Female writers look to a future Belfast

As part of the Lyric Theatre’s Listen at the Lyric programme, the third and final piece in the series of audio plays, entitled 2050 Under the Albert Clock, has been released.
By Julie-Ann Spence
Published 13th Nov 2020, 09:04 BST
top - Emily DeDakis, Sarah Gordon, Gina Donnelly; bottom - Alice Malseed, Fionnuala Kennedytop - Emily DeDakis, Sarah Gordon, Gina Donnelly; bottom - Alice Malseed, Fionnuala Kennedy
top - Emily DeDakis, Sarah Gordon, Gina Donnelly; bottom - Alice Malseed, Fionnuala Kennedy

‘2050 Under the Albert Clock’ is a series of monologues that is available online until November 23.

These monologues are set in a Belfast of the future and showcase some of Northern Ireland’s most dynamic female writers.

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The Garden of Remembrance, written by Emily Dedakis asks “What do we do when we stop doing the patriarchy?”. It’s 2050. Yonic architecture is in. Phallic buildings around the globe are banned. Some towers are torn down; others are moved to a special place where the past can live safely. Then a cult starts to rise around the garden - but are they haters or worshippers? A US southerner living in Belfast explores the messy game of moving on from an oppressive past.

Maybe If We’d Stayed Angry written by Gina Donnelly is set on a crucial day in Northern Ireland’s future as a woman has a conversation with a headstone.

Occupied by Sarah Gordon tells the story of Maureen, who is too old to be hiding in toilets, but she’s not going out there in two odd shoes. Locked in a toilet stall, trapped by her memories, she can’t afford to mess today up. She knows she must confront the present if she wants to escape the past.

In A Guide to Becoming a Martyr by Fionnuala Kennedy Erin has been monitoring it all.

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Day in, day out, she jumps to the demands of Belfast’s councillors bickering over what side is getting what. She sees how poverty and mental health are taking a back seat to petty politics that make the headlines. She’s terrified of the danger and sectarianism this divide and conquer method inspires. So, she decides to take actions into her own hands, do something to remind everyone what we never want to go back to. Erin’s solution: blow up the Albert clock. 

In Haven by Alice Malseed Julia has always dreamed of a better Belfast. She wants the heart beat of our city to be beautiful and strong. One night, when a property developer comes to her bar, she’s forced to explore just how far she’ll go to protect her city and her belief in social justice.

Listen to the monologues online at http://bit.ly/ListenTo2050

Related topics:BelfastNorthern IrelandGarden of Remembrance