Triptych is made up of three plays by Ciaran Grace: His and Hers is directed by Agnieszka Więcławska; Sibs by Meghan Bartual Smyth; and Thunderclap by Ellie McCoy. The production arrives at Camden Fringe this month.
“Triptych is a series of three short plays exploring relationships in their most intimate and challenging forms: with a partner, with family, and with oneself. Each piece presents a self-contained story, united by a shared focus on moral complexity.
His and Hers is about a couple. Their six-year anniversary is the perfect setting for a proposal until a revelation exposes the gap between expectation and reality.
Sibs sees a brother visit his sister in South America, accidentally knock off the Wi-Fi, and unleash an argument that is really about a trauma from their past.
In Thunderclap, a man argues with his conscience about what to do after the stranger he came to hook up with has overdosed and died.”
Where: Camden People’s Theatre
When: 11-12 Aug
Ticket link: https://camdenfringe.com/events/triptych/
What’s your show about, and where did the idea come from?
The show Triptych is three short plays (His and Hers, Sibs, Thunderclap) exploring relationships in their most intimate and challenging forms: with a partner, with family, and with oneself. Each piece presents a self-contained story, united by a shared focus on moral complexity.
The stories originated at different times in my life and are allegorical explorations of stuff I was going through in those periods. Sibs and Thunderclap were originally short film scripts that have now been adapted for the stage. That has been a fun challenge as the transition from visual language to spoken word is completely different. But all three started with the question: how do you respond to the worst moment of your life?Â
Sell it to the potential audience in one sentence.
A fast-paced triple bill that voyeuristically explores relationships in a way that is darkly comic, intimate and brutal in places; see it if you like the work of Lucy Prebble, Mike Bartlett and Alice Birch.
Why did you want to be part of the Camden Fringe?
The boldest, most interesting work is often put on first at Fringe with the opportunity then to go on further. The Camden People’s Theatre has a great reputation for championing bold new writing, so that was a big pull for me. Having the backing of both the festival and the venue feels great, and at the work in progress nights in the build-up to this, people have really responded to the material. So I am excited to bring it to a big crowd. Â
What’s your favourite memory of Fringe theatre?
I’m very new to theatre, having moved here from Ireland last year. Truthfully, I was always more of a cinema guy, but I’ve been blown away by the standard and talent in the shows here. Some highlights have been Inter Alia, The Estate and most recently Krapp’s Last Tape, which I suppose would be mainstream theatre.
But that was the gateway that led me to see Fringe shows such as Clean Slate at the Pleasance and Don’t Tell Dad About Diana at Underbelly Soho. Both were incredible and really inspired me and showed me what can be achieved with my own show.Â
What’s next for you/the show?
There are tentative plans for other venues in London and potentially Dublin. I am waiting to hear back on a Netflix project that I am in the advanced stages of casting on, so may have to put future Triptych plans on hold if that comes to fruition. But I can’t even think about that right now because honestly all my focus is on August 11th and 12th and delivering the best show possible there. Beyond that, we will see.