Queen's County is the work on offer from Crooked House's young Irish ensemble in Kildare Youth Theatre. They received support from the Arts Council's Young Ensembles Scheme to collaborate with theatre-maker Peter Hussey to devise this work. The performance unfolds in three thematic fields. One theme is driven by the narrative, and features a young man trying to manage depression. We meet him on a train journey through Laois, en route back to Heuston from Electric Picnic. The second reality is woven into the narrative and is expressed through movement and image. It concerns the plantation of Laois and Offaly and is part of an exploration of colonisation. The third thematic thread is visual, aural and shared in the music and certain recurring motifs. It seeks to explore the last 6o seconds of synaptic activity in the human brain, imagining what might occur right before death. All strands come together in the narrative and in the main character. Featuring Se�n Dowse, Ali Eaton,Charlie Farrell-Hughes, Peter Mc Hale,Doug Morrison, Kim Morrison, Cian � N�raigh, NarodShahinian, and Colin Smyth. 40 young international artists. 4 established theatre makers. 4 new plays. Four European theatres who work with young people have come together to create work for this unique festival in Dublin. Hosted by Crooked House, Ragaire presents 4 different shows that give a flavour of the range and diversity in contemporary youth theatre in Europe.
