{"id":24271,"date":"2025-08-13T10:32:17","date_gmt":"2025-08-13T09:32:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/?p=24271"},"modified":"2025-08-13T10:32:17","modified_gmt":"2025-08-13T09:32:17","slug":"full-cast-announced-for-ulster-american-at-the-sanctuary-theatre","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/2025\/08\/full-cast-announced-for-ulster-american-at-the-sanctuary-theatre\/","title":{"rendered":"Full Cast Announced For Ulster American At The Sanctuary Theatre"},"content":{"rendered":"

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East Belfast theatre company Bright Umbrella has announced the full cast for its upcoming production of Ulster American by David Ireland, which will run from Tuesday, August 26 to Saturday, September 6, 2025 at The Sanctuary Theatre.<\/span><\/p>\n

Northern Irish actor James Boal will take on the role of Leigh Carver, an English theatre director whose ambition drives the central conflict in Ireland\u2019s dark satire. He\u2019ll be joined by Caroline Curran as Ruth Davenport and Andrew McClay as Jay Conway in a three-person cast exploring the volatile dynamics between identity, power, and art.<\/span><\/p>\n

James is known for his bold, character-driven performances across stage, screen and immersive theatre. He played Mother Superior in Trainspotting Live, Christy in The Lieutenant of Inishmore, and Slim in Cyprus Avenue during its 2024 run at Glasgow\u2019s Pavilion Theatre.<\/span><\/p>\n

Speaking about returning to David Ireland\u2019s work, James said: \u201cI\u2019m a huge fan of David\u2019s writing. His intense storytelling and razor-sharp dialogue. The hype around the play when it premiered in Edinburgh (where I live) was unreal, and when I read it I knew why.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

He added: \u201cI played Slim in Cyprus Avenue alongside David Hayman as Eric. Seeing David\u2019s play go to work on Scottish audiences was incredible, belly laughs to heartbreak in an instant. I have a feeling Ulster American is going to take Belfast audiences on that same intensely entertaining, unsettling and challenging wild ride.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Known for his work across theatre and audio drama, James has appeared in BBC radio productions, independent film, and both UK touring shows and Belfast-based performances.<\/span><\/p>\n

Reflecting on his character, he said: \u201cLeigh Carver is the director of his friend Ruth Davenport\u2019s play starring Oscar Award-winning actor Jay Conway. He\u2019s ambitious, he has dreams of running the National Theatre\u2026 but what is he prepared to say and do in order to make that dream a reality?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

This production marks James\u2019s first time performing at The Sanctuary Theatre. He commented: \u201cIt is a lovely and welcoming theatre. Most of all I\u2019m looking forward to doing this play for a Belfast audience.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

He described the play as \u201ca compelling heated debate about accountability, hypocrisy and political tensions, which is a brutally thrilling mess to see unfold. It\u2019s satirical, it speaks to a lot of our current issues and it presents a number of challenges that will no doubt have audiences talking long into the night.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Ulster American unfolds over the course of a single evening as three characters, an Oscar-winning American actor, a British director and a Northern Irish playwright, come together to discuss a new theatre production. What begins as a creative collaboration quickly spirals into confrontation, revealing uncomfortable truths and exposing the contradictions behind liberal ideals.<\/span><\/p>\n

Speaking earlier about staging the play in East Belfast, director Trevor Gill said: \u201cIt is a pleasure to stage Ulster American by David Ireland in East Belfast, where he is from. We have a very strong and experienced cast well capable of delivering what is a challenging script. David Ireland\u2019s work is a carefully crafted mixture of satire, shock and black humour. We can guarantee a memorable night at the theatre.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The play has gained a reputation for its sharp writing, graphic honesty, and disturbing commentary on privilege, consent, and cultural power. It has been described as \u201cbrutally funny\u201d and \u201cnot for the faint of heart\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

The script critiques performative liberalism, misogyny in creative spaces, and the commodification of identity. It contains very strong language, graphic violence, and references to sexual assault.<\/span><\/p>\n

Bright Umbrella Theatre Company, based at The Sanctuary Theatre, continues its commitment to socially relevant, high-quality productions with strong local connections. The production is part-funded by Belfast City Council and supports the company\u2019s wider programme of performance, education, and community engagement.<\/span><\/p>\n

Tickets for Ulster American at The Sanctuary Theatre are on sale now at<\/b> www.brightumbrella.co.uk<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

East Belfast theatre company Bright Umbrella has announced the full cast for its upcoming production of Ulster American by David Ireland, which will run from Tuesday, August 26 to Saturday, September 6, 2025 at The Sanctuary Theatre. Northern Irish actor James Boal will take on the role of Leigh Carver, an English theatre director whose … Continued<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[1881,1890,1886],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24271"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24271"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24271\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24273,"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24271\/revisions\/24273"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24271"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24271"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24271"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}