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The night was a true success story for Queens Drama Centre as writer and director are promising students, lighting, sound and cast were similarly made up of past and present students. The collaboration showcased the cream of Queens’ crop, as the opening night was a full -house success.

Darran McCann’s first produced play solidifies his experience and expertise as a creative writer.

His story examines the subjective flexibility of the moral spectrum in a modern Ireland, and the grey areas of good and evil are perfectly characterised in the main character of Dominic. He uses the confessional as a narrative device to reveal Dominic’s nature freely and subjectively. This decision allows the audience to understand and slightly feel for the character while abhorring his actions – remaining uncomfortable all the time, and somewhat guilty themselves.

The writer’s dry humour comes across as much in the play as it does upon meeting him. He has truly imbued the tale with a part of himself which director Richard Lavery has acutely and expertly built upon. The direction allows the story - which is set over twenty or so years – to flow effectively as light and set design compliment the temporal transitions perfectly.

Although the narrative backbone is Dominic’s story and search for redemption, the play portrays some of the hypocrisies of our modern Ireland - secularisation, power, wealth, exploitation of immigrants, and entrepreneurial violence balance with the traditional Irish device of the confession. On both levels the audience at the ends of the play need to take a moment to ask where did it all go wrong?

I caught up with the cast and crew before their opening night to chat about the production. The relaxed atmosphere of the QST and the excited buzz must have left the cast slightly intoxicated as they agreed to tell me their deepest confessions. Listen to them here…

The show is being finalised to compete with student productions all around the UK in the NSDF live student performance festival 2009, It also successfully applied for funding from the Northern Ireland centre for Entrepreneurship, an achievement that examples the production’s ability, and allowed the realisation of the director’s vision.