ACTOR CILLIAN Murphy and writer Enda Walsh, who are synonymous with the cult play and film Disco Pigs, will return to the stage together for this year's Galway Arts Festival.
Murphy will star in Walsh's new play, Misterman, as one of the "theatrical highlights" of the festival running from July 11th to 24th. Full details of the two-week programme will be published in Dublin this evening.
Murphy first pestered Cork theatre company Corcadorca for an audition for Disco Pigs and his career took off after he was hired. His subsequent film career includes roles in Batman Begins, The Dark Night, Breakfast on Pluto, Intermission, 28 Days Later, Red Eyeand The Wind That Shakes the Barley.
He recently finished filming with Robert De Niro and Sigourney Weaver in Rodrigo Cortes's Red Lights, but he has maintained links with the stage, specifically the Druid Theatre Company.
Walsh's collaboration with Druid has also proved fruitful. His recent work, Penelope, premiered in Galway last year, was chosen by Ben Brantley of the New York Timesas one of the top 10 productions on the New York stage in 2010.
Misterman is described as a “dark and blisteringly funny tale of one man, Thomas Magill”, played by Murphy, on his “judgment day”. The creative team for the collaboraton between the festival and Landmark Productions will include designer Jamie Vartan, lighting designer Adam Silverman and sound designer Gregory Clarke. There will also be a specially commissioned score by Donnacha Dennehy.
"This production reunites two of Ireland's major stars for the first time since their collaboration on Enda's groundbreaking play, Disco Pigs, in 1996," festival artistic director Paul Fahy said.
“Both Enda and Cillian have strong connections to Galway and Enda’s work has featured prominently at the festival in recent years.”
Landmark’s Anne Clarke said she was also delighted to be working with the festival and the creative team on “what Enda has called a very scary thriller – terrifying, lonesome, hilarious and tragic all at once”. She paid tribute to the support of the Arts Council.
All-male Shakespeare theatre company Propeller is also returning to the festival, under the direction of Edward Hall, with a double bill of Shakespeare's Richard IIIand The Comedy of Errors. Artists from Africa, Asia, America, Australia and Europe will participate this year, with a "strong focus on Irish work and home-grown productions at the heart of this year's programme", said Fahy.
