A comedy about a man who literally fell apart

A comedy about a man who literally fell apart

14 February 2018

TINDERBOX Theatre Company has produced a musical comedy dealing with the profound theme of mental health in Northern Ireland.

The Man Who Fell to Pieces is written and directed by Tinderbox’s artistic director, Patrick J O’Reilly and stars a number of Northern Ireland’s leading actors, including Shaun Blaney, from Downpatrick, Roisin Gallagher, Maria Connolly and Patrick Buchanan. 

This event is part of EdgeFest, a three-week festival of explosive new theatre by leading theatre companies.

A powerful story that celebrates what it means to be human, The Man Who Fell To Pieces is about John, who is falling apart — literally.

He spends days holding himself together with tape, cling film and DIY tools. He keeps his traumatic experiences to himself even though Caroline, his partner, knows that something is not quite right.

When John does eventually fall apart, Caroline pops him into a suitcase and travels around Belfast trying to work out how to put his life back together.

As part of its regional tour, The Man Who Fell to pieces will stop off at Down Arts Centre on February 23 at 8pm. It has already played to a week of sell-out audiences at The Mac and received excellent feedback.

With a 25 per cent higher prevalence of mental health problems in Northern Ireland as opposed to England, Tinderbox’s aim is to illuminate the mental health crisis here.

They believe access to creativity and imagination has a direct impact on mental health and that studies are now backing this up.

After taking over as artistic director of Tinderbox in 2016, O’Reilly (Here We Lie, Famla, What We’re Made of) has been working on this project since 2011, and it is based on his own mental health experiences. 

He said: “The Man Who Fell To Pieces explores my personal struggle in dealing with depression and the immense power of the imagination to not only deal with the complexities of life but celebrate the beauty and fragility of being human. 

“This ground-breaking musical comedy, dealing with the profound themes of mental health in Northern Ireland, will inspire, entertain and more importantly shine a light on strength and hope.”

Tickets at £12/£10 concession for the Downpatrick performance on February 23 at 8pm are available from Down Arts Centre on 

028 4461 0747.

As part of a shared education programme a performance of this play will also take place in St Malachy’s High School Castlewellan, on the morning of Friday, February 23,  for year 11 students from St Malachy’s and Shimna College.