Brú Theatre's Selvage national tour coming to Mayo

GALWAY-BASED Brú Theatre will tour their exciting, multi-disciplinary show Selvage, by James Riordan, and directed by Lara Campbell, this October and November to eight venues around the country.

Selvage is a highly visual, theatrical event using different forms of live performance to tell the story of Jo as his fairytale falters and his ‘gnaw’ begins to bite.

Tour dates include the Linenhall Arts Centre in Castlebar on November 19.

Selvage (a word meaning the self-securing first and last line of knitting) is a dark yet joyous show about unravelling tightly wound modern anxieties. Written by Brú’s artistic director, James Riordan, who also performs on stage, audiences will experience an energetic, imaginative and funny piece of physical theatre exploring themes of charity, self-help and religion.

It imaginatively examines the countless avenues people trudge in an effort to calm themselves when deep down a ‘gnaw’ is niggling. Incorporating puppetry, new writing and choreographed movement, Selvage will also feature live, original music from musician and composer Anna Mullarkey.

Selvage returns for this nationwide tour after sell-out runs in Galway in 2019. Selvage was nominated for two Irish Times Theatre Awards in 2020, including Best Actor for James Riordan and Best Lighting for Sarah Jane Shiels.

James Riordan is from Galway. He writes, directs and performs with the company and received the Michael Hogan Commemoration Bursary from the Abbey Theatre in 2021. He was a Druid FUEL participant in 2018.

Anna Mullarkey is an award-winning composer and performer from Galway, whose music weaves electronics with piano and voice. The Irish Times called her 'phenomenal' and Irish Theatre Magazine described her music as 'if a sultry ménage of Björk/Billie Holiday/Philip Glass got together at the Wickerman Festival'. Her original score for the film The Passion (2021) has won awards in Ireland and Europe.

Selvage was originally developed as part of the Druid FUEL programme. Brú Theatre acknowledge the support of the Arts Council, Galway City Council and Galway County Council.