New online show promises Irish mythical adventure

Theatre company Big Telly is to take audiences at home on “an Irish adventure to a mythical other world” through a new online theatrical experience.

Operation Elsewhere will bring alive Irish myths in a show full of strange and wonderful characters, faeries and changelings together with mysterious quests, intrigue and game mechanics.

Directed by Big Telly’s founder and artistic director Zoe Seaton, it will have six live performances via video platform Zoom from 2 to 4 May at 3pm and 7pm each day.

It was originally written by Jane Talbot, author of The Faerie Thorn, an acclaimed collection of contemporary dark myths, and staged as an immersive theatre game in Enniskillen and Donaghadee in Northern Ireland in 2018.

Seaton’s new adaptation features music composed by Garth McConaghie and a cast of seven actors: Keith Singleton, Rosie McClelland, Michael Johnston, Rhodri Lewis, Nicky Harley, Cillian Lenaghan and Chris Grant.

It follows Seaton’s critically acclaimed online Zoom production of The Tempest, in a co-production with Creation Theatre, which runs until Saturday 25 April 2020. The show’s performances are bringing audiences together from across five continents to share in a Shakespearean theatrical experience.

Seaton said: “Operation Elsewhere introduces audiences to an anarchic and contemporary version of Irish mythology. The show’s playful quest format breaks down the fourth wall, letting audiences join in a truly live experience. It’s theatre born in isolation but with a mission to connect us all in magic and myth.”

Theatrical games are a format that Big Telly, based in Northern Ireland, have worked with over several years, staging large-scale events over kilometres, towns and industrial estates. Productions include I-Spy, A Quirky Tale, Merchant Quest and Operation Sweet Talk. Seaton has also directed Midsummer Night’s Dream and The Tempest as games for Creation Theatre in Oxford.

Further details at the Big Telly website More things to watch can be found on our STUCK AT HOME page.