Christ Deliver Us!
Thomas Kilroy
2010 • Gallery Press
Christ Deliver Us […] transposes Frank Wedekind’s notorious ‘children’s tragedy’ from fin-de-siècle Germany to the equally repressive atmosphere of Ireland immediately after World War II. In and around a Catholic Diocesan College and an Industrial School for ‘difficult’ boys Thomas Kilroy explores and exposes the uncertainties and frustrations of sexual blossoming, the pressures exerted by parents and teachers – in particular ordained teachers – who forfeit authority for power with its legacy of systematic bullying. As its characters respond to ‘whispers of hope and desires’ and an unquenchable wish to be free, this scathing drama, while hinting at the redeeming possibilities of love, asserts the extortionate price put on childhood by both Church and State.
— Gallery Press
Christ Deliver Us!
Thomas Kilroy
2010 • Gallery Press
Christ Deliver Us […] transposes Frank Wedekind’s notorious ‘children’s tragedy’ from fin-de-siècle Germany to the equally repressive atmosphere of Ireland immediately after World War II. In and around a Catholic Diocesan College and an Industrial School for ‘difficult’ boys Thomas Kilroy explores and exposes the uncertainties and frustrations of sexual blossoming, the pressures exerted by parents and teachers – in particular ordained teachers – who forfeit authority for power with its legacy of systematic bullying. As its characters respond to ‘whispers of hope and desires’ and an unquenchable wish to be free, this scathing drama, while hinting at the redeeming possibilities of love, asserts the extortionate price put on childhood by both Church and State.
— Gallery Press
Description
This is Thomas Kilroy’s tenth play. It is based on the German play Frühlings Erwachen / Spring Awakening by Frank Wedekind (1891), and was commissioned by the Abbey Theatre
Excerpts
Interviews
Reviews
- Fintan Walsh, Irish Theatre Magazine
- Peter Crawley, The Irish Times
- Helen Meany, The Guardian
- Colin Murphy, for The Independent
- Liam Murphy, The Munster Express
Video
- NUIG: Interview with Thomas Kilroy
- APAC: Interview with Thomas Kilroy 2013
- Irish Writers Ctr: Thomas Kilroy Reads at the Irish Writers Centre
- Abbey Theatre: The Theatre of Memory Symposium - A Family Of Memories
- Abbey Theatre: Christ Deliver Us! Promotional Video
