The team behind The Upside Down House, a new gay coming-of-age play from Tinderbox Theatre Company, have spoken about the importance of creating inclusive theatre as the production prepares to premiere at the MAC later this month.
Written by west Belfast playwright Ciaran Haggerty, directed by Patrick J O’Reilly, and starring Shaun Blaney and Colm McCready, The Upside Down House has been described as “a first love story, one last time”, exploring the innocence of love and the heartache that follows when that love is not accepted by the world.
“The arts shouldn’t be selective,” says Patrick, who is also Tinderbox’s artistic director.
“Representation on stage, particularly in Irish and Northern Irish theatre, is really important because we’re all part of this place.
“If we’re only hearing one kind of story, then we’re only projecting a very small section of who we are. We need stories from lots of different people.
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“This play is different, challenging, provocative and all the things that theatre should be. As artists here in Northern Ireland, I think you feel a responsibility to give a voice to people who maybe don’t, or can’t, have one and that’s hopefully what this show does in a way.”
The play follows a man known only as OLDER as he returns to the abandoned house of his youth, where he’s confronted by the memory of his first love. Together, they relive the highs and lows of their secret romance as the walls, and the past, begin to crumble around them.
“The starting point of the whole thing came from me seeing a ghost,” laughs Ciaran.
“A couple of years ago I walked past a few upside down houses and I honestly thought I saw a ghost in one of the windows.
“And it just got me thinking about ghosts in general and how they’re stuck in the past and I’m in the present, and I started wondering what would happen if we were able to meet in the middle.
“And that’s what really formed the basis of the play. The man is watching his old house be torn down and, while that’s happening, he’s transported into it and comes face-to-face with the memory - or the ghost, of his first love. It’s really an exploration of their relationship and how and why it ended.
“I also wanted to write something contemporary with gay characters at the centre because they are part of the fabric and history of the city. When I was a teenager growing up here there was nothing like this. I think if there had been, it would’ve knocked the socks off me.”
It’s a sentiment shared by both Shaun, who plays OLDER, and Colm, who plays the Memory, as each was deeply moved when they first read the script.
“I read it in one sitting and cried many times,” admits Colm, the writer and creator of the award-winning Shame Show.
“I’ve made a lot of work drawn from my own experiences and memories, but to read someone else’s story and connect with it so deeply, to see a character so full of humour, heart and hope, really moved me.”
Similarly, Shaun, who recently completed the UK and Ireland tour of Stones in His Pockets, says it was the challenge and complexity of the OLDER character that drew him to the role.
“Growing up, I went to an all-boys school and the word ‘gay’ was weaponised quite a lot, and it was a time when you were made to feel guilty for the feelings that you had,” he recalls.
“Whether you were gay or not, the pressure around it made you form an identity that maybe wasn’t completely you, and that’s something I really connected with when I read the script.
“I was really interested and intrigued to play a character who, in the past, couldn’t be the person he wanted to be, but now in the present has tried to turn himself into the type of person he needed when he was younger.
“Trying to do that, along with understanding the responsibility that comes with telling a story like this, was a massive challenge, but as an actor I think that’s what you spend a lot of time searching for.
“It feels really impossible to do, so trying to do it is beautiful.”
While The Upside Down House places gay characters at its heart, Ciaran and the cast are keen to emphasise that its emotional pull reaches far beyond sexuality. At its core, it’s a story about that first rush of love which often shapes us in some way and lingers long after it’s gone.
“It captures something really nice about being a teenager and discovering what attraction is, and fumbling your way through intimacy and love, but also what happens to those connections when the outside world has such a huge impact on them,” Colm explains.
“I think most people can relate to that in some way, and at the end of the day, at its core, this show really is just two people on stage loving each other, and that’s something audiences of all ages, backgrounds, genders and sexualities have experienced.”
Ciaran adds that it was important for him to explore love in a way that feels authentic and recognisable to anyone who’s experienced a relationship.
“That was something that was really exciting to write about,” he explains.
“For example, there’s a scene where OLDER’s in a forest and he becomes quite jealous, but he doesn’t know he’s going to be jealous until he is. He’s caught off guard by it.
“And I think that’s a big thing when it comes to love, particularly first love. It does take you by surprise when someone kisses you or tells you that they love you for the first time.
“Being caught off guard by all that stuff, having no real experience or understanding of it that first time round, is so human, and I hope people will see little bits of themselves and their experiences in scenes like that.
“We’ve all got wounds. It’s the most old-fashioned story in the world: two strangers meet and the world opens up, and even though it feels like we’ve heard it all before, we’re still really hungry for that, especially in a world that’s so cruel.”
In the lead-up to the premiere, Tinderbox, who have recently been appointed The MAC’s associate theatre company, have also launched The Love Letter Project within the theatre - a participatory installation inviting people to anonymously write to their first love.
More than 100 letters have already been shared, capturing the same mix of tenderness, heartbreak and hope that runs through The Upside Down House.
“Because we’ve moved into The MAC we thought it would be really lovely to use the space to create something which gives people the opportunity to reflect on their own first love,” Ciaran explains.
“So we’ve put a little letterbox in the common room on the third floor and the public are turning up and just pouring their hearts into these little cards, and they’re incredible.
“Some of them are really angry, others are really sad and some are happy and joyous. They all capture what being in love for the first time is like, just in different ways.
“And when people come to see the show they’ll be on display, so you’re able to reflect on those as well.”
With its blend of intimacy, humour and heartbreak, The Upside Down House is poised to strike a chord with audiences when it opens at The MAC.
Both a deeply personal story and a wider reflection on love, acceptance and memory, it captures what Tinderbox does best - bold, inclusive theatre that speaks directly to the heart.
“We want the audience to come out of the show feeling energised, charged and passionate about what they’ve just seen,” Patrick enthuses.
Nodding in agreement, Ciaran adds, “If you’ve ever been in love, this play is for you, and if you’re a reflective person in any way, I think it will really touch you.”
The Upside Down House will run in The MAC’s upstairs theatre from October 22 - November 2 as part of Belfast International Arts Festival. Tickets are available now from themaclive.com and belfastinternationalartsfestival.com.
