Abbey Theatre

And for all of us, Walter, you have rather a special feature in this cast tonight, CB.

Two players from the world-famous Abbey Theatre of Dublin.

Sarah Allgood and Murino Herr.

Well, I spent only a few years there, Mr.

And Dublin, we had no idea what that was gonna be like.

The cast also had concerns, with many of them actually having played the Abbey Theatre in Dublin previously in their careers.

It's pretty good, that.

I almost, there was a wor- I almost, I found that there was a worry from me there's, they might find it...

It just reinforces the idea of a, of a universal story, I think, of human kindness.

[upbeat music]

So there you have it, the story of the little musical that grew from a Canadian workshop performance, to having its European premiere at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin, Ireland, before hopping over to the beautiful Phoenix Theatre in London's West End, where it opened to five-star reviews on its way to picking up four Olivier Awards, including Best New Musical.

Join us for the next episode, when we give you a front row seat to Come From Away's launch party at the Canadian Embassy in London, and find out why the team behind the show thought it was so important to have the European journey announced there.

The show's UK producers, John Brandt and Joe Smith, were next up to say something, with the anticipation in the room growing with every minute passed.

As the musical Come From Away continues sold-out, record-breaking engagements on Broadway and in Canada, with a 60-city North American tour opening in Seattle tonight, Come From Away will make its European premiere at the Abbey Theatre Dublin this December, before opening at the Phoenix Theatre in the West End in January 2019.

Written by Irene Sandhoff and David Hine, This multi-award winning musical, Come From Away, tells the remarkable true story of 7,000 stranded air passengers from all over the world and the small towns in Newfoundland that welcomed them into their lives.

As John said, three stories really form the heart of what happened over those five days.

I didn't go to Blindboy.

Blindboy has a play in the Abbey Theatre-

Yes

... um, based on all his short stories, and it's part of, like, a Dublin theater festival.

I was coming out of the Abbey, actually, a play a few months ago, last winter.

And there were three or four women with babies in prams and they were all huddled down in the car park close by to the Abbey Theatre.

I have spoken to so many people involved in charities over the years.

Unfortunately, the situation appears to be getting worse.

A new play by Owen Quinn is opening on the Peacock Stage at the Abbey Theatre next week as part of the Dublin Theatre Festival.

It's set in a large, dilapidated Georgian house which has gone through many lives and holds many memories for those who inhabited it.

I'm delighted to say the director, Clare O'Reilly, along with Oliver Flitcroft, who plays the young tech bro who wants to throw the chandelier in the skip, and Galia Conroy, who provides the role of the reader, reading out the stage directions as though it's a rehearsal of a play – blurring those lines between reality and the theatrical are all joining me and you're all very welcome to Arena.

So that is this episode of the Dublin Story Slam podcast.

If you want to see eight heroes in action live on stage on the Abbey Theatre, then make sure you grab your ticket while you can for the annual Grand Slam.

So it's taking place in the Abbey Theatre on October 25th.

The theme of the evening is fear.

Tickets are on sale now.