7 show-stopping theatre productions in County Armagh this year

By Amie McAuley

Published 3rd Jun 2024, 15:01 GMT

County Armagh has a feast of theatre productions this year, featuring some of the most talented performers with the most intense and interesting stories, in a beautifully diverse range.

Whether it’s reviving an old classic, or unveiling a new story, these are definitely the shows to see this year.

Hotbuckle productions have returned to The Marketplace Theatre with the much loved Pride and Prejudice, after their hit production of Sense and Sensibility last year. In a distinctive multi-role take on this story, Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy fight over his pride and her prejudice, until they find something that both of them can agree on, amidst the mayhem and marriages of regency life.Find out more at: marketplacearmagh.com/pride-and-prejudice

1. Pride and Prejudice, The Marketplace Theatre - June 6

Hotbuckle productions have returned to The Marketplace Theatre with the much loved Pride and Prejudice, after their hit production of Sense and Sensibility last year. In a distinctive multi-role take on this story, Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy fight over his pride and her prejudice, until they find something that both of them can agree on, amidst the mayhem and marriages of regency life.Find out more at: marketplacearmagh.com/pride-and-prejudice Photo: Elisha Gormley

After success in England, Scotland, and New York, Mikel Murfi returns to Northern Ireland with his phenomenal one-man-show performance. He plays an older man Pat, a cobbler, who married later in life, his wife Kitsy. He then decides to investigate his wife’s life before their marriage and uncovers a quite peculiar history. Woven with humour and tenderness, this play is something audiences will remember long after the epilogue.Find out more at: marketplacearmagh.com/the-mysterious-case-of-kitsy-rainey

2. The Mysterious Case of Kitsy Rainey, The Marketplace Theatre - July 25

After success in England, Scotland, and New York, Mikel Murfi returns to Northern Ireland with his phenomenal one-man-show performance. He plays an older man Pat, a cobbler, who married later in life, his wife Kitsy. He then decides to investigate his wife’s life before their marriage and uncovers a quite peculiar history. Woven with humour and tenderness, this play is something audiences will remember long after the epilogue.Find out more at: marketplacearmagh.com/the-mysterious-case-of-kitsy-rainey Photo: The Marketplace Theatre

Returning because of popular demand, Eighty Nine presents the fascinating and tragic tale of the Armagh rail disaster that killed 89 people on a fateful day in 1889. This is a musical drama with songs from past and present that truly make this an unforgettable play. The performance is a tribute dedicated to the victims of the incident, exactly 135 years after it occurred. Find out more at: marketplacearmagh.com/eighty-nine

3. Eighty-Nine, The Marketplace Theatre - June 13 and 14

Returning because of popular demand, Eighty Nine presents the fascinating and tragic tale of the Armagh rail disaster that killed 89 people on a fateful day in 1889. This is a musical drama with songs from past and present that truly make this an unforgettable play. The performance is a tribute dedicated to the victims of the incident, exactly 135 years after it occurred. Find out more at: marketplacearmagh.com/eighty-nine Photo: The Marketplace Theatre

Joe Nowaz will be performing his own autobiographical play in a brilliantly comedic, candid, and harrowing tale. After his father was murdered, Joe and his family search for answers in Pakistan. However, they also take a personal journey for their own new identity as they orient themselves in this new climate and context without their father.He challenges the rigidity of cultural identity and teeters along the lines of what is possible for society and what attitudes are currently shackling it.Find out more at: marketplacearmagh.com/fivedays

4. Five Days, The Marketplace Theatre - July 22

Joe Nowaz will be performing his own autobiographical play in a brilliantly comedic, candid, and harrowing tale. After his father was murdered, Joe and his family search for answers in Pakistan. However, they also take a personal journey for their own new identity as they orient themselves in this new climate and context without their father.He challenges the rigidity of cultural identity and teeters along the lines of what is possible for society and what attitudes are currently shackling it.Find out more at: marketplacearmagh.com/fivedays Photo: Pexels