Festa: Little Gem by Elaine Murphy, directed by David Cullinane

Festa: Little Gem by Elaine Murphy, directed by David Cullinane

In this uplifting jewel of a play, three generations of Dublin women recount the thrills and spills of family life over the course of a tumultuous year.

Party girl Amber (Clodagh Donnelly) has a rumble in her stomach that the sambucas won’t get rid of while her boyfriend wants nothing more than to escape to Australia. Lorraine, Amber's obsessive-compulsive mother (Anne Delaney), attempts to de-stress with salsa classes only to attract the attention of a hairy fancier. And Kay, the grandmother (Bredha Sexton), toys with the meaning of pleasure while she looks after her dying husband, Gem. To complicate matters, Little Gem arrives on the scene, changing the women’s lives forever.

Elaine Murphy’s play Little Gem premiered at The Dublin Fringe Festival in 2008 and played to packed audiences during its sellout run. It won the Fishamble New Writing Award and received a nomination for Best New Play at the Irish Times Theatre Awards before transferring to Edinburgh’s Traverse Theatre where it won the 2009 Carol Tambor Best of Edinburgh Award.



“A deservedly huge hit” – Irish Independent


“Take no chances – beg, borrow or steal a ticket while you still can” - British Theatre Guide


“Refreshingly contemporary” – The Irish Times