Usually, when you’re at picnic, squirrels are cute little fellas until the start to chow down on your ciabatta. This weekend, though, make sure you keep a look out for some interesting squirrels at Electric Picnic. They won’t be climbing trees or foraging for nuts, they’ll be in a big tent looking for the same rights as everyone else.

There Will Be Rain is the brainchild of writer and actor Marc McCabe, who was one of the quartet in the play Working Late, one of the biggest successes of this year’s Dublin Gay Theatre Festival. When they finished the week-long run of Working Late, Marc approached the play’s writer, director and producer, Rebecca Walsh, to see what she thought of his script.

When I met an exhausted Rebecca between rehearsals, she talked me through the process. They arranged a read-though, edited it a bit, read though again and eventually thought that they could be on to something, Rebecca remembers.

Marc wanted me to direct it, so, we had a reading and I asked everyone how long it would take to get off-book. They’re all professional actors so I said that if everyone can get off-book in one week, we’ll do it and I’ll direct it. It’s been a bit of a whirlwind. With Working Late I spent two months rehearsing and with this, just one.

Obviously it would be impossible to do all of this without a great team and Rebecca is full of praise for everyone from Marc and his writing as well as his ability to wear an owl costume to Siobhan Killian stage manager and, if my hunch if correct, the person who is keeping her sane. But let’s get down to it, what’s There Will Be Rain all about?

There Will Be Rain is set in the Emerald Forest. A recession is after hitting the forest and Jerry Squirrel, a drey construction worker, has lost his job. His son, Peter has a fiance called Sergei and they are planning their civil ceremony. Sergei is from a neighbouring forest and speaks with an Eastern European voice. So he has to deal with a little bit of racism. The couple are trying to put together a wedding, last minute on a shoe-string.

Sergei and Peter are in love, lest anyone think them marrying purely for an Emerald green card, but there’s a problem.

the Emerald Forest has its issues; Sergei is an Emerald citizen and has an Emerald passport but is still treated differently. He has to go home to a neighbouring forest to tell his parents about the wedding, but his parents are very homophobic. Also there is a forest fire and he can’t get a crow back to the wedding, so he may not make it.

What will the lovers do? Never mind that, do they cure their recession and, if so, how? Sounds like the Brians may need to take a trip to Electric Picnic this weekend.

It’s very surreal. But it’s a story that needs to be told. It’s the first one about civil partnership but it also touches on the recession, racism and all these other issues.

It all sounds like good fun, but Rebecca is right in her ascertain that there’s more to it than grown-ups in squirrel makeup.

It’s good to put it on its head like this, like a fable. If it’s funny you can say all of the things you want to. You get away with more.

Getting to show at Electric Picnic is no mean feat, but There Will Be Rain also has the honour of being shown in the Fossett’s Circus tent. That’s Ireland’s National Circus, people. It’s a big deal, and one that Rebecca plays down, caring only about the stuff a director should.

They have a great sound system and a new lighting rig so it’s going to be great. The production values are going to be pretty high.

Fossets’ Circus has been going for 122 years and is a family-run business so they are kinda taking a bit of a risk with this subject matter. But Electric Picnic is the best place to launch it, as it has a more bohemian audience.

Feeling like a boho homo or a quirky queer? Then make sure you check out There Will Be Rain in the Fossett’s Circus Tent on Saturday 4th and Sunday 5th of September at5:30pm sharp. It’s free!

Popularity: 1% [?]

No related posts.