Are you Lonesome West tonight?
READING’S longest-producing theatre is examining life in Ireland with its latest production, The Lonesome West.
Written by Martin McDonagh, the play follows two brothers, Coleman and Valene, as they recoil from the death of their father.
As they struggle to come to terms with the reality of the incident, they begin to find it impossible to coexist.
Arguments over Tayto crisps and dogs without ears escalate, turning sibling rivalry into unbridled animosity.
Coleman will be played by Damien Passmore, Valene by Progress regular Paul Gittus, Father Welsh by Adam Wells, and Girleen by Imogen Lilley.
The play is one of a trilogy by McDonagh which also includes The Beauty Queen of Leenane and A Skull in Connemara.
The Lonesome West is showing at Progress Theatre, The Mount, from FridaySaturday, March 3 to 11.
Tickets are available via: progresstheatre.co.uk/2023the-lonesome-west
Progress features a number of accessible show dates, including socially distanced performances.
Relaxed performances are adapted to make provisions for families with young children and people with physical or special needs.
This includes a relaxed attitude to audience noise, adaptations to the production to reduce anxiety and sensory stimuli.
It also holds Come As You Are nights, which feature earlier opening times and space to change for trans, non-binary, or gender non-conforming people who can feel excluded or unsafe in certain public spaces.
Progress Theatre will see the rest of the season out with productions of Moira Buffini’s Dinner, Sandi Toksvig’s Silver Lining, and a performance of Twelfth Night for its annual open air event in the Abbey Ruins.
■ Tickets and information about The Welkin can be found via: progresstheatre.co.uk
■ Information about inclusive performances can be found via: progresstheatre.co.uk/ accessibility