Inishowen playwright’s acclaimed dark comedy set for Letterkenny

A dark comedy written by a Derry playwright with strong Inishowen connections is set to tour Ireland this autumn, including two performances at An Grianán Theatre in Letterkenny later this month.

‘Hello Charlie’, the debut play by playwright and actor Caoimhe Farren, has already attracted major critical attention, having been shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Playwriting, named a finalist for the inaugural Victoria Wood Playwriting Prize for Comedy, and placed in the top one per cent of the BBC Writers Open Call.

Caoimhe has deep family connections to Inishowen. Her father was a lobster and oyster fisherman in Moville, where she lived until she was six years old. Her father’s family all hail from Malin Head, where they run the well-known Farren’s Bar.

Hello Charlie is described as a fearless, funny, and deeply affecting exploration of trauma, addiction, and sisterhood.

The play follows sisters Maeve and Kate, who have left their troubled past in Derry behind to build new lives in London. While Kate struggles to prevent history from repeating itself, Maeve turns to alcohol and blames her increasingly chaotic behaviour on her drunken alter ego, Charlie.

Farren stars as Maeve, alongside Clare Monnelly as her sister Kate, Vincent Higgins as their father Finn and Callum Payne as Alan Beasley.

The production is directed by Seón Simpson and Gina Donnelly and is presented as a cross-border co-production between SkelpieLimmer Productions, Front & Centre and An Grianán Theatre, in association with Pavilion Theatre, Fishamble: The New Play Company and the Lyric Theatre, Belfast, with support from Gallagher Films.

Hello Charlie opens at the Pavilion Theatre in Dún Laoghaire on September 16 before arriving at An Grianán Theatre in Letterkenny on September 25 and 26. It will then travel to the Lyric Theatre in Belfast from October 7 to 18 as part of the Belfast International Arts Festival.

Balancing pitch-black humour with emotional honesty and lived experience, the play explores the realities of addiction while celebrating the resilience and dark wit associated with the North of Ireland.

Farren said the production had been five years in the making and described bringing her debut play to audiences across the island of Ireland as an “incredible” moment.

“I am beyond thrilled to finally bring Hello Charlie to audiences across the island of Ireland,” she said.