presented by Alice Malseed and Emily Foran with the Lyric Belfast & Pleasance in association with Thistle And Rose Arts

The Half Moon

Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2023 | Pleasance Jackdome | 2nd - 28th August | 2:30pm

Four women. Four generations. One Belfast family fighting for freedom and future.

In a ferociously optimistic tale of home and hope, we meet Ethel, Jeanette, Sarah and Pam, each trapped by the narrow streets and looming mountain of Tiger’s Bay. None of them had the chance to leave until now. Pam may have broken the cycle and followed her dream of a life elsewhere but can she ever truly escape her ancestry? And does she want to? There are stories of battle, passion and hope still demanding to be told.

  • ★★★★★

    “Powerful and sorrowful”

    British Theatre Guide

  • ★★★★

    "Rewarding exploration of the ties that bind and the desire to escape… Playwright Alice Malseed has done a beautiful job of illustrating the conflict between deep attachment to home and the desire to escape"

    The Wee Review

  • ★★★★★

    “A beautiful and fascinating piece of theatre”

    One4Review

  • ★★★★

    “A show to remember… unforgettable glimpses of women’s lives, through 75 years of pain, struggle and hope.”

    The Scotsman

Meet the Creative Team

Alice Malseed, a white woman with curly ginger hair, is standing with head and shoulders in frame. She is wearing a teal top and gold chain necklace. She is smiling widely, looking off to the side of camera.

  • Writer

    Alice Malseed is a writer and theatre-maker based in Belfast. Her work has appeared across the UK, Ireland, in Sri Lanka and New York. Her show 'Anthem was a hit at Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival 2021. Alice's monologue Haven was part of 1st Origins Irish Festival in New York and recorded by the Lyric Theatre for their 'Listen at the Lyric' series in Autumn 2020 – the show was New York Times' Critic’s Pick in January 2021. Her show Jade City was at Bunker Theatre in London in September 2019, produced by View From Here Theatre Company. Alice was part of BBC Writers Room Belfast Voices group in 2018-2019 and Lyric New Playwrights Programme 2018.

Emily Foran, a white woman with long blonde hair, is leaning with her back against a white wall, looking into the camera which is positioned to her right. She has small gold earrings on and a blue denim jacket. She has a neutral expression.

  • Director

    Emily Foran’s work as a theatre director over the last few years has mainly focused on new writing and joyful collaboration with playwrights. As a director and collaborator, Emily is passionate about telling authentic and invigorating Irish stories that audiences have yet to hear about. She has worked on numerous projects across the island of Ireland, including work for the stage, streamed and filmed theatre as well as audio drama. Emily has developed and directed new pieces of work with companies such as The Lyric Theatre Belfast, The MAC, Druid Theatre Company, An Grianan Theatre, The New Theatre Dublin, Big Telly, Prime Cut and most recently with Greenshoot Productions on The Half Moon. As well as theatre, Emily has also written and directed for short film in collaboration with Northern Ireland Screen as well as the BBC.

Ruby Campbell, a white woman with blonde hair, is staring directly into the camera against a dark green background. Her hair is covering her shoulders but she is wearing a black leather jacket. She looks neutrally into the camera.

  • Performer

    Ruby trained at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama.

    Theatre includes: Deidre in Sylvan (Tinderbox Theatre), Tilly in Rough Girls (Lyric Theatre, Belfast), Marilyn Monroe in The Broads (Strand Arts), Bridget in Translations (Lyric Theatre, Belfast & Rage Theatre, Mumbai), Ciara in Driving Home for Christmas (Lyric Theatre, Belfast), Alice in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (Lyric Theatre, Belfast), Mag in Lovers: Winners and Losers (Lyric Theatre, Belfast), Splish Splash (Oily Cart), u/s Shena Carney in The Ferryman (Gielgud Theatre, West End/Sonia Friedman Productions), Margaret Barry in She Moved Through The Fair (Tron Theatre/Celtic Connections Festival), Clare in Girls and Dolls (Pint-Sized), Babble in Off Broadway Run (Replay Theatre), Beth in Lifeboat (Replay Theatre), Lady Windermere in Lady Windermere’s Fan (Bruiser Theatre).

    Television includes: Ciara Connolly in Counsel (BBC).

    Film includes: Donna in Stumbling (Doreen Productions), Emma in The Dissenter (Dumbworld Productions).

    Audio includes: NINOW100 (The Mac, Belfast), Did You Hear The One About The Irishman? (Abbey Theatre, Dublin), On The Street Where We Live (The Mac, Belfast).

Paula O'Reilly, a white woman with auburn hair, leans her head on her hand as she looks directly into camera. Her head fills the frame and she is wearing a green crew neck jumper.

  • Movement Director

    Paula O’Reilly is a Belfast/Dublin based Choreographer and Movement Director. Paula is also an experienced Assistant Director and has worked as an AD and Choreographer combined on many projects with great success. Her expertise lies in creating and extracting a physical language unique to each production and to each individual directors vision. Paula is a skilled and passionate collaborator with years of experience and can structure choreography ranging through many different styles of dance. A long with all of this, drawing on her career as a Dancer and Comedic Performer she is able to coax comedy to life within physical expression and timing. She is a founding member of award winning dance theatre company ponydance.

In this black and white picture, Pai Rathaya, a Thai woman with black hair, stares into the camera . The background is of blurred foliage. Pai has a neutral expression and is wearing a boat neck top. Her head and shoulders are visible.

  • Set & Costume Designer

    Pai Rathaya is a Thai theatre designer based in Dublin and Bangkok who has worked as a set and costume designer. Her work spans theatre, opera, musical, and dance. Rathaya graduated with a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture and Master of Dramatic Arts from Chulalongkorn University. In 2018, she moved to Dublin to study MFA stage design at the Lir Academy and graduated with distinction.

    Recent works: Letters Of A Country Postman at Everyman Theatre, Baby Weather at Roscommon Arts Center, Laramie Project, Twelfth Night and Our Town at the Lir Academy, Parcel From America at Smock Alley, Volcano by Attic Project at the Nun’s Island Theatre, Privilege: The Musical! at Mermaid Arts Centre, Rough weekend at Project Arts Center. Assistant design works with Landmark Productions and Rough Magic.

This black and white photo of Alan Mooney, a white man with short dark hair, shows his head and shoulders against a neutral background. He is staring directly into the camera with a neutral expression.

  • Lighting Designer

    Originally from Cork, Alan Mooney is a lighting artist who works principally in live performance including theatre, dance and opera. He is a member of both the Irish Society of Stage and Screen Designers and the UK Association of Lighting and Production Designers. In 2020 he was chosen to take part in the ALPD Lumière Scheme where he was mentored by award-winning lighting designer Charles Balfour. He was a Gap Day Artist in 2021/2022. In 2022 he recieved an Agility Award from the Arts Council of Ireland.

Stuart Robinson, a white man with short ginger hair and beard, is sat down with a grey jumper. The background is blurred but clearly a studio of some kind. He is smiling into the camera and his head and shoulders are visible.

  • Sound Designer

    Stuart Robinson is an established composer, sound designer, music producer and audio engineer. Being an active songwriter and gigging musician for 10 years, and having spent years working in recording studios, Stuart has experience across a range of roles. Stuart entered the field of theatre in early 2019, finding a new outlet for his creative passion.

Jude Barriscale is set cross-legged on a wooden decking. They have long, black curly hair and they're wearing a cream cardigan, spotty blouse and cropped light blue denim shorts. They have pink headphones on and are smiling at the ground.

  • Stage Manager

    Jude Barriscale works across stage management and sound design. They trained at The Lir, National Academy of Dramatic Arts in Ireland. They have worked on various stage performances including Contractions (Brewly Cafe Theatre), The Cradle Will Rock (The Lir), Revved (An Grianán Theatre) and She Knit The Roof (Earagail Arts Festival).

Audience Reviews for The Half Moon

  • "A really well acted show. I felt very engaged with all the characters she portrayed. A very emotional, committed performance which I thoroughly applaud. Whether you have knowledge of Belfast or not it is an informative and absorbing portrayal of the city in the various ages."

    Anne Jones

  • "Being from Belfast myself I can be a bit harsh on things from home at times, and I was tentative for the first 10 minutes. However, I became completely captured by the story and performance. Truly brilliant acting, amazing new writing. Love to see it. Bravo."

    Naomi

  • "We loved this play about several generations of Belfast women and the impact that the Troubles had on their lives and dreams. It was well acted and engaging."

    Linda McAtee

  • "Very likeable piece delivered by a very competent young actor."

    David Murphy

  • "Thought provoking, great actor and definitely worth going to. Thoroughly recommend"

    Jane

  • "Spellbinding, attention gripping. I knew very little about Belfast before I attended the show but I have come out well informed of life in Belfast. I was transported through the highs and lows. The content is very relatable no matter where you are from."

    Caz

  • "Excellent one woman show, superbly performed. Highlights the complexities and realities of life in Belfast whilst being amusing and enjoyable throughout."

    Steven Haigh