''The Home Place'' is a play written by
Brian Friel
Brian Patrick Friel (c. 9 January 1929 – 2 October 2015) was an Irish dramatist, short story writer and founder of the Field Day Theatre Company. He had been considered one of the greatest living English-language dramatists. (subscription req ...
that first premiered at the
Gate
A gate or gateway is a point of entry to or from a space enclosed by walls. The word derived from old Norse "gat" meaning road or path; But other terms include ''yett and port''. The concept originally referred to the gap or hole in the wall ...
Theatre,
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
on 1 February 2005.
After a sold-out season at the Gate, it transferred to the Comedy Theatre (now
), in
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
's
West End, on 25 May 2005, where it won the 2005
Evening Standard Award
The ''Evening Standard'' Theatre Awards, established in 1955, are the oldest theatrical awards ceremony in the United Kingdom. They are presented annually for outstanding achievements in London Theatre, and are organised by the ''Evening Standa ...
for Best Play, and made its American premiere at the
Guthrie Theater
The Guthrie Theater, founded in 1963, is a center for theater performance, production, education, and professional training in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The concept of the theater was born in 1959 in a series of discussions between Sir Tyrone Gut ...
(
Minneapolis
Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...
,
MN) in September 2007.
Summary
The play is set in the summer of 1878 in the fictional village of
Ballybeg,
County Donegal
County Donegal ( ; ga, Contae Dhún na nGall) is a county of Ireland in the province of Ulster and in the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Donegal in the south of the county. It has also been known as County Tyrconne ...
, at the house ("The Lodge") of Christopher Gore, who lives with his son David, and their longtime housekeeper Margaret. Christopher is a widowed land-owner from England ("the home place" of Kent). Both he and his son David are in love with Margaret. Two guests are staying at The Lodge, Dr Richard Gore, Christopher's cousin, and Dr Gore's assistant, Perkins. Dr Gore is an anthropologist and is traveling throughout Ireland recording the physical characteristics of the locals.
Dr Gore's methods and racist hypotheses ignite animosity in the town, where a despised English landlord, Lord Lifford, was recently murdered. Christopher is caught in the middle between his cousin and his allegiance to the locals. The play runs the course of a single day in Ballybeg and centers on the resurgence of the
Home rule
Home rule is government of a colony, dependent country, or region by its own citizens. It is thus the power of a part (administrative division) of a state or an external dependent country to exercise such of the state's powers of governance wit ...
movement in Ireland. The Lifford killing is based on the actual murder of
William Clements, 3rd Earl of Leitrim
William Sydney Clements, 3rd Earl of Leitrim (15 October 1806 – 2 April 1878), was an Anglo-Irish nobleman and landlord notorious in Irish history for his mistreatment of his tenants. He was assassinated in the north of County Donegal in Irelan ...
in April 1878.
Characters
* Christopher Gore - Owner of The Lodge and a landlord in Ballybeg.
* David Gore - Son of Christopher.
* Dr. Richard Gore - Cousin of Christopher Gore, Anthropologist.
* Perkins - Assistant to Dr Gore.
* Lord Lifford - Local landlord, recently killed.
* Margaret O'Donnell - Head housekeeper at The Lodge.
* Clement O'Donnell - Father of Margaret, local schoolmaster and choir leader.
* Sally Cavanagh - housekeeper at The Lodge
* Con Doherty - local voice/leader of disapproval of Dr Gore's work
* Johnny MacLoone - local, strongman for Con
* Tommy Boyle - young local
* Maisie McLaughlin - young local
* Mary Sweeney - local
Original Cast
When the show first premiered, the original cast was:
The Home Place
. ''PlayographyIreland''. Irish Theatre Institute. irishplayography.com. Retrieved 2017-09-24.
* Christopher Gore - Tom Courtenay
Sir Thomas Daniel Courtenay (; born 25 February 1937) is an English actor. After studying at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Courtenay achieved prominence in the 1960s with a series of acclaimed film roles, including ''The Loneliness of t ...
* David Gore - Hugh O'Conor
Hugh O'Conor (born 19 April 1975) is an Irish actor, writer, director, and photographer. In 2020, he was listed as number 49 on ''The Irish Times'' list of Ireland's greatest film actors.
Career
His first film appearance was opposite Liam Neeso ...
* Dr. Richard Gore - Nick Dunning
Nick Dunning (born 1957 in London) is an English actor.
He is a well known theatre actor who attended RADA (Dip Hons) 1977, where he won the Ronson Prize for Most Promising Young Actor. He has appeared on stage in the West End in London and a ...
* Perkins - Pat Kinevane
* Margaret O'Donnell - Derbhle Crotty
Derbhle Crotty is an Irish actress. She was born in County Cavan, Ireland in 1968.
She studied law in UCD in the late 1980s joining Dramsoc and then pursued the performance course at the Samuel Beckett Centre, Trinity College Dublin.
She was a ...
* Clement O'Donnell - Barry McGovern
Barry McGovern (born 1948) is an Irish stage, film and television actor. He was educated at Castleknock College, Dublin.
Background
McGovern is a former member of the RTÉ Players and the Abbey Theatre Company. He has worked in theatre, film, r ...
* Sally Cavanagh - Laura Jane Laughlin
* Con Doherty - Adam Fergus
Adam Fergus is an Irish film, television and stage actor.
Early life
Born in Drogheda, County Louth and raised in the nearby village of Laytown, he is the son of a nurse and a recruitment specialist. He attended Clongowes College before going ...
* Johnny MacLoone - Michael Judd
* Tommy Boyle - Bill Ó Cléirigh / Kenneth McDonnell (alternated shows)
* Maisie McLaughlin - Leanna Duke / Ciara Lyons
* Mary Sweeney - Brenda Larby
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Home Place, The
2005 plays
Plays by Brian Friel