An Abbey Theatre production

Portia Coughlan


11 February - 16 March 2022

Written by Marina Carr

Directed by Caroline Byrne

Booking Information


Dates: 11 February – 16 March 2022
on the Abbey stage

Previews: 11, 12, 14 February

Times: Mon – Sat 7.30pm, Sat matinee 2pm

Tickets: €15 – €45

Running time: 1 hour and 50 minutes (no interval)

Please note: This production contains themes of suicide, language that some people might find offensive and alcohol abuse.

Age recommendation: 14+

Sign language interpreted performance: Thursday 3 March, 7:30pm

Audio-described and captioned performance: Saturday 5 March, 2:00pm

'There's a wolf tooth growin in me heart and it's turnin me from everywan and everythin I am.'

Today is Portia Coughlan’s 30th birthday, but she doesn’t have the heart to celebrate.

It’s also the anniversary of the death of her twin brother, Gabriel, who drowned 15 years ago.

Is it her fate to join him in the Belmont river, or can she escape the past and find her place in this world?

Marina Carr’s haunting play premiered at the Abbey Theatre in 1996. This new production is directed by Abbey Theatre Associate Director, Caroline Byrne, and stars Olivier Award winner, Denise Gough in the title role.

#PortiaCoughlan

Audio-described Programme Notes 

Download the audio-described programme notes here, or listen to them below.

Reviews

★★★★
'this unforgettable story remains searing in its relevance'
The Irish Times

★★★★
'powerful [...] devastatingly honest'
The Sunday Times

★★★★
'Denise Gough is riveting'
The Irish Mail on Sunday

★★★★
'one of the outstanding performances of the year'
The Arts Review


'a tour-de-force'
The Business Post


'chilling from first to last... [the] set is a triumph of ingenuity [...] superbly lit'
Sunday Independent

Show Trailer 

Trailer 

Images 

Images © Ros Kavanagh

Cast 

Marty Rea, Jamie Beamish, Barbara Brennan, Gary Murphy, Denise Gough, Imogen Doel, Fionn Ó Loingsigh, Derbhle Crotty, Anna Healy, Liam Carney. Image: Ros Kavanagh

Digital programme 

For more information on the show, read our digital programme.

Credits

  • Fintan Goolan: Jamie Beamish
  • Blaize Scully: Barbara Brennan
  • Sly Scully: Liam Carney
  • Marianne Scully: Derbhle Crotty
  • Stacia Doyle: Imogen Doel
  • Portia Coughlan: Denise Gough
  • Maggie May Doorley: Anna Healy
  • Senchil Doorley: Gary Murphy
  • Damus Halion: Fionn Ó Loingsigh
  • Raphael Coughlan: Marty Rea


  • Writer: Marina Carr
  • Director: Caroline Byrne
  • Set Design: Chiara Stephenson
  • Composer and Sound Design: Mel Mercier
  • Lighting Design: Paul Keogan
  • Costume Design: Catherine Fay
  • Movement Director: Megan Kennedy
  • Video Design: Jack Phelan
  • Voice Director: Andrea Ainsworth
  • Fight Director: Ciaran O’Grady
  • Hair and Makeup Artist: Leonard Daly
  • Wigs: Val Sherlock
  • Assistant Director: Colm Summers
  • Assistant Sound Design: Rob Moloney
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