Premiere of Canaries by Bernard Farrell

“Before any new play opens, the playwright prays that, somehow, all the subtleties within his/her work with be recognised, understood and brilliantly presented to the audience on Opening Night. It is asking a lot but, in the premiere of Canaries under the direction of Patrick Mason, not a beat nor a subplot was missed – and I think that this poster by Brendan Foreman predicts that perfection. The vibrant colours and the island setting indicated a comedy – but the stylised, caged characters tell us that these people, in their apparent freedom, are not free. We may already know that this is a play about the Irish frolicking abroad and maybe it is also telling us that, although we can take the Irish out of Ireland, we cannot take Ireland out of the Irish, no matter where they go. The poster challenges us to discover why these people with all the trappings of escape, still stand imprisoned within themselves. Canaries – my second play and my first to open on the main Abbey stage – was a very popular success and this wonderful poster by Brendan Foreman more than played its part in achieving that.”

– Bernard Farrell