Dominic Montague’s new play, Aurora: A Modern Myth, will be premièred at Belfast’s The Mac by Prime Cut Productions as part of the Belfast International Arts Festival.
Montague was appointed Resident Playwright with Belfast's Lyric Theatre in 2023. Callings, his 2022 play written for Kabosh, is to be revived by the company for a tour of the UK and Ireland from October 2 to November 30.
Set in a fictional Irish village following the opening of a new gold mine, Aurora: A Modern Myth follows Cass in her desperate attempts to save the endangered tree she has considered her best friend since childhood “as she and those around her (human and otherwise) grapple with what comes next for us and the planet we call home”.
Developed through Prime Cut’s Reveal programme which facilitates independent theatre artists, Montague’s play—“his dynamic and fearless artistic approach provides an inventive piece of writing”—will be directed by the company’s artistic director, Emma Jordan. The production will employ “cutting-edge gaming animation and immersive theatrical visuals” developed in partnership with Ulster University’s Gaming and Animation Department, and promises audiences “a new and exciting theatrical experience”.
The cast includes Meghan Tyler as Cass, Maria Connolly, Conor O Donnell and Thomas Finnegan.
Ciaran Bagnall is the set designer, with costumes by Tracy Lindsey and lighting by Mary Tumelty.
Aurora: A Modern Myth runs at The Mac, Belfast from October 24 to November 2.