MESPIL IN THE DARK LIVE to premiere at Samuel Beckett Theatre next month

Having wowed audiences last year with their online series, MESPIL IN THE DARK, Pan Pan are now bringing MESPIL IN THE DARK LIVE to the Samuel Beckett Theatre in September.

Running until September 10th, 2022, the production includes performances from leading performers Pauline Hutton, Ahmed Karim Tamu, Robert O’Mahoney and An Cailín Ciúin’s Andrew Bennett, as well as UNTETHERED by SOTO Dance Company, performed by Mollyanna Ennis, Amy Macken and Alex Vostokova, choreographed by Simone O’Toole.

Last year, Pan Pan invited us to peer through the curtains of Ireland’s first modern post-war flat complex to observe the daily journeys of a group of actors and artists as part of the MESPIL IN THE DARK digital series.

We watched these individuals who lead lives of quiet desperation just about stave off failure and make a living.

This fascinating new production seeks to ask the question: what can theatre do that film can’t? Who belongs in the limelight and who spends their life waiting in the wings, destined to be the understudy?

What moments remain with us when the lights go out? Pan Pan are bringing audiences deeper into this bohemian oasis at the centre of a contemporary city at MESPIL IN THE DARK LIVE.

MESPIL IN THE DARK LIVE will preview on Monday 5th September and open on Tuesday 6th, running until Saturday 10th September. All showings at 7:30pm.

Created by Andrew Bennett, Aedín Cosgrove, Jimmy Eadie, Pauline Hutton, Grace Morgan, Eugene O'Brien, Robert O’Mahoney, Gavin Quinn, Mary Sheehan, Ahmed Karim Tamu.

Pan Pan was founded in 1993 by Co-Artistic Directors Aedín Cosgrove and Gavin Quinn.

The company has created 50 new theatre and performance pieces, touring its work to the most prestigious festivals and venues worldwide - including BAM, the Lincoln Centre, the Kennedy Center, the Barbican, Hau Berlin, NCPA Beijing, Sydney and Melbourne Festivals. Pan Pan have also received multiple national and international awards, including the Herald Angel Award at the Edinburgh International Festival.

Pan Pan has consistently examined and challenged the nature of its work and has resisted settling into well-tried formulas. In May, they brought their new 'happening', FREEHOUSE, to the Samuel Beckett Theatre.

"Pan Pan has been going for 30 years," Gavin Quinn told me at the time. "We wanted to make experimental performance from Day 1, and we like to change our projects. We've always tried to do interesting experience for the audience. Pan Pan aims to create exhibits created by a collective of people, meaning that we all work towards making the best decisions for the piece. Some people speak more than others, but everyone's contribution is equal. It can be hugely rewarding."

Developing new performance ideas is at the core of the company’s mission, which is born from a desire to be individual and provide innovation in the development of theatre art.

All the works created are original, either through the writing (original plays) or through an idiosyncratic response to established writings.

Pan Pan creates original performances that are accessible and engaging for diverse audiences. Using various artistic disciplines in unique combinations, they challenge the conceptions of theatre.

Tickets to see MESPIL IN THE DARK LIVE are available from here.