Specky Clark Oona Doherty
Co-produced and presented by Dublin Dance Festival and the Abbey Theatre
Irish Premiere
Northern Ireland / France
A young boy dances as if in a Francis Bacon painting. On Samhain. Full of Grief.
Wed 14—Sat 17 May 2025
Rooted in Irish folklore and her personal family history, visionary choreographer Oona Doherty returns to Dublin Dance Festival and the Abbey stage with her new show, Specky Clark.
Price
€15 – €42 (concession rates available)
How long?
60 minutes (no interval)
Spoken text with surtitles. View more information about Accessible Performances.
This production contains smoke, theatrical haze, gun shot sounds and thematic references to violence and death.
From the show
Watch
"Oona Doherty’s ‘Specky Clark’ is a surreal, darkly comic journey"
The Financial Times
An unflinching blend of fiction and biography where myth and reality overlap, Specky Clark traces the journey of Oona's great-great-grandfather as he arrives in Belfast. Lifting the veil on a Halloween night, nine international dancers breathe life into this powerful narrative that unfolds through a series of striking theatrical images.
For Oona, there is a raw and personal connection to the vulnerability of the flesh. Her father worked in the city’s abattoir, while her mother’s family ran a butcher’s shop in the heart of Belfast. Walls are built from grief, and walls built a hard man. Poor Specky.
With music by Maxime Fraisse, incorporating both new and existing tracks from the award-winning contemporary Irish folk band Lankum, Specky Clark brings together an outstanding creative team that includes set designer Sabine Dargent and lighting designer John Gunning.
Dive deeper with a candid Lunchtime Talk with Oona Doherty
Join Oona Doherty for a relaxed and engaging lunchtime talk on Thurs 15 May, 12:30pm. Hear from this trailblazing artist about her choreographic practice, her career, her inspiration and of course, her latest work Specky Clark. This event is part of Interspaces, a special series of inspirational workshops and discussions for Dublin Dance Festival’s 21st Edition.
Credits
- Choreography, Writing & Direction Oona Doherty in collaboration with the cast
- Performers Diarmuid Amstrong, Maëva Berthelot, Malick Cissé, Tom Grand Mourcel, Gerard Headley, Clay Koonar, Gennaro Lauro, Michael McEvoy, Erin O’Reilly, Faith Pendergast
- Music Lankum, Cantu Tenore Gavino Murgia, and featuring David Holmes & Raven Violet
- Composition & Sound Design Maxime Jerry Fraisse
- Lighting Design John Gunning
- Set Design Sabine Dargent
- Costume Design Darius Dolatyari-Dolatdoust in collaboration with Constance Tabourga, assisted by Aela Bristiel, Lena Manin, Paul Escamez, Ambre Beylier, Meryl Degez, Christina Clerisse
- Rehearsal Director Solene Weinachter
- Audio Cast Louise Conaghan, Janie Doherty, Sam Finnegan, Stephen Rea, Garry Rowntree
- Engineer Juliette Pierangelo & Jessie Chalumeau
- Film & Photography Luca Truffarelli
- Surtitles Nadir Bouassria in collaboration with Maxime Jerry Fraisse
- Mentor & Dramaturgy Enda Walsh
Co-production: Ballet Preljocaj / CCN Aix- en-Provence (FR), Dublin Dance Festival & The Abbey Theatre (IE), Sadler’s Wells London (UK), Kampnagel Hambourg (DE), Festspielhaus St. Pölten (AU), Théâtre de la Ville Paris (FR), Tanz Köln (DE), MC2: Grenoble (FR), CCN-Ballet national de Marseille (FR)
Residencies: Ballet Preljocaj / CCN Aix- en-Provence, KLAP-Maison pour la Danse Marseille,
CCN-Ballet national de Marseille (accueil studio)
