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The Arts Council Playography Na Gaeilge

Plays

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Who Fears to Speak

A tragi-farce in one act

OVERVIEW

  • Playwright

    Gerald Macnamara 

  • Synopsis

    Set in 1797 in a Belfast tavern where the Muddlers' Club, an association of men of revolutionary beliefs, meets regularly. Despite ostensibly being a secret society, its existence is well-known to many, and the Club finds itself graced to its dismay by a surprise visit from Lord Castlereagh. Attempting to conceal the club's political nature, the men prove unsuccessful, and they fear themselves trapped in the tavern. Soon, however, they discover that they have merely been the subject of several impersonations, not once but on several accounts, by Napper Tandy.

  • Play Type

    Plays General

    Number Of Acts

    One Act

  • Cast Size Male

    7

  • Cast Size Female

    1

  • Cast Notes

    6

Original Production

Original Cast  
Charles O'Hanlon Richard Hayward
Joe Neill J.R. Mageean
John Newell Jack Gavin
Bella Marion Crimmins
Samuel Todd Gerald Macnamara
Lord Castlereagh Kenneth Coffey
Major Sirr Kenneth Coffey
Napper Tandy Kenneth Coffey

Published Scripts

  • Title

    The Plays of Gerald MacNamara, Special Edition, Journal of Irish Literature, 17

  • Year

    1988

  • Published By

    Proscenium Press

  • Address

    Newark, Delaware
    USA

Rights Information

  • Copyright Expired

Source Of Information

Information for this entry has come from the play script as featured in Kathleen Danaher's 'The Plays of Gerald MacNamara'; reviews of the premiere production; and from Margaret McHenry's 'The Ulster Theatre in Ireland'.