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by Saoirse Anton
I have been thinking lately about the different purposes of theatre – as escape, as entertainment, as a social voice. And specifically lately, I have been thinking about catharsis. Yes, sometimes pure escapism is essential, we all need moments of laughter and silliness to draw us out of day to day life. But sometimes, we need the sad shows, the ones that have us collectively quietly sobbing into our hankies in a dark auditorium, snuffling and surreptitiously dabbing tears away as the house lights come up. The word ‘catharsis’ comes from the Greek word ‘kathairein’ which means ‘to purify,’ and is defined as “the cleansing of the emotions through the elicitation of acute fear and pity in spectators of drama, especially tragedy.” If you’ve ever had a good sob at a tearjerking film or at a moving piece of music, you’ve experienced catharsis. It is a way to know that we are not alone, a way to release pent up emotions, and a way to gain perspective and balance.
So if you need a good dose of catharsis to set you up for the turn of the season, read on for some recommendations!
endings
Life can be a tangle of complicated layers sometimes, so what better way to explore them than in a layered performance – a concert, a concept album, a musical. endings is “about Henry. Henry’s life isn’t going too well.” Asking questions that many of us have asked ourselves when pondering the direction of our lives, Springheel Productions’ endings promises to be an engaging show about love, loss, destiny and legacy.
MMANWU
Another Dublin Fringe Festival offering that promises to be a moving, emotional piece of theatre is MMANWU. Written by superb poet and playwright, Dagogo Hart, MMANWU tells the story of a young widow. Struggling to raise her son amidst her grief, and difficult family dynamics, she learns her true values and hopes for her and her son’s future.
MMANWU runs at The New Theatre from 19-23 September as part of Dublin Fringe Festival
Observe the Sons of Ulster Marching Towards the Somme
A classic of Irish theatre from Frank McGuinness, Observe the Sons of Ulster Marching Towards the Somme brings the harrowing realities of war to the stage in the stories of eight soldiers, interwoven to create a powerful play. This production from An Amharclass Ghaoth Dobhair and Waterside Theatre promises an emotional, thought provoking evening’s theatre.
Breathwork
With evidence of the climate emergency stacking up around us, many of us find ourselves gripped by moments of dread or fear. In order to make a difference we have to turn that fear into action, but sometimes in order to do that we need a space to release and process those emotions first. Breathwork is a new opera from Éna Brennan that stands as a statement of horror and protest at the destruction of our environment. Go along and experience the collective catharsis of addressing this horror in the safety of a theatre, then do your bit to change the narrative.
No Woman is an Island
Mapping an internal geography of our lives, Róisín Stack investigates women’s pursuit of alone time and solitude. Playing with the structure of a performance letter, Stack explores questions of worth, action and solitude through stories, theory and stagecraft. Theatre often exists to remind us that we are not alone in our situations, and No Woman is An Island promises this.
This month, I’m telling you, go to the theatre and have a good cry. Take your seat, have your heart broken, then have it mended again, all in three acts. You’ll feel better for it, I promise.
