STAG Nights: After Hours

Festival Director: Zac Simmons

STAG Nights: After Hours | 19th-21st November 2017 | QMU

Poster designed by Harry Penrhyn Jones

Trailer

Night One

Nick and Nina

In the private visiting room of a minimum security Scottish prison, a fraught long-term friendship reaches its breaking point. Nick and Nina have been best friends since they were children, but now in their mid-twenties, life has gotten in the way - with the world constantly changing around them, how were they supposed to keep up? Neither knows that the other is struggling, and choose to cling to an image of their friend which is long outdated, until Nick’s sudden arrest forces them to confront each other, finally bringing to light the cracks which have been slowly widening in their friendship.

Lock In

Andy’s family pub is about to shut down, he’s failed to move with the times and it’s lost that last bit of charm that made it a local treasure. It’s a Friday night, the place is dead – except for their one loyal regular, Andy’s son’s pals and the barmaid. Reminiscing about the great times they’ve had there that they don’t want to see end, Andy decides to host one last lock in, - a couple of friends, an unlimited supply of drink, what could go wrong? A whole lot.

Listuckft

Being stuck in a lift together can be quite the conversation starter, but what happens if you don't share a common language? Suddenly, simple questions like: "What's your name?"; "Why are you here?" And "what do you think about Donald Trump?" become much harder to pull off. Human conversation is reduced to a puzzle, the solution of which being a chat. Listuckft, is a play about awkward silences, a desperate game of charades and two people with stories to tell.

Night Two

Hours to Kill

An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. Those who have committed the sin of murder should surely consider their own lives defunct, or should they? In a murky room, three strangers who’ve taken another life are thrown in a room together and are told that After Hours they will be dead. But still, you’ve got to laugh, don’t you? From 10 to 12, this Dark Comedy will explore the lives of three ne’er do wells watching them go from squabbling in the dark to bonding over shared tragedy, whiling away the hours until the clock strikes 12.

Who Put Bella in the Wych Elm?

is a 20 minute one person show exploring the memory of Russell, a father desperately trying to piece together the warning signs surrounding his son, Dean. As Dean’s behaviour begins to worsen, Russell's neglect to interfere with his increasingly alienated son, begins to have horrific, inhuman, consequences for the pair... and the community at large. How far can a parent’s love be tested? And how can one forgive their own child if the world no longer sees them as human? As Russell soon learns, sometimes you can't. You just can't.

These Hazy Things

After a tragic event in their life, Flint and Madeline find Ghost on their doorstep. They take him in and try to learn where he came from, who he is, and in the process learn more about how to put the pieces of their life back together. A story about loss and how we choose to remember, this is a touching urban fable, a charming physical comedy that will warm your heart on a cold, dark, night.

Night Three

STEVEN

Steven is a truly unremarkable human. He has no special talents, no interesting profession, nothing that would make him stand out from a crowd. That is, until he wakes up one morning to discover his life is being narrated by a disembodied voice – and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Trapped in what seems to be an endless cycle of death and rebirth, Steven just wants to figure out what the hell is going on in this whacky as heck world.

Edward J. Faitres

Thirty years ago, a broke, vulnerable couple joined the enigmatic, charismatic Edward J. Faitres and his followers to set up a commune. Now, the cult is a well-established, powerful foundation, and their daughter Mary has been brought in for an introductory 'motivational interview' with cult member Amber to try indoctrinate her as well - but Mary has come ready to confront Edward for ruining her and her parents' life.

The Madagascan Chaffinch

A comedy so black, it’s Noir. Paul MacLane is a private invetisgator, a detective so hard-boiled, that if you put him in a salad, I guess you’d break your teeth on, um - I don’t know, this analogy’s got out of hand. An ordinary case spirals out of control and MacLane becomes embroiled in a conspiracy to uncover an ancient treasure. The Maltese Falcon crossed with The Naked Gun on a STAG budget. Enjoy.

PS. Not actually a black comedy at all.