Play

"I’m gonna tell you a story. Well three stories. One life. Mine...A wind blows. It’s freezing. It howls and screams. Whipping up a frenzy. You can feel it in your f***ing bones turning your blood to ice. But I don’t think the people around me even notice. After all, it’s the May Fair."
Nicky Flood is in big trouble. His nightclub is haemorrhaging money and his younger brother is missing. As he attempts to save his brother and his livelihood, he begins to tell a dark personal history.
Written and performed by Conor Clarke McGrath (Sex Education), Play is a pulse-pounding, electrifying and brutal monologue about trying to help the ones you love and f***ing everything up in the process.
What do you do when no one wants to dance?
Play follows nightclub owner Nicholas Flood across two timelines: 2025 and 2020. In the present day, Nicky learns that his nightclub, Play, is no longer financially viable, while his long-missing brother Richie briefly reappears before disappearing again. Speaking directly to the audience, Nicky delves into his past to describe moments where memory, guilt, and reality begin to blur. Think of it as a stand-up tragedy.
Conor Clarke McGrath is an independent theatre-maker from Cardiff. After having appeared on Netflix and created work for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, this is his debut tour.
Reviews for Stanley
'Perfectly executed.' (The Scotsman)
'A delightfully sensitive portrayal of a lonely man suffering the profound effects of social isolation, paranoia and undiagnosed mental illness...endearingly and sensitively told by McGrath. He knows how to use silence and mime to effect, but also understands the draw of quietly spoken words, and meticulously stylised annunciation.' (Broadway Baby)
'Challenging but rewarding study of one man’s withdrawal from the world...the connection you’ll feel is a powerful reward.' (The Wee Review)