The Camden Fringe Interviews
Our Brothers In Cloth
We are hearing more and more allegations of sexual abuse within the church nowadays, with evidence showing that it’s been happening for a long time. It’s therefore vital that we find ways to discuss this terrible period of the church’s history, and in turn, hopefully allow more of the truth to come out.
Writer Ronan Colfer saw the results of some of this whilst growing up in Ireland, and was inspired to put pen to paper to address this. Wanting to know more, we found some time with Ronan, along with his director Ryan McVeigh and performer Jake Douglas, to answer our questions.
Our Brothers In Cloth comes to The Cockpit 5 – 7 August for Camden Fringe.
Let’s have a round of introductions first then.
I am Ryan McVeigh and I’m the director for Our Brothers In Cloth.
Hi, my name is Ronan Colfer and I’m the writer, producer and stage manager.
Hello, I’m Jake Douglas and I am playing Alan Kinsella in the show.
What can audiences expect from the show?
Ryan: Audiences can expect to gain a touching, heartbreaking and tragically honest experience and insight into the secrets behind the Irish Catholic Church while seeing how death creates dysfunctionality within a tight-knit community.
Ronan: Heavy drama and great performances from a strong cast of seasoned actors.
Jake: Between the more obvious black and white moments in this play, there is a large moral grey area. Depending on peoples’ backgrounds and beliefs, they may walk away with different opinions. Either way, it’s sure to educate, provoke and promote conversation. I also reckon it’s a good insight into how small Irish communities operate and what brings them together (or pulls them apart).
Where will we find you then during Camden Fringe then?
Ryan: We are privileged to be premiering this show at the Cockpit Theatre in Marylebone. This was our chosen venue because it has everything we’re hoping for, including the space, intimacy and opportunity to take advantage of various performance levels. With a wonderful reputation, the Cockpit is an excellent fit for the content explored in this play, which reinforces our choice in the venue even more. We are performing in thrust, which has proved successful thus far.
Ronan: The Cockpit Theatre is a great space to perform in, and I have also taken part in their Theatre Maker programs such as ‘New Stuff’ and ‘Theatre in the Pound’. Both of these programs were fantastic for showcasing my new writing to a live audience and I really grew close with the space and was eager to put a full show on there. The stage and the lighting set-up they have are brilliant too.
What was your initial inspiration in writing the show?
Ronan: The show is inspired by true events that happened in the community where I grew up and in many other communities across Ireland too, as it is about a family dealing with a claim that their now deceased sibling/brother was a victim of sexual abuse by the former parish priest. I wanted to explore how a family and community would respond to such news in a deeply catholic society.
What was it that attracted the rest of you to this project then?
Ryan: When Ronan reached out to ask if I’d direct it, I knew the answer would be ‘yes!’ after a few pages in. It’s incredibly truthful and relatable to my lived experience, particularly having gone through traumatic events akin to some characters in this play. Ronan’s writing style lifts off the page with ease and grounds me in a sense of realism, which was evidently reinforced once actors started breathing life to the words. The necessity of this play is absolutely paramount: its themes are immensely relatable and this play explores a topic rarely explored in theatre.
Jake: The sheer pace of the script, going from moment to moment in the blink of an eye all while trying to make sense of something bigger than yourself. Someone trying to do the right thing when they don’t know where to start. It goes straight to the heart of a history that has affected so many communities in Ireland and wider afield. I enjoy that it doesn’t pull punches but also doesn’t attempt to be perfect.
What thoughts do you want to leave the audience with come the end?
Ronan: This is a very emotionally driven play, I don’t know if it’s so much about what I want audiences to think, it’s more about what I hope they feel for these characters and this community who have suffered so much under the hands of an abuser and an institution that refused to make any serious efforts in dealing with it.
Is this going to be its stage debut then?
Ronan: First time, yes. We will also be having a rehearsed reading at the Irish Cultural Center in Hammersmith on 24th July, but in regards to a fully rehearsed show, the Cockpit on 5th August will be its debut.
So why is Camden Fringe a great place to bring your show?
Ronan: I did the Camden Fringe last year too and learned so much in the process. I wanted to take everything I learned from that and showcase this new play I’d written as I feel it is a very important story that needs to be told. There has been much talk about clergy abuse over the years, but we’ve never been given an inside look at the families and the victims who have had to deal with it. I think the time has come. We need to reflect on this deeply painful and traumatic time in our not so distant past.
Who is going to play you when your autobiography is snapped up by Hollywood then?
Ronan: I’m also an actor so I would have to play myself, just like Richard Gadd did in Baby Reindeer lol… Although my life is definitely nowhere near as interesting nor as controversial as his is.
And finally, what colour would best describe Our Brothers In Cloth then?
Jake: I reckon it is a deep blue with shades of green. Then add some red and a bit of pink. While you’re at it, why not mix in black? Not too much black, like don’t be crazy. Yanno what scratch that, just imagine your favourite painting.
Thanks to Ryan, Ronan and Jake for spending some time to answer our questions.
Our Brothers In Cloth plays at The Cockpit 5 – 7 August. Further information and tickets available here.
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