THE Irish premiere of a play by Academy Award winning writer and director Terry George — long resident in the US — is set for the Belfast's Lyric Theatre later this month.
Brassneck Theatre Company is presenting The Tunnel which made its stage debut four decades ago in New York at the Irish Arts Center. This major new production will run during the mammoth West Belfast Féile an Phobail from Thursday July 31 to Saturday August 16. It marks the first time in 40 years that the play will be brought to the stage and the first time it has ever been performed in Ireland.
The play takes us back to the turmoil of 'Troubles' in 1976 when the widespread violence of the early 70s had evolved into a brutal stalemate between all warring factions. The IRA opted for a “long war” strategy while the British government set out on what would be their most ill-fated policy – criminalization.
In Long Kesh prison camp, thousands of loyalists and republicans faced endless years in crowded Nissan huts. Political allegiances vied with personal animosities and war-weariness creating a powder keg of anger. For many serving decades-long sentences, escape was the only answer. The Tunnel is a gripping, often harrowing, sometimes hilarious journey into a place that shaped the history of these islands.
Written in 1986, the Tunnel marked the first collaboration between Terry George and Jim Sheridan who directed and starred in the IAC production. Pulitzer Prize winner Frank McCourt (Angela’s Ashes) and Ciaran O’Reilly, founder of New York’s renowned Irish Rep. Theater were among the cast. The New York Times review noted that The Tunnel “transcends its historical circumstances to become a downbeat reflection on the futility and waste of war.” While legendary Village Voice theatre critic Robert Massa said “Events are both surprising and well laid. Anger and despair alternate with comedy and sweet music … full of sharp details neatly contrasted.”
Terry George and Jim Sheridan went on to collaborate on three films: In the Name of the Father, Some Mother’s Son, and The Boxer. Between them they have 11 Oscar nominations, including George’s Oscar win for his local short film The Shore (below).
Immediately after The Tunnel’s New York production, George moved into the Film and Television world, and The Tunnel went into his ‘to do’ drawer. “Now”, says Terry George, “thanks to Brassneck, Féile 25 and the Lyric Theatre, I have the honour and thrill of bringing The Tunnel to its home territory, and to direct it myself, with an amazing local cast of truly brilliant actors.
"I think a vital part of art is to take people deep into dramatic events and hopefully educate, enlighten and entertain them. I’ve spent my career trying to do that, and it all began with The Tunnel. Now to see it come to life again 40 years late in my hometown with a cast and crew that truly understand its soul is incredibly meaningful. Belfast shaped this story, and I can think of no better place to tell it. I hope the play will spark conversation and reflection not only about our past but also about the choices people are forced to make in impossible circumstances. There is pain and cruelty in this story but there is also humour, courage and humanity.”
The new production of The Tunnel features an exceptional cast: Chris Corrigan, Andy Docherty, Vincent Higgins, Cillian Lenaghan, Marty McCann, Ciaran Nolan and Oisin Thompson.
Martin McCann said: “It is an honour to bring this story to the stage especially under Terry’s direction. He is a master at humanizing deeply political situations and its great to be working with him again.”
McCann who grew up in the Divis Flats area of West Belfast was discovered by Richard Attenborough and cast in Closing the Ring before going on to star in HBO’s The Pacific Killing Bono and the Netflix thriller Calibre. He has received numerous awards and nominations including a 2024 IFTA nomination for his powerful role in the BBC drama Blue Lights which went on to win Best Drama at the BAFTA Awards in 2025.
The cast also includes stage and screen talents Andy Doherty and Chris Corrigan who bring vivid life to the fractured dynamics and moral conflicts within the prison walls. Their performances promise to bring urgency and emotional weight to a play that tackles themes of identity sacrifice and the high cost of survival.
Brassneck Theatre Company’s Artistic Director Tony Devlin said: “We are incredibly proud to be staging The Tunnel in partnership with Seamus Productions and to be working alongside Terry George, a filmmaker and storyteller whose voice has resonated globally but whose heart has never left Belfast.
Tony added: “For our audiences, especially a new generation who may not have lived through these events, this play offers a visceral emotional connection to a past that continues to shape our present. We are honoured to give it the stage it deserves.”
