Blood Red Lines (Play) – London, February 2023 (2021-2023)

About this event

BLOOD RED LINES is a powerful and poignant piece of verbatim theatre, that brought standing ovations when it played in Belfast, Dublin, London and venues along the Irish border (2012- 2023). Participants share their personal stories of some of the very worst of the violence committed as a direct result of the Border, and for the first time, the impact of the violence in Dublin is acknowledged. First developed by Rae while an international artist-in-residence at Derry Playhouse, as part of the Peace Process, the play has been waiting for an opportunity to resurface post-pandemic. Art27 and the cast feel passionately that the play presents an important perspective that needs to be heard at a time when the threat to the Good Friday Agreement posed by the failure of the negotiations between the EU and the British Government could have terrifying consequences for Border communities. One of the participant’s stories, Mary Casey, whose father was murdered in an IRA bomb attack on a Border Customs post, was taken into negotiations by Leo Varadkar and is acknowledged to have been the deciding factor in securing the backstop. The play features three new songs by the musician and peace activist, Tommy Sands. In line with Art27’s commitment to Cultural Rights, the plays include the first languages of the participants, presented with sub-titles for English-speaking audiences.