Greystones Players stage first production since 2019

‘The Memory of Water’ by Shelagh Stephenson will be staged at the Whale Theatre in Greystones from Thursday, June 9 to Sunday, June 12.

The show is the group’s first stage production since 2019 and there is already a huge demand for tickets to their long-awaited return to the Whale Theatre.

Newstalk presenter Ciara Kelly will take on the role of Teresa in the production.

The cast for ‘The Memory of Water’ also includes Niamh Clancy, Georgina Lawless, Miranda Egan-Langley, Eoin O’Mahony and Donagh Noone.

Directed by Aideen Walton, this award-winning darkly comedic rollercoaster of a play is about the nature of grief, memory and familial relationships. Stephenson’s play won the Lawrence Olivier award for best new comedy in 2000, and it has stood the test of time, proving a firm favourite with theatre goers.

The story revolves around three very different and fractious sisters gathering on the eve of their mother Vi’s funeral in the family home. They clash when sharing recollections not only of their individual childhood experiences but of their parents and are unable to agree on what is actually true.

Their deceased parents continue to loom large in their daughters’ lives, and the play explores the impact that their emotionally unavailable father and conventional but frustrated mother have had on each. Barely contained sibling rivalries and resentments rise to the surface and hidden feelings are exposed, both among the sisters and between them and their respective partners.

While the themes of grief, trauma and memory are explored, Stephenson’s magnificently crafted humour and wit interweave throughout, never allowing the audience to dwell too long out of their comfort zone.

‘The Memory of Water’ includes adult themes and language and is not recommended for those aged under 16s.

Tickets cost €20. For more information or to book, visit whaletheatre.ie.