As part of the Autumn Season of Drama on Newstalk, producer Dónal Ó Donnabháin and director Tristan Rosenstock are proud to bring The Blood of Squirrels by Gabriel Rosenstock to the airwaves.
The Blood of Squirrels is a 45-minute radio play exploring degrees of attraction and detraction experienced by three couples in their 40s who find themselves thrown together in a holiday camp in France. The Galway couple are latter-day Druids. Their daughter is an apprentice Druid. Another couple comes from Dublin 4 and the ancient ways practiced by the Druids repel the man, while the woman is seduced by the mystic elements. The last couple are an Englishman and a Cork woman. There is magic in the air, literally, and suspense intensifies as we try to figure out how benign or otherwise this magic actually is.
Dramatic tension rises and falls and dry humour shares the stage with bloody druidic rituals. These rituals create an ambience which allows for a questioning of reality and identity. While the three couples feel like they will have little in common, we see them gradually realise that each of them has much to learn about old methods and ways, and in some cases they are in dire need of holistic help. Whether an herbal cure for a mosquito bite, or a virility boost, we hear the characters display a sincere curiosity about natural and alternative druidic healing methods.
But at the heart of the play are relationships; relationships between each of the married couples, between all three couples, and characters having their true colours revealed to them. Infidelity also occurs with all three couples living in close proximity. But something more revealing is taking place; the encounter is not simply a physical one.
‘The Blood of Squirrels’will air on Newstalk 106-108fm on Saturday September 12th at 7am. Repeated Saturday September 12th at 10pm.
‘The Blood of Squirrels’was written by Gabriel Rosenstock, directed by Tristan Rosenstock and produced by Dónal Ó Donnabháin. The programme was funded with the TV License fee via the Sound and Vision Scheme, a BAI Initiative.
CAST
Marcus Lamb played Colm
Emer O'Carroll played Bríd
Clodagh Smith played Lasairfhiona
Patrick O'Donnell played Ken
Melissa Nolan played Emma
Cathal Quinn played Alan
Sinead O Riordan played Laura
Podcast available at: www.newstalk.com/documentaryonnewstalk after the broadcast.
