(FORMERLY UNCLE RAY) WORLD PREMIERE | OCTOBER 2021
COMMISSIONED BY IRISH ARTS CENTER, PAVILION THEATRE, & PROJECT ARTS CENTRE

Critically acclaimed CoisCéim Dance Theatre, creators of the unforgettable, award-winning SWIMMING WITH MY MOTHER returned live to the stage with the premiere of companion work OUR FATHERS (formerly UNCLE RAY), the dance highlight of Dublin Theatre Festival & Belfast International Arts Festival 2021. 

Performed by David Bolger and his mother Madge, SWIMMING WITH MY MOTHER was a “joyful, intergenerational gem” (The Shimmy Skinny) that delighted audiences at the Pavilion Theatre in 2011 and subsequently toured throughout the US and UK. Following this homage to his mother, CoisCéim’s Artistic Director turns his focus to fathers and uncles, teaming up on stage with street dancer, Donking Rongavilla, in a new work of irresistible charm. This is a poignant story about the elasticity of truths and how family lore shapes us.

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Gallery

The international presentations of OUR FATHERS are presented with the support of Culture Ireland.

Parallel Programme

A parallel programme on 11 October 2021 curated by the esteemed Laurie Uprichard includes a panel discussion featuring leading industry voices from North America including Alicia Adams, Vice President, Dance and International Programming, The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and board member of APAP; Aidan Connolly, Executive Director of Irish Arts Center (co-commissioner of UNCLE RAY); Jacqueline Davis, former Director of the Lied Center in Kansas and former Executive Director of The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center and Olga Garay-English, former Executive Director of City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs. For more details please contact sarah@coisceim.com

Performed by DAVID BOLGER & DONKING RONGAVILLA
Special guest appearances by MADGE BOLGER, DERMOT MAGENNIS, RACHEL O’BYRNE 

Conceived, Directed & Choreographed by DAVID BOLGER
Music Composition & Sound DENIS CLOHESSY
Set & Costume MAREE KEARNS
Lighting EAMON FOX
Projections MAGS MULVEY & NEIL O’DRISCOLL
Hair & Makeup VAL SHERLOCK

Rehearsal DirectoR MUIRNE BLOOMER
Parallel Programme Curator LAURIE UPRICHARD 

Production Manager MICHAEL STAPLETON
Stage Manager DONNA LEONARD
Assistant Stage Manager AUDREY ROONEY
Chief LX EVAN KEOGH
Chief Technician LAURA RAINSFORD
Sound Engineer JAMES BLAKE
Broadcast Director JOHN COMISKEY
Director of Photography GARY FINNEGAN
First AD TOM O’REILLY
Vision Mixer DEIRDRE RYAN
Sound Mixer JAMES BLAKE
Camera MICHAEL COLLINS & DAVID TOOLAN

Set Construction THEATRE PRODUCTION SERVICES (TPS)
Scenic Artist SANDRA BUTLER
Additional Hair & Makeup CAROLINE MCCURDY
Vocal Coach CATHAL QUINN
Special Props ADAM O’CONNELL, DYLAN FARRELL
Photographer ROS KAVANAGH
Graphic Design ALPHABET SOUP
Medical Adviser EVENT MEDICAL SERVICES
Marketing & Production Assistant CLARA BULMAN
Parallel Programme Facilitator CAOIMHE COBURN GRAY
ProduceD BY SARAH LATTY & BRIDGET WEBSTER 

David Bolger

Donking Rongavilla

Denis Clohessy

Maree Kearns

Eamon Fox

Mags Mulvey & Neil O'Driscoll (MINIM)

Val Sherlock

Muirne Bloomer

Laurie Uprichard

Pavilion Theatre Patron’s Award

Pavilion Theatre has been a key partner for fifteen years – from NUTCRACKER to FRANCIS FOOTWORK, CoisCéim has staged eleven productions at the venue since 2005. The symbiotic relationship between David Bolger and the people of the area, together with our complementary approaches to meaningfully building audiences for accessible, cutting edge, relevant physical theatre and dance, underpins our special bond with the theatre.

We were honoured and delighted to be able to celebrate our relationship through the Patron’s award, as Pavilion Theatre came onboard as a co-commissioner of OUR FATHERS and support for the final stage of development enable us to “allow logical time to fully harness creative flow”.