Damien’s musical tribute to Hume

Damien’s musical tribute to Hume

20 April 2022

A NEWCASTLE man is the creative force behind a new musical drama about the life of the late John Hume.

Damian Gorman had described his play, Beyond Belief: The Life and Mission of John Hume, as a “love story in several directions”.

Born and raised in Newcastle, the poet and writer now lives in north Wales but has retained close links with the area.

Set to go on stage at the Derry Playhouse from next March, the musical features the former SDLP leader and Nobel Prize winner in a way yet to be seen by audiences.

The production will mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement and will honour Mr Hume as one of its key architects.

Damien, a former international resident artist at the Theatre Peace-building Academy, has written the stage play with music provided by composer Brian O’Doherty. 

Beyond Belief will be the second part of a “peace-building trilogy” at the Playhouse, following on from The White Handkerchief, a play about the events of Bloody Sunday which was staged earlier this year.

Damien referred to Beyond Belief as a “proper leave-taking” for the Nobel laureate, who died on August 3, 2020. 

Explaining about the compelling interest in what the Foyle MP achieved in his lifetime, he added: “Other people have taken imaginative leaps in this part of the world but maybe not anyone who brought so many of us with him like John Hume.

“When I refer to Hume as a modern-day prophet, I mean he was somebody who was a bit in front of the rest of us when it came to creating space.

“His work was prophetic in that he showed us what the future could look like. 

“He told us, ‘Here’s what peace look likes and here’s how we might get there’. John Hume believed in a decent life for everyone and the right of people to have hope”.

Mr Hume’s widow, Pat, who died last year and was also active in the Civil Rights Movement, is also heavily featured in the story of her husband’s life.

“No story about the contribution John Hume made to peace would be without Pat, so in that sense it’s a love story,” added the poet.

“But it will  also look at his love for the city of Derry and for the people who live there, so it’s a love story in several directions.”

He added he hope the musical would give people a chance to say a “final farewell” to the couple.

The musical is directed by Kieran Griffiths and made with the support of the Hume family and the John and Pat Hume Foundation .

Damien toured Northern Ireland last year with a performance of his selected poems and memoir, As If I Cared.

He is currently a Fellow of the Oxford Initiative for Global Ethics and Human Rights.

Beyond Belief: The Life and Mission of John Hume will run at Derry Playhouse from March 31 to April 7 next year. Tickets are available at derryplayhouse.co.uk.