Love and Information

Final Year BA Theatre and Drama Studies Performance

Cork School of Music, Munster Technological University

“It’s virtual and it’s great”
Love and Information

                     Click the link to book your ticket - events.cit.ie                                                                     

Love and Information, performed by the final year ensemble of the MTU CSM BA in Theatre & Drama Studies, written by renowned playwright Caryl Churchill, will be streamed live from the MTU Cork School of Music Stack Theatre from Tuesday February 23rd to Saturday 27th February.

As Munster Technological University’s first theatre production, Love and Information will be available to stream directly to your home – in Cork, in Ireland, or anywhere else in the world.

This production merges traditional theatre with new technology to deliver a ground-breaking show against all odds; working within lockdown restrictions Love and Information is being filmed both in the Stack Theatre and by the students themselves in their own homes. Taking inspiration from the age we live in, director Regina Crowley has reflected our new digital way of living back to us in this unique collaboration between the tangible and the virtual. The resilience, endurance and determination of these talented students has ensured that Love and Information will overcome the current obstacles we all face, and shown that in Munster Technological University, the show will go on.

“Limitations are the mother of creativity”, adds director Regina Crowley.

"At the beginning of this process this large group of heavily restricted locked down young people were at risk of being deflated by the current circumstances. I convinced them to buy into the staging of this off beat, challenging play and to be open to a new and ever changing way of producing it. A group of 27 students in total, including 5 interns, bought into this new way of making and poured heart and soul into the process. All have grown in the doing and have found abilities they did not know they had. The agreement was that when obstacles were thrown in the way the team would figure out a way forward. In September, and indeed even in December, the idea that some actors would be performing in a play in the Stack Theatre from their living room, bathroom or bedroom was unthinkable. When faced with a problem, the team agreed to play with the problem rather than battle their way forward and found creative alternatives when needed. Scenes were reimagined to have an actor on Zoom interacting with their scene partner in the Stack, and in one particular scene the two performers perform from home and appear on large screens in the Stack. Masks were used and restaging managed to ensure all were compliant with restrictions."

Particular credit goes to both director Regina Crowley, MTU CSM lecturer in Theatre & Drama studies, and designer Aoife Cahill, MTU CSM AV, (who is also filming the project). Regina and Aoife have worked together closely from the outset and found inventive and creative approaches to working within these extreme limitations. As production plans progressed, they found their collective vision sharpened and became enriched. In these potentially colourless times a conscious decision was made to turn this production into a riot of colour and playfulness and to make a space that celebrates creativity and exploration.

The show has been a huge learning curve for all. So many students are at present struggling to stay motivated and engaged, not only in their learning life but also in their social lives. These students were forced to find a way of overcoming so many obstacles and in so doing have thrived in a very difficult situation.

Churchill's play provokes us to think about the ways we make sense of our universe and our place within it. Best described as a sharp-minded tender-hearted play that celebrates the role of love and information in the life of Everyman, this show in the hands of the final year students of Theatre & Drama in MTU Cork School of Music becomes a celebration of creativity in the winter of our COVID crisis!

Directed by Regina Crowley, Set design and lighting design by Aoife Cahill, Costume design by Valentina Gambardella, Broadcast Technician Joe Keniry, Sound design by Cormac O’Connor.

Tickets €10/€6 conc. Book here: https://events.cit.ie/events

For more information, visit the MTU Cork School of Music website, or contact Ciara Hayes (producer) on 087 6525694 | ciaramehayes@gmail.com