Hello Charlie by Caoimhe Farren - Staged Reading

Hello Charlie by Caoimhe Farren

Directed by Seón Simpson

Victoria Wood Playwriting Prize for Comedy - Finalist

The Women’s Prize for Playwriting - Shortlist

Sisters Maeve and Kate have fled their past trauma in Derry and now live in London.

Hedonistic Maeve binge-drinks to oblivion; brittle Kate sees history repeating itself. But

Maeve dodges culpability for her drunken antics; how can she be at fault? The blame

clearly lies with her beloved, inebriated alter-ego: Charlie.

Hello Charlie is a black comedy about trauma, sisterhood and breaking the cycle of

familial addiction.

Front & Centre are proud to present a series of staged readings featuring plays that have been finalists, shortlisted, or longlisted for major UK and Ireland playwriting awards, but have yet to be programmed in Northern Ireland. Despite their accolades, these works, penned by talented women from the North, have remained under the radar.

Plays are living, breathing documents that are written to be performed. For many women of the North, their brilliant, commended plays are sitting in drawers, languishing.

Front & Centre is determined to change that! We’ve paired these remarkable writers with accomplished Northern Irish directors, offering audiences a first look at the next generation of female theatre makers from the North.

This event has kindly been supported by Queen’s University and Belfast City Council.

For other readings in the series:

Stuff & Things & Junk & Belonging by Carley Magee

The Wake by Anna Teresa McGrath

Caoimhe Farren is an actress from Derry. She trained at the Academy of Live and Recorded Arts in London. Most recently, she played the title character in Tinderbox’s Yerma at The Lyric. She can currently be seen as DS Sorcha Conlon in Crá (TG4/BBC). Previous theatre work includes: This Sh*t Happens All The Time (Lyric, Belfast); Scenes from an Inquiry (The Playhouse, Derry); Chemistry (The Finborough, London). Previous television work includes: The Woman in the Wall; Hope Street; Willow; This Way Up; Derry Girls.

Hello Charlie (Caoimhe’s debut play) was developed as part of The Lyric’s New Playwrights Programme. It was shortlisted for The Women’s Prize for Playwriting, a finalist for the inaugural Victoria Wood Playwriting Prize for Comedy and in the top 1% (from 4643 entries) of the BBC Writers Open Call.