Branar Theatre and Galway Music Residency
‘Story of a Day’ is a brilliant fusion of three elements:
A disciplined performance by Eion O Dubhghaill with poetic language from Mary Murphy.
Beautiful hand-crafted images created by Mary Murphy projected on the rear wall.
Subtle and stirring music by Tom Lane performed gracefully by six musicians – mainly strings.
A production meant for young children (and others) is a part of Canada Ireland Foundation’s Bealtaine Theatre Festival. The festival presents contemporary Irish Theatre in various locations across Toronto through the month of May.
This production comes from Galway in the west of Ireland – the Branar Theatre. The company has been producing imaginative children’s theatre all around the world. Collaborating with them is the Galway Music Residency.
The story narrates a single day in the life of a young boy from sunrise to sunset. Being an Irish production, I can get away with saying it might be a Joycean Leopold Bloom for youngsters. The story wraps itself around the small details of everyday life – mundane moments to adults, but important life affirming moments to children.
As mentioned, O Dubhghaill’s performance was disciplined in the sense that he did not condescend to the youngsters in the audience. Rather than riffing and pulling at his ears for cheap laughs he concentrated on the details explored and the poetic language from Mary Murphy. To keep a group of five year olds quiet and in their seats for almost an hour is brilliance itself.
He has a pliable and welcoming face that draws in his audience. His movement is not frenetic and silly. He is almost choreographed – carefully stepping down imagined staircases or riding a bus invisible around him. Two moments of wild joy sent him spinning around the stage when scoring a goal or when imitating his excited dog.
He also focused his audience with quiet pauses which underscored the beauty of the moving images by Murphy – again, how did he do this with five-year-olds?
Murphy’s writing was poetic and lyrical (much like Lane’s music.) The repetition of the phrase (something) is made of (something) helped engage the youngsters. Sometimes it was practical and earnest – “weeks are made of days” but more often it was surreal and poignant “trees are made of dreams” or “erasers are made of disappear.” The kids bought in.
Her illustrations were light and bouncy – sunshine and clouds and children jumping about. Mirrors of the young boy’s important thoughts.
With the small orchestra sharing the stage, they were a direct part of the play. The music did not overwhelm – it delicately underscored the subject or the specific mood.
Some clever stage craft: a low platform was miked from underneath. The performer pours a cup of sand onto the platform where he would walk in place creating a soft-shoe scratching as he was meant to be walking a dusty path. A boxy apparatus became a bedroom window, a breakfast nook or a homework bench.
As the players left the stage, an excited young boy could not help himself – “We liked your story guy!” he calls out.
I don’t think the guy’s name was guy but bravo to the little one who shared with us his enthusiasm.
‘Story of a Day’ by Mary Murphy music by Tom Lane
Performer – Eion O Dubhghaill
Director – Marc Mac Lochlainn
Conductor – Sinead Hayes
This production has now closed but for information about more Bealtaine productions see canadaireland.com.
The festival runs through May 25, 2025.
