A Tale of the Unexpected

DOWN at Heel Productions present A Tale of the Expected - a bittersweet comedy by Martina Reilly – in Ballina Arts Centre this weekend.

Martina is the author of the bestselling novels Things I Want You to Know and the Impac Long-listed Something Borrowed.

A Tale of the Expected is a sister play to her well-received Breathing Lessons

Lana is 18 and pregnant. The father is Roman, aka Mr. Party Central, and his family run the local chipper. Lana is determined to have the baby while the thoughts of becoming a dad make Roman ill. In fact, the only thing he and Lana have in common is that they both love to watch re-runs of Deal or No Deal. It's not the most promising start...

A clash of personality, of families and of cultures combine to create an uplifting and emotional night of theatre tomorrow evening (Saturday) in Ballina Arts Centre.

“The play is a labour of love for us all, and has received brilliant feedback so far,” said Martina, who is the daughter of Catherine Reilly, nee Henry, from Cloonacanna, Swinford.

There are further local connections too, with the male lead, Roman, played by Donnagh Mayock, whose dad is from Killala and his mother is from Glenamoy. He is the nephew of Gabriel Irwin, the former Mayo goalkeeper who won an All-Star in 1989.