Sean Walsh

The Reckoning

A PLAY IN TWO ACTS/PARTS:

An insider piece: set in a friary in Dublin, Ireland, in the late 60’s.

A play centred on friars living in community – in poverty, chastity and obedience – in the immediate aftermath of Vatican Two but before the effects of that Council have really begun to take effect… Inside the cloister, behind closed doors.

STORY LINE:

The status quo is shaken when one of the brethren disappears overnight; a young priest goes AWL… Word of his sudden departure quickly circulates among the other friars: worry… speculation… finally, consternation – the search for Xavier ends when it is established beyond doubt that he is in London and cohabiting with a female…

• A search that gives rise, in turn, to a searching of hearts…

I finished Mark One – the first draft – of what was for me a magnum opus at the end of October… Right the way through that month I wrote reams, gradually building  Act Two.

There were times I did not know where I was going, what was coming down the tracks… Most unusually for me, I had a clear idea/vision of the ending; working towards that singing finale – not leaving anything out, leaving nothing to chance – took days and nights – hours on end – of trial and error, writing, rewriting, deleting, editing…

So what have we got here, eh? To  be honest, I’m not quite sure. Stage play? Perhaps. I set out to write it for theatre many moons ago; hence stage directions etc. Now… the more I visualize it, the more I reckon (pardon the pun!) it is film, cinema – or perhaps TV drama?

That it is a powerful play, I have no doubt: the result of blood, sweat and tears; hours on end of angst, agonizing, inner searching… Any wonder I backed off, put it to one side, shelved it… kicking to touch… turning to other, less demanding, projects?..

Behold Yours Truly! An ancient Celtic Scribe in search of a market… literary agent… mentor… one who will give ear to his rich, Hiberno English while objectively analysing his script… advising him… what way to go…

The title of a play I wrote for radio several years ago – recorded and broadcast on RTE One – and in a German translation on WDR, Cologne, and Swiss Radio – comes to mind:

Where Do We Go from Here, My Lovely?.