Director’s Note: Mark Kilmurry, MCGUFFIN PARK
My wife Jacqui passed me Brook Turner’s wonderful account of the independent movement in his page turner Independents’ Day as the basis for something political regarding a play. I passed to Sam and we discussed how politics can make change in communities, though at what cost? Sam’s play focuses on local politics, which can be easier to identify with in terms of community engagement. Another touchstone was Bob Connelly’s clever documentary Rats in the Ranks.
We all vote for mayors and can have immediate access to them if we want, and many of us will have been at town meetings for whatever reason, witnessing the crucial decisions, the boring and the profound. Sam’s play explores politics but also looks at the wider implications concerned with relationships, friendships, corruption, and truth. This, all wrapped with a theatrical conceit, allows the audience and the players to meet somewhere between fiction and reality. As ever, it is a pleasure to stage a play by Sam O’Sullivan and this one has plenty to say about the times we live in, the reason for democracy and the struggle to remain true to oneself. The fact Sam does this with extraordinary insight and humour, creating characters we all know and love, is a testament to his great skill as a playwright. Enjoy.
Mark Kilmurry
Playing 18 Oct – 23 Nov, don’t miss the world premiere of MCGUFFIN PARK.