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‘An Triail’ is based in 1964.  Here are some comparisons between life in 1964 and in the 21^st century.

• Fertility Rate: 4.01 in 1964 in comparison to 2.01 in 2012.
• Amount of births outside marriage: <10% in 1964 in comparison to >30% in 2012.
• Less than 10% of working women in 1964 were married.  In the 60’s when a woman who worked as a civil servant married she had to give up her job.
• There were twice as many men in comparison to women in rural Ireland in 1964 due to emigration.
• In the 1990 Virgin Megastore in Dublin were fined £500 for selling condoms.
• In 1999 the Irish government spent £500,000 on a marketing campaign for condoms.

An Triail – ‘Nóinín i measc na neantóg’ (A daisy amongst nettles)

The 1964 Damer production of ‘An Triail’ differs greatly to that of Fíbín’s depiction.  Fíbín use masks, puppets and and Commédia dell’Arte to depict the life of single mother Máire Ní Chathasaigh.

Society has undergone numerous social and cultural changes since 1964.  Fíbín is a distinctive and inventive drama company and provides the audience with a new-age take of Máiréad Ní Ghráda’s ‘An Triail’.  They want to inspire the audience with their new objective production rather than teach them a lesson.

• The Catholic Church was at the height of power in the 50s and 60s in Ireland and influenced every aspect of everyone’s lives.
• Not only were Catholics expected to attend Mass every Sunday and confession on a regular basis Priests took it upon themselves to criticise and condemn people who they thought were not fulfilling their Catholic duties from the pulpit.  In many areas social events such as céilís and dances were organised by the local priest in order to keep an eye on what the young men and women were getting up to.
• The State and the Church worked together to maintain a moral Catholic ideology in Ireland. Young people’s, especially women’s, choices were considerably narrowed because of this.
• The role of the woman was to marry and have children or to join the nuns.  Many emigrants re-located to England and the United States of America to obtain some freedom.
• Therefore, it is clear that it was an almighty sin for a young girl to fall pregnant outside wedlock.  The mother was expected to stay at home with her family and be the centre of religious belief for her husband and children.
• The man was supposed to be the charge while the woman was supposed to serve him at home or in the convent.  The single mother disrupted this reigning vision.
• A social revolution occurred shortly after the first production of ‘An Triail’.  Although the ‘Magdalene Laundries continued into the 80s  attitudes in relation to sex changed.  Women were also given more independence due to the work of the Women’s Civil Rights movement.

Máiréad Ní Ghráda was a writer very much influenced by Bertolt Brecht.  She wrote ‘An Triail’ in the style of Brecht.

Why did she do this and who was Bertolt Brecht?

• Bertolt Brecht was one of the most important theorists and writers in the history of world drama.
• He was born in Germany and lived from 1898 to 1956.
• He was a socialist and believed that where drama was concerned it should be revolutionary and generate debate.
• He developed the theory of ‘Epic Theatre’, which placed emphasis on the lessons to be learnt from drama.
• Brecht inspired the audience to deeply contemplate the subject matter during the drama.
• He developed the alienation technique known as ‘Verfremsdungeffekt’.  Actors usually work on creating a connection with the audience.  One of the main aspect’s of this technique is that the character is of no importance.  All emphasis is placed on the subject of debate created by the drama.
• Brecht used stereotypes to tell a moral story because of this.
• Live shows such as ‘Cabaret’ which were popular in Berlin in the 20’s had a big influence on him.
• He decided to use song and dance in his dramas’.
• Brecht’s plays contained many short scenes and loads of characters.
• He discussed a lot of current socialist questions in his plays.
• Máiréad Ní Ghráda stayed loyal to Brecht’s ideology when she wrote ‘An Triail’.  Fíbín develops this further using masks, Comedia dell’Arte, puppets and multimedia in their production.

Seo a leanas eolas cabhrach do dhaltaí a bheidh ag freastal ar an dráma “An Triail” le Máiréad Ní Ghráda.

Is dúshlán mór é ‘An Triail’ a chur stáitse mar gheall ar an stíl inár scríobhadh é. Bhí tionchar mór ag an drámadóir cáiliúil, Bertolt Brecht, ar an scríbhneoir, Mairéad Ní Ghráda. Tá go leor radharc agus carachtar sa dráma agus téann an ghníomhaíocht ó shuíomh amháin go suíomh eile an t-am ar fad. Dá bhrí sin, d’athraigh an stiúrthóir atá ag obair le Fíbín, Brendan Murray, ord reatha na radharc agus ghearr sé amach an radharc faoistine uilig. Shíl sé nach raibh sé riachtanach agus go moillíonn sé an ghníomhaíocht sa dráma. Chomh maith leis sin, ghearr sé amach codanna den script i radhairc éagsúla eile, aon rud a shíl sé nár chuidigh le scéal an dráma a ghluaiseacht chun cinn.

Toisc go bhfuil an méid sin carachtar in ‘A Triail’, agus nach bhfuil ach ceathrar aisteoirí sa chliar, tá ceithre nó cúig ról ag gach aisteoir, seachas an príomhaisteoir Kate Finegan, a ghlacann an príomhról, Máire. Baineann Fíbín leas as puipéid chomh maith chun na mioncharachtair a léirmhíniú.

Tugann sé seo éagsúlacht shuimiúil don léiriúchán agus de bhrí go bhfuil an scéal chomh trom agus brónach, glacann na haisteoirí gach deis sa dráma chun greann an scéil a léiriú. Oibríonn Fíbín sa stíl Commedia dell’Arte, le maisc agus gluaiseachtaí greannmhara, chun faoiseamh a thabhairt don lucht féachana ón bpríomhscéal sa dráma, atá fíorthrom agus casta.

Le linn aon chleachtaidh drámaíochta, ní mór don stiúrthóir cinneadh a dhéanamh, in éineacht leis na haisteoirí maidir le stíl agus cur chuige an léiriúcháin. Bheadh sé róchostasach aisteoirí a úsáid i ngach aon ról i ndráma mar seo.

D’infheistigh Fíbín i scáileán speisialta a tháinig ó Albain chun puipéadóireacht scátha a chur i bhfeidhm le linn ‘An Triail’ chomh maith.

Tugann sé gné phictiúrlainne don léiriúchán, atá difriúil agus siamsúil. Is í Máire an t-aon charachtar amháin a léirmhínítear i stíl aisteoireachta nádúrtha, agus í ag bualadh le carachtair steiréitipiciúla.

Mar gheall air sin, is amhlaidh go bhfuil an íomhá go hiomlán cosúil le brionglóid uafásach.

Tá meascán d’íomhánna ildisciplíneacha sa seó, agus is cinnte go mbainfidh lucht féachana óg an-taitneamh as. Bígí ag faire amach do na hathruithe atá déanta ag Fíbín don script bhunúsach agus déan iad a phlé i ndiaidh an dráma. Ba chóir go mbeadh sé an-chabhrach sa rang!