Fri 21 November – Sun 30 November 2014 8.00 €10/12/15 Buy Tickets
Set around a big prestigious showband competition in January, 1970,
on a dancehall stage and accompanied by a live band, No Show is a gripping journey through a dazzling period of Irish pop history.
ThereisBear! Theatre Company presents an entirely new work this November, as part of the FUEL residency with Druid Theatre Company.
The showband era is at its height, and dozens of musical acts are traveling around the country, packing out the tiny ballrooms dotted all over Ireland.
Two showband singers enter the Big Earl Showband Competition for the chance to play Las Vegas and break through to the big time.
Tommy Clarke is a rock-bottom young riser with a lot of ambition. He’s short on experience, but he’s dead sure he can win.
Máire Walsh is the real deal, a genuine showband legend; but after years on the road, it looks like the limelight is fading. She’s got to move on quickly or she’ll be left behind.
As the competition goes on, the back-stage rivalry mounts, and Tommy and Máire learn the lengths people will go to for fame and fortune. Lies, deception, sabotage – no trick is too dirty as these bands struggle for the top spot. Vegas glitters and the players grow desperate, and what began as a golden opportunity threatens to collapse into a hopeless shambles.
A comedic farce studded with big Showband numbers, No Show bristles with all of the energy of a dancehall gig while telling the personal stories of the people who make the music. The powerful performers take us behind the scenes and show us the work it takes to stand out from the crowd.
Thereisbear! were awarded the inaugural FUEL residency for 2014.
FUEL is a new initiative developed by Druid in 2014 to support emerging artists in the West of Ireland. Druid offer the successful recipients the use of The Mick Lally Theatre for six weeks to rehearse and develop a show, including at least one full performance week. In addition Druid provide the successful company with resources, including a hot desk in their company office, and they also offer artistic and producing support if requested.