the water orchard, 2017

Produced by Collapsing Horse and Project Arts Centre

The Water Orchard hasn’t produced a decent batch of water since the ‘78 Vintage. Ah, the ‘78 Vintage! Now that was water. These days the whole Estate is a dour, crumbling mess. What bit of cash was left is gone, and it’s finally time for a new generation to take over.
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It’s time to rip up the Orchard. It’s time to put in patio sets, and turn it into a hip spot for brunch. Brunch! Eggs served in some interesting fashion, presumably. But the stubborn owner, Old Madeleine, just happens to have disappeared. She is woken up with a jolt in an unsettling and unfamiliar space. There’s a projector asking her questions, and it is convinced she is keeping secrets… Can her Estate, full of liars, idiots, hammy actors, and unhinged narcissists work together to find her? And what exactly is it they will find if they do… ?
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‘The Water Orchard’ is a kaleidoscopic comedy; a surreal, innovative, and genre-bending play about shouting into the winds of change.

“A gloriously surreal comedy that confirms the status of Collapsing Horse as Ireland’s most inventive theatre company… [a] dazzling concoction of wordplay, pastiche, slapstick, lo-fi puppetry and commedia dell’arte. […] technical excellence, terrific performances, and multi-layered, intertextual references… a show not to be missed.”
– Sunday​ ​Business​ ​Post

Producer: Matt Smyth, Kate Ferris and Cian O’Brien

Directors: Dan Colley and Eoghan Quinn

Music and Sound: Cameron Macaulay and Kevin Gleeson

Lighting: Sinéad Wallace

Set and Costume Design: Sarah Bacon

AV Design: Jack Phelan and Erin Hermosa

Stage Manager: Evie McGuinness

Cast: Rachel Gleeson, Peter Corboy, Breffni Holahan, John Doran, Eleanor Methven

Images: Ste Murray