By the Bog of Cats…

Devanaughn Theatre presents By the Bog of Cats…, by Marina Carr, directed by Rose Carlson.

The play boasts the stunning language of Irish tragicomedy, woven into the harsh reality of a truly complicated family. Set in the Irish midlands, By the Bog of Cats… explores powerful themes surrounding the “Traveller Community,” also known as the “tinkers” or “gypsies” of Ireland. Carr is unflinching in her dissection of what it means to call a place “home” and the clashing rivalries between those who have claimed sovereignty of a region and those who belong to it in their bones. Underscoring this timely and modern tragedy is the cadence of the ancient Greek myth Medea, evoking a violent heroine who makes no apologies for her reaction against those who betray her.

“With Medea as its foundation… a clash between nature and ‘civilization’, class conflict and gender issues… the play offers a mournful folk tale about a small village in the Irish midlands.” — Metroactive Stage

“In contemporary Irish theatre the work of Marina Carr pushes the boundaries of theatrical representation to the limit before crossing them to reveal a passionate enactment of exile and alienation.” — Cathy Leeney, Irish Theatre Scholar