Last night we opened The Centre Of The Universe. Now we want you to join us...
The first show is in the bag for John Doran'sShow In A Bag after a rapturous opening night in Cleere's Theatre. The response was fantastic with quite a few people join his cult. A cult for you. Yes, happiness and joy abounded in Cleere's Theatre last night and that's what will happen if you embrace John's methodology's to overcome the big life challenges that will come your way. You have only three opportunities left to catch this life changing talk. Touch John and he will touch you. Join us in Cleere's from tonight until Saturday night. You can ensure your tickets here.
The director of The Centre Of The Universe, John Morton, asks the show's writer and performer John Doran, some questions he knows the answers to and some he doesn't.So to begin, where did your initial idea behind the play come from?
I wanted to perform a TED style talk to people about something along the lines of self-help. I wasn't really sure where it would lead after that. Then I saw the work in progress version of Lippy in Theatre Machine Vol. III and I loved how frustrated the interviewer was at the operator in a really contained way. That kind of sparked the idea to have a guy who's clearly got some personal baggage going on while trying to seem composed and cool to an audience. From there, it was just amusing to write about and mess with.
Why do you think you've got such a fascination with cults?
I think what fascinates me about cults, self-help and motivational speaking is the unavoidable cynicism you experience when encountering these things. I guess that motivated me to put myself in their shoes and attempt justifying why a person would be a cult member who gives motivational self-help speeches. Why the hell would you do that?! I was pretty intrigued to figure out why. It was fun, dark and ultimately comical.
Has your perception of cults changed all that much since creating and performing The Centre Of The Universe?
Quite a bit. I originally thought that cults were just these things with crazy people in them and if you join one, you're a crazy person and the whole thing is just stupid. But once I started to write about why this character would join a cult, it made me look at cult members from a different angle. When I see a cult now, I'm more curious about what their demographic is, where the bulk of their membership comes from, any consistency in their enlistments that may create a clear picture to why they are successful and why exactly these specific people chose these specific cults. I guess I stopped judging them and started curiously looking at them, their people and their structures.
What's the craziest thing you learned during researching the play?
I think the craziest thing that I had to comes to to terms with was that a lot of most cults teachings aren't at all bad. This was difficult to admit because it could have potentially meant that in writing a play about a cult, I somehow wound up in a real one. Awkward. So naturally, I was reluctant to put to much thought into how I was finding myself casually agreeing with the teachings of certain cults. Luckily, it then became clear that what's actually wrong with cults is their insane ability to isolate, extort and emotionally blackmail people. I guess it's not that surprising to think that a cult would use basic, agreeable self-help disciplines in order to lure you in and eventually take all your money and have you work for free. The whole thing is fucking mental.
Since first performing it last year, what aspects of it have you found people have responded to the most?
What was really surprising was the amount of people who admitted to practising the same central technique that the character demonstrates in their own lives. I think it may be because of the character's pretty common circumstances. Young person who's out of college a year. Jobless. A bit lost, looking for meaning (or even better) something to just do. I think we all hit that bump at some point.
If you could join any cult, which one and why?
The second coming of Jesus cult in Siberia. Amazing digs. Beautiful location. Affordable. All you need to do is give them your passport and your in. Look it up.
The Centre Of The Universe plays Cleere's Theatre, Kilkenny from Wednesday February 11th to Saturday February 14th at 8pm nightly. You can book your tickets in person in Cleere's, by phone on 056-7762573 or online here. Join us...
We all knew that, right?
We'll be opening up our account for 2015 tomorrow with the first performance of The Centre Of The Universe and we're delighted to be doing it in the rebel county, which is also where we debuted Some Flood around this time last year.
Quarter Block Partyis a cool as shit three day line up of music, theatre, art and many discussions in between as well as great buzz, great people and what will undoubtedly be a whole tonne of fun. And quite aptly, The Centre Of The Universe will be at the centre of this artistic universe when it plays tomorrow at 5.30pm. It's the first run out for the show this week and will definitely warm up the rubbery, active muscles of John Doran before our hometown run next week.
For Quarter Block Party, it's best recommended that you make a weekend out of it, so pick up some weekend passes, dive into the programme and have yourself a creative, inspiring weekend down in Cork. For the full programme, click here.
"A cult? Like a cult cult? Like a sect? A movement do you mean? One of them new found religions? Why should I join a cult? Aren’t I generally supposed to stay away from cults? Aren’t they just weird?"
John Doran's The Centre Of The Universefocuses on a young man who sets up his own cult. Yes, a cult. Everybody's got a different idea of what a cult is. From David Koresh to David Icke to Charles Manson to Jonestown to eh, Scientology. And generally, those ideas we have aren't very positive. In this show, John dissects the cult mentality and looks at how society can benefit from people creating a cult centred entirely around themselves. It's a fresh, novel take on the idea of cults, mindfulness and self help talks. And it's also very funny. And you might just find yourself in a cult by the end of it.
If you want to join John for his talk, then join us next week as The Centre Of The Universe opens our account for 2015 in Cork as part of Quarter Block Party. Then we'll be following that up with a trip to Kilkenny when we hit Cleeres Theatre from February 11th-14th. Tickets have gone on sale behind the counter in Cleeres so pop in if you want to grab them. As for online sales, get them while they're hot, and they're hot right here.
We've been spending this week down in lovely Cork undertaking a development week on Bridge Street which we are making in collaboration with Corcadorca, Equinox Theatre Company and Studio Weave. Pat Kiernan of Corcadorca and John Morton of this parish have been spending the week at the Theatre Development Centre in Triskel Arts Centre working away on the piece.
Lots of pieces of papers have been written and drawn on, torn up, stuck to walls, stuck to chairs and generally thrown around. Videos have been watched, stories have been read and the research material has been digested. Most of the work has been plotting out the play on the street itself. It's a lot of figuring out what happens where and why it happens. Bridge Street will be performed entirely on the street and it's various buildings, homes, pubs, shops and lanes. It's going to be a completely immersive experience for the audience so this week has been spent immersing ourselves in the stories of the street and the history of Callan. A lot of new and exciting ideas have bubbled to the surface and the shape of the piece is looking a little sturdier now. A very rough recreation of the street itself has been mapped out and tomorrow evening we'll be walking people through it when we present it as part of this Friday's sharing session in the TDC.
If you want to look at what we've been doing so far, join us tomorrow evening at 6pm in the TDC for a look. It's free of charge so pop on in and take a walk down Bridge Street with us.
At the beginning of the year, we usually like to lay out our stall and tell people what they can expect from us. Sometimes it's possible, sometimes it's not but in the case of 2015, we can confirm what kinds of devious theatre you'll be seeing from us over the next 12 months. We're very excited about this years work and we hope you will be too.
Here's what we've got lined up:
#1: The Centre Of The UniverseJohn Doran's one man show premiered as an acclaimed Show In A Bag offering at last years Tiger Dublin Fringe. It's hitting the road in 2015 and we're delighted to be producing it. Directed by John Morton, it tells the story of a disillusioned young man who decides to set up his own cult. It's a frenetic mix of comedy and drama all anchored by a tour de force turn from Doran. Think of it as a TED talk that spins off in some wild directions and you're in the ballpark. We've been itching to do a one man show for a while and no better one man than John Doran. It playsQuarter Block Party on February 7th before a Kilkenny run in the intimate confines of Cleeres Theatre from February 11th to 14th. It will be hitting the road later in the year. You can get your tickets here.
#2: Bridge StreetWe're excited to be involved in our first co-production and we couldn't have a better project than Bridge Street. Working alongside Corcadorca, Equinox Theatre Company and Studio Weave, the site specific show explores a street in a regular Irish town struggling to keep onto the purpose it once had. Bridge Street (recently explored in The Irish Times series The Street) was once a prominent midway point between Cork and Dublin, it's had a long and storied history and over the course of this show, audiences will get to explore it. Bridge Street is being directed by Pat Kiernan and scripted by John Morton. For anyone who hasn't had a chance to see the amazing work being done in Callan in places like KCAT, Fennelly's and Equinox, then make sure you book a ticket for this summer's Abhainn Ri Festival. In the meantime, check out Equinox's The Memory Box which is on tour next month.
#3: VulturesOkay, we thought it would happen last year but broadcast dates aren't ours to decide so we've just been sitting in dark rooms adding more sinister sound effects. This new 20 part radio serial will hit the airwaves (and the web) in 2015. The Detective Union Of Ireland AGM is thrown into turmoil when Ireland's greatest sleuth Basil Maguire is murdered. Who would murder a detective in a hotel full of detectives? A frantic race to uncover the culprit (and win the bragging rights) ensues. The case is investigated by 6 narrators and the show employs a wide and varied voice cast playing multiple parts. That cast are Stephen Colfer, Ross Costigan, John Doran, Amy Dunne, Seán Hackett, Ken McGuire, John Morton, Niamh Moyles, Suzanne O'Brien and David Thompson. To get warmed up, check out the previous incarnation of Vultures.
#4: The UnionThe second of our Little Deviations: Volume 1 crop comes to fruition following on fromSome Floodlast year. Adrian Kavanagh has done some fantastic work with his company Spark Productions over the past few years and we're excited to be bringing the work of another new Kilkenny writer to the stage. And with a Carlow setting, we're definitely getting cosy with the neighbours this year. (Vultures is also set, and was recorded, in Carlow). Keeping it south east! A very noir tinged, Breakfast Club inspired, locked room mystery story, The Union sees the five members of St. Dominic's Student Union stuck in their office with a missing €5,000, a huge loan to pay off, a looming election and a tense amount of interpersonal friction. Backs will be stabbed, hearts will be broke and throats will be cut when The Union visit Cleeres Theatre, Kilkenny from July 29th to August 1st this summer. We're hoping to add a few more dates along the way so stay tuned.
This is us for 2015. We hope you'll come to see us along the way! If you'd like to support this work further, please consider joining our Friends Of Devious Theatre programme. There are plenty of perks involved and you'd be really helping the cause.
Stay tuned here for more details.
We're delighted to announce that our next production will be The Centre Of The Universe, a one man show written and performed by John Doran.
Originally performed as one of the Show In A Bag offerings at the 2014 Tiger Dublin Fringe festival, we're delighted to be taking on production duties for this acclaimed show as it tours throughout 2015. It's the first time we've produced a one man show and it's great to finally have the opportunity to do so. The show is directed by John Morton who returns to the Devious directing saddle having last directed Phantasm in 2012. The Centre Of The Universe tells the story of John, a young man down on his luck, unemployed and drinking too much. On the day of his first job interview for ages, his neuroses and insecurities come crashing down on him resulting in a whole new way of approaching life. John decides to set up his own cult. And he's at the centre of it. Over the course of this engaging, informative talk, he explains how you can join him...
I was just idling around life rather than taking any control of my own. And it made me feel so, inadequate. Alone. Real Loneliness. A bit depressed I guess you could say. Bored. Lonely. Time just passing me by. Feeling alone in the universe.
The received unanimously positive reviews during it's first run and we're delighted to be taking the play to Cork for Quarter Block Party on February 6th before bringing it for a home town jaunt in Cleere's Theatre, Kilkenny from February 11th-14th. Tickets for Cork can be purchased here and tickets for Kilkenny will be going on sale soon. The show will then be returning later in the year for more national dates. Join us...
...you don't get to win.
We're down to the final two performances of War Of Attrition. And when it's gone, it's gone and it ain't coming back again. You have been warned. The run has been going great guns so far. Well, maybe apart from last night. Thanks to the sweetest, coolest audience we've ever had last night at the show. We've carried on with shows through fallen lights, broken legs, crucial props falling into the pit, penises popping out, invading drunks and that hilarious time Gemma Grant slipped in a puddle of fake blood but last night was the first time in 8 years we've ever had to stop a show. Apologies to everyone who suffered through a compromised version of War Of Attrition and thanks for sticking with us while we tried to get it back online. It was a complete freak tech accident that proved that if you do a play about hacking, you're asking for it. But hey, you soldier on. And we blame North Korea. Anyway, tech malfunctions asides we've had a wonderful time in Project Arts Centre, the audiences have been great and we've gotten some real nice reviews like here and here. So if you want to catch the show before it finishes up entirely, grab your tickets and come see us tonight or tomorrow. Remember, if you're not in...
Well you've got one happening this week in Project Arts Centre.
Our production of War Of Attrition by John Morton kicked off last night with a preview in the big blue building in Temple Bar. We had a great crowd along and the whooping and hollering was exactly the kind of energy we needed to get our war machine rolling. So one down, five more to go.
We're running until Saturday December 20th so there's still plenty of chances to see the show if you're not overrun with festive preparations! And hopefully once the buzz gets around on the show we can grow an army of loyal audience members. If you want to get your tickets for this weeks shows, take a handy click of this link.
Actually if you account for the crew, we need a bicycle built for 8 but that's besides the point, Devious Theatre are travelling to Dublin to get ready and set for our run of War Of Attrition in Project Arts Centre next week. And we've loaded our bicycles good.
We finished the Kilkenny run last night and we'd like to thank everybody who came to see the show as well as Ger Cody and the staff of The Watergate Theatre for their kind hospitality. Now it's off to the capital for 6 performances of a show that only today was described by The Irish Times today as"A comic and darkly subversive take on chuggers, bilious internet bloggers and psychopathy." For the full preview, take a look here.
The entire team are really excited to be returning to Dublin for the show. We hope to see you this coming week down Temple Bar way. We're playing at 8.15pm nightly in Project Cube from Monday 15th to Saturday 20th and you can get your tickets for the show right here.
Last night we opened The Centre Of The Universe. Now we want you to join us...
The first show is in the bag for John Doran's Show In A Bag after a rapturous opening night in Cleere's Theatre. The response was fantastic with quite a few people join his cult. A cult for you. Yes, happiness and joy abounded in Cleere's Theatre last night and that's what will happen if you embrace John's methodology's to overcome the big life challenges that will come your way. You have only three opportunities left to catch this life changing talk. Touch John and he will touch you. Join us in Cleere's from tonight until Saturday night. You can ensure your tickets here. 
