TILT
by Ailis Ni Riain

"My two big bruised brothers... I love you both so much, you know..."

A sister searches her brothers for empathy and for answers to her family's self-destruction. A beautifully simple debut play by a severely talented new playwright.

First Staged:

Open Eye Gallery Liverpool, 17-21 April 2007
The Granary Theatre Cork, 24-28 April 2007
The Citizens' Theatre Glasgow, 1-5 May 2007

Reviews:

"In 'Tilt', her first play, pianist and composer Ailis Ni Riain has slanted her view of domestic violence and child abuse so that the remembering voices of three siblings seem to run from the top of a family incline to the bottom. Their reminiscenses, touched off in an almost light-hearted sequence of recall, tell a familiar story, in a tone more of astonishment or sadness, than of anger. Where the telling darkens - especially in the outbursts of Aidan O'Hare as Olan - the panic is momentary; it is as if the re-telling is an assurance that nothing lasts forever, except perhaps the tenderness of the children's relationship with one another. In this Granary Theatre co-production with Liverpool's New Works, director Graeme Maley has chosen to give one of the male roles to Hannah Burke. This means that we do not see the play as written or even, perhaps, as intended, but it also means that we see an excellent actress at work. All three, with Rachel O'Shea as the leading voice, present a compelling ensemble". The voices are orchestrated, the exchanges brittle and punctuated occasionally by unlikely adjectival excess, as if a melodic line were to counterbalance the staccato. What emerges is a sense of the sweetness of a shared victimhood, created with such delicate intensity that it feels as if the audience itself is holding its breath.
� The Irish Times

"A startlingly confident new Irish play premiered at The Granary Theatre on Tuesday night in a co-production with Liverpool's New Works Theatre Company. Debut playwright Ailis Ni Riain has hit the ground running with a strong theatrical sense which is informed by contemporary styles of writing that mix naturalistic speech into a stranger sort of brew... Director Graeme Maley brings an uncanny stillness to the production, not leaving us off the hook for any of the play's undoubted pain. It is a sombre play, in keeping with the material being explored. Physically, the production is very sparse. Yet the sense of exploration is very energetic. This comes in part from three strong performances from Hannah Burke, Aidan O'Hare and Rachel O' Shea. But it also derives from the interesting way that language is used in the play. It is most effective when the three voices become a kind of choir, finishing each other's sentences. O'Hare has a nerve-shattered edginess, Hannah Burke looks like a wounded bird - damaged beyond repair - and Rachel O'Shea is determined to survive the destruction. Ni Riain never preaches or wastes time hitting the obvious dramatic targets... Very much integral to the piece is Brian Docherty's sound design which well serves this rewarding work".
� Cork Evening Echo