About the Show

A secluded artist, a mysterious death, and a true crime podcast stir up secrets in West Cork.

In Nancy Harris’s play, "The Beacon," renowned artist Beiv retreats to a secluded island off West Cork, escaping rumors of her shadowy past. Her peace is shattered when her estranged son Colm and his new wife arrive, seeking answers about his father's mysterious death. As a true crime podcast stirs up old accusations, the island's inhabitants are drawn into a web of secrets and differing interpretations.

This compelling drama explores the cost of prying into the past and the search for truth amidst the shadows.

Critic Reviews (9)

"4/5 Stars! Mulgrew is sensational as Beiv, a battle-axe and self-described 'ferociously selfish mother,' who places her bohemian urges above all else."
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"Harris' play is only five years old...it belongs to a venerable strain of theater-making"
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"...the play asks us to consider how we interpret what we see and how we fill in blanks"
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“an incisive account of tragedy and the collateral damage it causes across time.”
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"Mulgrew has a five-minute setting-the-table solo and it's excruciating."
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full of pretty views but short on dramatic tension
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Truly a work of art.
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"There’s an old-fashioned craftsmanship...one of the finest dramas of the year."
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Cast and creative team

Irish Repertory Theatre

Producer

Nancy Harris

Playwright

Marc Atkinson Borrull

Director