The Freedom of the City

To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Northern Ireland’s Civil Rights March “Bloody Sunday,” the Irish Repertory Theater of Tallahassee presents Tony Award-winning Irish playwright Brian Friel’s “The Freedom of the City.”  Originally writing before “Bloody Sunday” took place, but then inspired to revise his play afterward, Friel set his story of three protestors in Derry, Northern Ireland. The play interprets events surrounding their shooting by British soldiers on Jan. 30, 1972. While fleeing tear gas and water cannons, three civil rights demonstrators — Michael, Lily, and Skinner — accidentally stumble into the mayor’s office.  Awed by the luxury of the room, they drink, joke, and chat, unaware that the police and British Army have surrounded the building on the pretext that armed terrorists have plotted to occupy it.  This real-time action plays out alongside a later British government inquiry.   The cast includes Erika Stone, Robert Stuart, and Duncan Hoehn. Performances October 21-22, 7:30pm October 23, 2pm, October 28-29, 7:30pm, October 30, 2pm at FSU’s Augusta Conradi Studio Theatre.  Parking in the St. Augustine Garage (FSU PG5) on the corner of S. Macomb St. and St. Augustine St., outside the Civic Center.