Four Plays by Charabanc Theatre Company: Reinventing Woman's Work

The Charabanc Theatre Company played a major role in Northern Ireland's theatrical renaissance during the 1980s. Charabanc was formed by five out-of-work Belfast actresses (Marie Jones, Maureen Macaulay, Eleanor Methven, Carol Moore, Brenda Winter) who first collected stories and then collaborated in writing and performing highly original plays for enthusiastic audiences. From 1983 to 1995, the company toured twenty-tour productions extensively throughout Ireland and the world, spreading their own particular brand of exuberant, dark humour. The four plays in this collection - "Now You're Talking" (1985), "Gold in the Streets" (1986), "The Girls in the Big Picture" (1986), and "Somewhere Over the Balcony" (1987) - represent the creative high point of the company. These entertaining plays show the broad range of the company's work: portraits of urban and rural women; early, mid-, and late twentieth century settings, and various social, religious, historical political, or personal relatio..