We are delighted to welcome Bombinate Theatre to the Civic for the first time with Half Light, a show for children ages 8+ and adults of all ages. We had a chat with the director Molly Molumby to find out more about the show and this new exciting theatre company!
Can you tell us a bit about your background in the arts?
Sure thing! I’m a director and writer, based in Dublin. I studied Drama at Trinity College and following that, I trained in Drama Facilitation with Youth Theatre Ireland. I am particularly interested in making work for and with, children and young people.
Where did the idea of the story come from?
The play is devised by Bombinate Theatre and the cast. Half Light grew out of a frustration that there were not many stories exploring mental health on the Irish stage. Many plays that did explore mental health, left you feeling sad and disheartened when they ended. We wanted to make a play which would be uplifting, encouraging people to talk about mental health and their understanding of the play after seeing it. In this play Robin goes on a quest through a magical forest to save his father, from what the woodland dwellers believe to be ‘a mysterious monster.’ We’ve left the exact meaning of the monster deliberately ambiguous, so that people can make have their own understanding of it. We were also frustrated that children are often left out of conversations surrounding mental health awareness, when this can affect them too, be it directly or indirectly. Families who come see the show are invited to talk to their children about their understanding of the monster and different themes in the play.
What is the key message you want your audience to come away with after seeing Half Light?
It’s ok not to be ok. If something is upsetting you, or you sense someone else might be upset, it’s good to talk to them. ‘Monsters’ are never as scary as they first appear.
What age groups is the show designed for?
Children aged 8+, and adults of all ages!
Tell us a bit more about Bombinate Theatre Company, how did that come about?
After presenting Half Light at Dublin Fringe 2016, four of the core team members came together to form the company. We had all studied Drama at Trinity together and had worked on a few different pieces during our time together at college. We wanted to continue to make work as a group and were particularly interested in theatre for young audiences. We decided to call ourselves Bombinate, after the word which means to make a humming or buzzing sound. Our plays aim to encourage children to make noise, to get creative and to stay on their own buzz!
Can you tell us a little bit about the characters in Half Light? There’s lots of fun characters in the show. The main character is Robin, a ten year old boy who loves stories, chocolate cake and going for walks with his dad. Robin is transported into the magical woodland world of his father’s story books, where he meets lots of fun characters like Crow, the Will-o-the-Wisps, Party Singers and an inn keeper, who might not be as friendly as she first appears. All of the characters in the show are performed by four very talented cast members. They’ve co-devised the script and have composed all of the music in the play. They double up as many different characters and perform all music and sound effects live on stage.
Are you looking forward to coming to the Civic?
We’re so excited to come to the Civic. It’s a fantastic theatre, with very friendly staff!
There will be accessible shows including an Irish Sign Language interpreted performance and an audio described and captioned one – how important do you feel it is for every person to have access to theatre?
We think it’s extremely important that everyone has access to theatre – children and grown-ups alike! We’re delighted to be presenting these accessible performances, with support from Arts and Disability Ireland and The Arts Council.
What can the audience expect from the show?
Pine trees, catchy tunes and buckets of laughs!
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Half Light
Monday 12th & Tuesday 13th March
