OVERVIEW

• Playwright

  Jim O'Hanlon 

• Setting

  The play is set in the Sullivan's house, Castleknock, Dublin.

• Synopsis

  The play takes place during Christmas time in a Castleknock home. Edie is delighted to have her family reunited for the occasion and is determined to celebrate in a traditional manner, but other family members have alternative views on how the holiday should be celebrated. Edie is just about coping until she discovers that one of her sons, who has returned from London with a black girlfriend, has become a Buddhist and prefers to meditate in his room than eat the lovingly prepared turkey. The play explores how the intrusion of one stranger into the ritual of Christmas can challenge a family's cosy sense of who they are and lead to the hidden cancer of unspoken family secrets finally having to be addressed. It depicts the thin veneer of unconscious racism within people whose outwardly comfortable lives allowed them the luxury of never having to confront such prejudices before.

• Play Type

  Plays General
  

  Number Of Acts

  Full-Length

Cast size

• Male

  5

• Female

  4

• Total

  9

Original Production

• Date of First Production

  07 November 2002

• Producer

  Produced by Fishamble: The New Play Company

• Original Venue

  Draíocht
  

Source Of Information

The information for this entry was taken from the original production programme and promotional flyer.