, taking this brand new production on a 10 venue nationwide tour starring Liam Heslin and Rachel O’Byrne in the expectant roles – playing at Pavilion Theatre, Dún Laoghaire on November 29th.

The Good Father is sweet story of a mismatched couple who meet accidentally and get more than they bargained for. Tim, a working class lad from a dysfunctional family, and Jane, a heartbroken posh woman, find each other at a drunken New Year’s Eve party, and with a heedless rush of attraction and few precautions, she gets pregnant. Despite every sign to the contrary, and with some consideration of alternative options, they decide to have a child together. With that decision Tim gains new momentum, determined to earn the tribute if the title, while Jane is mostly drifting along, and the chasm between them is not easily bridged.

This was an early success for playwright O’Reilly and the play was first produced by Druid Theatre Company in 2002, directed by Garry Hynes, where it won rave reviews for its stars Aidan Kelly and Derbhle Crotty – and the play went on to win the prestigious Stewart Parker award. In this new staging from Rise Productions, it too has become a critical success – Speaking about the show, director Aonghus Óg McAnally said “I vividly remember seeing the original production, and even before the interval I had already decided that one day I’d produce this astonishing play. The exquisitely observed writing, the bravery of the approach to the delicate subject matter, and the central message of the triumph of hope completely won me over – plus the fact that it was set on Portmarnock Beach, 200 yards from my front door certainly added to the appeal!”

The production sees two of Ireland’s most promising young actors take on the roles of Tim and Jane; Liam Heslin, straight off filming Emmet Kirwan’s debut feature film Dublin Oldschool, and Rachel O’Byrne, direct from the Gate Theatre’s sell-out smash The Great Gatsby. The actors know each other well, having trained together at Trinity College Dublin’s prestigious Lir Academy.

After a successful three-week residency at The Viking Theatre, Clontarf, this critically acclaimed theatre show takes in Pavilion Theatre, Dun Laoghaire on Wednesday, 29th November towards the end of the show’s tour run.