Skip to main content
1973

The Freedom of the City

Written by Brian Friel

Play Details

Context

Artistic Director
Oscar Lewenstein

Dates Performed

Tuesday 27th February 1973
Jerwood Theatre Downstairs

Play Details

Synopsis

A tense Guildhall in Derry, Northern Ireland, 1970, where the lines between peaceful protest and violent conflict blur in the fog of civil unrest.

Three ordinary citizens – Skinner, a cynical young man, Lily, a weary middle-aged mother, and Michael, an idealistic civil rights supporter – accidentally find themselves barricaded inside the Mayor’s parlor after a chaotic protest. As British forces surround the building, mistakenly believing them to be armed insurgents, the trio grapple with their newfound position of power and the realities of their working-class lives.

Friel’s powerful play shifts between the unfolding crisis, imagined inquests, and moments of surreal comedy as the characters confront their own motivations and the larger societal forces at work. Through their interactions and revelations, the playwright examines themes of class struggle, political violence, and the manipulation of truth in times of conflict. As the situation escalates towards its inevitable tragic conclusion, The Freedom of the City offers a searing critique of how institutions and media narratives can distort reality and dehumanise individuals caught in the crossfire of history.

Director(s)

Albert Finney

Cast & Creative

Cast

Peter Adair

Cast

David Atkinson

Cast

Raymond Campbell

Cast

Basil Dignam

Cast

Peter Fyre

Cast

Matthew Guiness

Cast

Catherine Harding

Cast

Louis Haslar

Cast

Nicholas Llewellyn

Cast

Alex McCrindle

Cast

Carmel McSharry

Cast

Anthony Nash

Cast

Michael O'Hagan

Cast

Stephen Rea

Cast

George Shane

Designer

Douglas Heap

Costume

Harriet Geddes

You may also like...

The Ferryman

The Ferryman

2017

Jez Butterworth

The Crucible

The Crucible

1956

Arthur Miller

The Weir

The Weir

1997

Conor McPherson

Want to read the script?

 

Visit the Royal Court bookshop