Owen McCafferty’s Death of a Comedian to premiere at the Lyric Theatre

A new play by Belfast’s critically acclaimed Owen McCafferty will have its world premiere at the Lyric Theatre. Death of a Comedian, a powerful and deliciously dark comic story about the price of success in the world of stand-up comedy, will run from February 7 until March 1 at the Lyric Theatre before taking to the stage in Dublin and London.

Brian Doherty (Casualty, Law and Order and Raw) is Steve Johnston, a standup comedian on the cusp of success who could gain everything he wants, but may lose everything he has.

Set across 4 separate stand-up gigs Brian is joined on the Danske Bank stage by his girlfriend played by actress Katie McGuinness ( Doctors, Inspector Lewis and Hotel Babylon) and his agent played by Shaun Dingwell (Breathless, Agatha Christie: Poirot, and Doctor Who).

Death of a Comedian will be Owen McCafferty’s first new work at the Lyric Theatre since his appointment as the theatre’s artist in residence in September. 

Executive Producer Jimmy Fay said, “Any new work by Owen is a cause for celebration, and we’re particularly excited that Death of a Comedian will be premiered in his home town before moving on to Dublin and London. 

“It’s a fantastic piece that’s genuinely funny, but which also highlights some uncomfortable truths about the price of success that society demands, and I think people will be really captivated by the story.  We’re also delighted to be working in collaboration with Soho Theatre and Abbey Theatre, particularly as we’ll also be co-producing Seán O’Casey’s The Shadow of a Gunman with the Abbey Theatre later in 2015”.

Death of a Comedian runs on the Danske Bank Stage at the Lyric Theatre from February 7 to March 1 (previews on February 7, 8, 10 and 11).  Tickets, which range from £10 - £24.50, can be booked online at www.lyrictheatre.co.uk or through the box office on 028 90381081.

To book contact the Lyric box office on 028 9038 1081 or online http://www.lyrictheatre.co.uk/whats-on/specific/on-stage/death-of-a-comedian

For further press information or images please contact:Finola Guinnane or Lyn Sheridan at Aiken PRT – 028 90 629904E- Finola@aikenpr.com 

Notes to Editors:

• Owen McCafferty has a celebrated catalogue of plays including Shoot The Crow, Mojo Mickybo, Scenes from the Big Picture and most recently for the Lyric Theatre, The Absence of Women. He has won the Meyer-Whitworth, John Whiting and Evening Standard Awards for New Playwriting.  His play Quietly, commissioned and produced by the Abbey Theatre and performed at the Lyric Theatre and Soho Theatre as well as the Abbey Theatre, was hailed as a must-see show at the 2013 Edinburgh Festival Fringe and sold out at the Traverse Theatre during its three week run. It was critically acclaimed by the international media and went on to win four prestigious awards – Best Play at The Writers’ Guild Awards 2013, a Fringe First Award at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Best Actor for Patrick O’Kane at the Stage Awards for Acting Excellence, and Best Performance for Patrick O’Kane at the UK Theatre Awards. His play Unfaithful has just finished a run at this year’s Edinburgh Festival.

• Steve Marmion is Artistic Director of Soho Theatre, during which time he has directed the critically acclaimed and Verity Bargate Award-winning play The One, Address Unknown based on the epistolary book by Kathrine Kressmann Taylor and Anthony Nielson’s Realism. Prior to joining Soho Theatre in 2010, Steve Marmion directed Macbeth for Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre and Dick Whittington for the Lyric Hammersmith.  In 2009 he directed the highly successful production of Edward Gant's Amazing Feats of Loneliness for Headlong Theatre which received rave reviews at Soho Theatre and in 2008 he had three critically praised successes with Vincent River in New York, Only the Brave in Edinburgh and Metropolis in Bath. He also transferred Rupert Goold’s Macbeth onto Broadway. He has worked with the National Theatre, RSC, in the West End, on Broadway, at the Royal Court, Lyric Hammersmith, Theatre Royal Plymouth, Theatre Royal Bath, Watford Palace Theatre, Sherman Theatre Cardiff and Edinburgh Festival.

• The Lyric Theatre is generously funded by the Department of Culture, Arts & Leisure, the Arts Council of Northern Ireland and Belfast City Council. Other supporters of the capital project include Northern Bank, Coca-Cola, The Irish News, Ulster Bank, Titanic Quarter and Gilbert-Ash NI.

• The Lyric Theatre’s main auditorium is proudly supported by Danske Bank. Housed in the main auditorium of the new theatre, the Danske Bank Stage is at the heart of this iconic landmark building. There are 389 seats in a single tiered rake, allowing audiences to enjoy the same unique sense of intimacy with the actors on stage that was one of the most successful characteristics of the old theatre.

• All Danske Bank card holders are entitled to 20% discount off tickets for all shows on the Danske Bank Stage.

• Full details of the new season and the theatre’s Creative Learning department can be found at www.lyrictheatre.co.uk