It may be made entirely in Kent, but the latest production to grace the Marlowe Studio’s stage gives audiences a taste of working class Dublin in the 1980s – from inside a fish factory.

Gutted is the tale of three different women and a significant night in their lives. It comes from the pen of Whitstable writer Sharon Byrne, who grew up in Dublin and who enlisted an almost entirely Kentish cast and crew to tell her Irish yarn.

Among the performers is Lucia McAnespie who moved to Deal in the summer with her husband but is originally from Belfast.

She said: “It’s very authentic and it’s very hard work. It is colloquial and sometimes we do have to explain the Irish slang to each other.

“It’s a play that is based in storytelling and the audience are taken on a journey by each woman.”

Despite being Irish, Lucia still had to work on her accent, as part of the play’s attention to detail is the specific working class 1980s Dublin accents all three women have – though whether Kent audiences are that educated in Irish dialects remains to be seen.

“There’s comedy and there’s tragedy, but it’s been such a laugh,” says Lucia. “There is one man in amongst us though, the stage manager, but don’t worry, he holds his own!

“The play is quite malleable and organic. I’m a child of the 1980s and there’s a lot of music in the show from back in the day – and 1980s cassettes. It’s funny to think of it being retro now.”

Working on a production in Kent has been the icing on the cake for Lucia after her move.

She said: “We went to Deal for a little drive out years ago and thought it was lovely. The idea of living beside the sea really appealed to us. We didn’t need to be based in London because of our jobs and we love it. And working in Canterbury means just popping on the train.”

ROAR!

Whitstable playwright Sharon Byrne’s writing came to the attention of the Marlowe’s creative team via the Roar! writing programme.

The cast features Nancy Sullivan as Delores, Lucia as Breda, and Rose O’ Loughlin as Deirdre.

The production team includes Primetime Emmy award-winning set designer Jo Kornstein, designer Marianne McConnell, and co-producer Sarah Horner, with Nicola Samer, resident director with the Kenneth Branagh Theatre Company, directing.

DETAILS

Gutted is at the Marlowe Studio from Tuesday, February 21 to Saturday, February 28.
Tickets costing £12.50 are available by calling 01227 787787 or at marlowetheatre.com.

Gutted is supported by The Marlowe Theatre Creative Opportunity Fund, Canterbury City Council and the Arts Council for England.