the water orchard
The
Water Orchard

The Water Orchard hasn’t produced a decent batch of water since the ‘78 Vintage. Ah, the ‘78 Vintage! Now that was water. These days the whole Estate is a dour, crumbling mess. What bit of cash was left is gone, and it’s finally time for a new generation to take over.

It’s time to rip up the Orchard. It’s time to put in patio sets, and turn it into a hip spot for brunch. Brunch! Eggs served in some interesting fashion, presumably. But the stubborn owner, Old Madeleine, just happens to have disappeared. She is woken up with a jolt in an unsettling and unfamiliar space. There’s a projector asking her questions, and it is convinced she is keeping secrets… Can her Estate, full of liars, idiots, hammy actors, and unhinged narcissists work together to find her? And what exactly is it they will find if they do… ?

‘The Water Orchard’ is a kaleidoscopic comedy; a surreal, innovative, and genre-bending play about shouting into the winds of change.

 

– Cast + Crew
Writer / Co-Director
Eoghan Quinn
Co-Director
Dan Colley
Dramaturg
Jack Gleeson
Lighting Designer
Sinead Wallace
Set and Costume Designer
Sarah Bacon
Design Assistant
Anna Fagan
AV Designer
Jack Phelan
AV Assistant
Erin Hermosa
Sound Design & Music
Cameron Macauley
Sound Design & Music
Kevin Gleeson
Production Manager
Eoin Kilkenny
Stage Manager
Evie McGuinness
Assistant Stage Manager
Sara Gannon
Graphic Design
Sarah Moloney
Photographer
Ste Murray
Publicist
Sabrina Sheehan
Producer
Kate Ferris
Producer Cast
Matt Smyth
Peter Corboy,
John Doran,
Rachel Gleeson,
Breffni Holahan
Writer / Co-Director Eoghan Quinn
Co-Director Dan Colley
Dramaturg Jack Gleeson
Lighting Designer Sinead Wallace
Set and Costume Designer Sarah Bacon
Design Assistant Anna Fagan
AV Designer Jack Phelan
AV Assistant Erin Hermosa
Sound Design & Music Cameron Macauley
Sound Design & Music Kevin Gleeson
Production Manager Eoin Kilkenny
Stage Manager Evie McGuinness
Assistant Stage Manager Sara Gannon
Graphic Design Sarah Moloney
Photographer Ste Murray
Publicist Sabrina Sheehan
Producer Kate Ferris
Producer Cast Matt Smyth
Peter Corboy,
John Doran,
Rachel Gleeson,
Breffni Holahan

– Reviews
Nominated for the Stewart Parker Trust Award
2018
"A gloriously surreal comedy that confirms the status of Collapsing Horse as Ireland’s most inventive theatre company… [a] dazzling concoction of wordplay, pastiche, slapstick, lo-fi puppetry and commedia dell’arte. [...] technical excellence, terrific performances, and multi-layered, intertextual references… a show not to be missed."
– Sunday​ ​Business​ ​Post
"Chekhov on LSD"
– The​ ​Irish​ ​Times
"An Epic Theatrical Blockbuster Comedy... a hilarious, intertextual, comedy cocktail suffused with almost every flavour imaginable. Referencing King Lear, Chekhov, and Agatha Christie, to name but a few, along with seventy shades of whatever you’re having yourself, this metaphysical psychodrama, full of madness, mystery, and mayhem, overflows with wild, whimsical wonder. it’s a show not to be missed"
– The​ ​Arts​ ​Review
"Collapsing Horse prides itself on making work for a diverse audience without compromising on craft, intensity or ingenuity – with this brilliant production they have done just that"
– The​ ​Daily Mail
"With Colley and Quinn leading their dedicated, talented casts, Collapsing Horse is claiming this strange and wonderful space... Taking the audience to unexpectedly real places in the midst of playful surreality. Trusting the clash between comedy and tragedy takes time, practice, and confidence... an intoxicating vintage indeed."
– The​ ​Reviews​ ​Hub
"A madcap comedy that will have you in stitches"
– The​ Mirror
"a beautiful and complex piece of art...intriguing characters and a rich script that is both hilarious and dark [...] a portrait of the vile, the ridiculous and the pathetic. These are humans teetering on the edge and about to fall off."
- headstuff.org
"a magical flourish... genius. This feels like new ground for directors Quinn and Dan Colley, who mingle the contemporary displays of Jack Phelan’s roguish audio-visuals with the olden fleur-de-lis interiors of Sarah Bacon’s set, all for the mischief of postmodern pastiche"
– Exeunt

– Production

A Collapsing Horse / Project Arts Centre Co-Production
18 – 29 July 2017
Project Arts Centre

Running Time: 80 minutes
Funders: Arts Council, Dublin City Council, Project Arts Centre

– Cast + Crew
Writer / Co-Director Eoghan Quinn
Co-Director Dan Colley
Dramaturg Jack Gleeson
Lighting Designer Sinead Wallace
Set and Costume Designer Sarah Bacon
Design Assistant Anna Fagan
AV Designer Jack Phelan
AV Assistant Erin Hermosa
Sound Design & Music Cameron Macauley
Sound Design & Music Kevin Gleeson
Production Manager Eoin Kilkenny
Stage Manager Evie McGuinness
Assistant Stage Manager Sara Gannon
Graphic Design Sarah Moloney
Photographer Ste Murray
Publicist Sabrina Sheehan
Producer Kate Ferris
Producer Cast Matt Smyth
Peter Corboy,
John Doran,
Rachel Gleeson,
Breffni Holahan

– Reviews
Nominated for the Stewart Parker Trust Award
2018
"A gloriously surreal comedy that confirms the status of Collapsing Horse as Ireland’s most inventive theatre company… [a] dazzling concoction of wordplay, pastiche, slapstick, lo-fi puppetry and commedia dell’arte. [...] technical excellence, terrific performances, and multi-layered, intertextual references… a show not to be missed."
– Sunday​ ​Business​ ​Post
"Chekhov on LSD"
– The​ ​Irish​ ​Times
"An Epic Theatrical Blockbuster Comedy... a hilarious, intertextual, comedy cocktail suffused with almost every flavour imaginable. Referencing King Lear, Chekhov, and Agatha Christie, to name but a few, along with seventy shades of whatever you’re having yourself, this metaphysical psychodrama, full of madness, mystery, and mayhem, overflows with wild, whimsical wonder. it’s a show not to be missed"
– The​ ​Arts​ ​Review
"Collapsing Horse prides itself on making work for a diverse audience without compromising on craft, intensity or ingenuity – with this brilliant production they have done just that"
– The​ ​Daily Mail
"With Colley and Quinn leading their dedicated, talented casts, Collapsing Horse is claiming this strange and wonderful space... Taking the audience to unexpectedly real places in the midst of playful surreality. Trusting the clash between comedy and tragedy takes time, practice, and confidence... an intoxicating vintage indeed."
– The​ ​Reviews​ ​Hub
"A madcap comedy that will have you in stitches"
– The​ Mirror
"a beautiful and complex piece of art...intriguing characters and a rich script that is both hilarious and dark [...] a portrait of the vile, the ridiculous and the pathetic. These are humans teetering on the edge and about to fall off."
- headstuff.org
"a magical flourish... genius. This feels like new ground for directors Quinn and Dan Colley, who mingle the contemporary displays of Jack Phelan’s roguish audio-visuals with the olden fleur-de-lis interiors of Sarah Bacon’s set, all for the mischief of postmodern pastiche"
– Exeunt
– Gallery
– Sign Up
Join the Collapsing Horse Mailing List for tickets, company, and
performance news
*All fields are required