Amid the Clouds ran successfully in Dublin last May and is now on national tour. The play is by Iranian poet, playwright and filmmaker Amir Reza Koohestani. It puts a human face on the experiences of people who must leave their country of origin due to famine, war, economic hardship, religious or social oppression to have a better life. Directions Out Theatre and Pop Up Theatre are producing the Irish premiere on national tour as the themes are very much part of the Irish debate on why we must help people from other countries looking to start a new life. It also is not too far removed from the historical Irish experience. Young people had to leave Ireland in the 1980s due to lack of job opportunities. We had the historical difficulties of people trying and failing to work the land throughout much of the 19th and early 20th Century. We also had the potato famine in the 19th Century where millions of Irish people had to seek a new life elsewhere.
In Koohestani’s play, a young unmarried pregnant woman wants a better life for herself and her baby. A young man, the sole survivor of a capsized boat, has lost his entire family as they try to escape the hardships back home.
This is a story for our times as migrants from conflicted international countries attempt to start a better life in Europe. The refugee issue is more than just an Irish crisis, it is a world crisis that everyone must face into.
The notices for the original production in Dublin in 2025 were extremely positive, Muraed Hughes of Dublin City FM said, ‘’ If you enjoy plays that balance introspection with emotional depth, this one would be highly recommended.’’
Since 2014, Directions Out Theatre has built its reputation as producer of small and medium scale professional productions. In 2023 it created Pop Up Theatre to allow talented educated people from multi-ethnic and non-privileged backgrounds who have graduated from the Inchicore College, Collaistes Dhulaigh and the Liberties College as well as the Stanislavski Studio Dublin to showcase their work in acting and design. A number of those involved are starting to make inroads into the Irish Theatre industry. Jack Humphrys, a lighting designer, who only left college 3 years ago has just been snapped up by The Gate Theatre in Dublin.
We have also established Ireland’s first dedicated multi-ethnic theatre ensemble with Pop Up Theatre. Amid the Clouds features graduates of the Stanislavski Studio Seroosh Salimi and Louise Benghazi who are both the grown up children of families who migrated to Europe in the 1990s.
Getting news coverage for the work can be difficult. The mainstream Irish media will only give coverage if you take expensive ads out on their platforms. That means significant productions and emerging talent do not get the coverage they deserve. To pay for ads and mainstream media can only happen if the Arts Council funding is available. Only 14% of applicants receive funding.
In 2024 the Arts Council ran a conference for people of colour to air their grievances for lack of funding opportunities. It was little more than a marketing exercise for the Arts Council as their policy criteria for funding says in the small print of the application that you have to pay yourself properly. That requires private income or private sponsorship. If you cannot provide proof of that then your application is eliminated. So, the only people who get the funding are those already in privilege. In a recent online discussion for the theatre community, conducted by Irish Theatre Institute, an actor of colour said he had no platform in which to express his voice.
There is a perception in the theatre community that no one is allowed to challenge or criticise for fear of being isolated. It forces an unhappy artistic community into silence. There is a perception is that Arts Council policy is designed to keep the majority of people out and to look after the privileged few.
It is unfortunate for many serious artists who are not funded that mainstream media only respond to them if they generate income for them. Art has become secondary to making money. That completely misses the point of serious art. The Greeks created theatre to help people reflect on their lives, find private and societal resolution to personal and public conflicts. If theatre is done well, it can bond a community to do the right thing collectively.
There will be a Question and Answer discussion after the show in Dublin and in Galway with members of the Refugee Council and other relevant organisations and individuals.
Amid the Clouds is produced and directed by veteran director Joe Devlin.
Tour starts Civic Theatre in Tallaght for 3 performances Thurs 12th, Fri 13, Sat 14th March before going on Tour to Wexford Arts Centre 19th March, Town Hall Theatre Galway 24th March, and An Tain Theatre Dundalk 25th March.
More info at:
www.civictheatre.ie/whats-on/amid-the-clouds
