“If dancing is the alternative to language, has language been inadequate for these people? Has language failed these people? Has language betrayed these people?”

Quote

Related Manuscript

Has language failed these people?

The idea that words are not enough was something that followed Friel through his writing career, and informed many of his most well-known plays.

Related Manuscript

Michael's monologue

This draft of Michael’s opening/closing monologue from Dancing at Lughnasa (1990) features some of the ways in which Friel would annotate his notes.

Related Manuscript

the notion of something forbidden

In this note towards Dancing at Lughnasa (1990), Friel suggests that the ‘core’ of the play might be the expression of the uncelebrated or taboo through the medium of dance.

“At least it is a starting point. And all starting points are arbitrary – and then become an essence.” – Brian Friel

“Dancing as release and entrance to suppressed + almost forgotten truths” – Brian Friel

The Creative Process

Running the ending (work in progress)

In this video clip taken from a Dance House residency in May 2019, Robbie Blake and Jessie Keenan try out Robbie’s new score for ‘Running the Ending’ for the first time.