Another side of Derry told in a Play – the story of Street Drinkers!
This afternoon I was very fortunate to catch the 4pm showing of the short play, ‘Every Bottle Has a Story to Tell’ at The Old Library Trust in Creggan, Derry. The play is a short drama taken from the book of the same name. It is a collection of writings by The Foyle Haven Arts Collective.
This story gives us a real insight into the street drinkers of Derry City. At present the city is alive with colour and activity with it’s City of Culture status 2013. However this gave us the chance to see another side of the city. One which many of us choose to ignore. We walk past these people on a regular basis and never stop to give them a second thought. That has all changed!
Thanks to The Foyle Haven Arts Collective and Felicity McCall we are now made to realise that behind each of these people there IS a story. They did not choose to live this life. They are real people and are at war with the bottle.
Aoidh Barber wrote this short piece and he tells us at the end today that the voice in this play is his. This is his experience and he felt the need to share it. Aoidh was that young man looking into the Foyle!
As the drama was unfolding I took a quick look around the audience. Some had their hands over their mouths, others had such a solemn expression on their faces. Personally I had a tear in my eye and emotion was running high.
The Mayor of Derry spoke very highly of the production and clearly enjoyed it. A standing ovation was very well earned. Well done to each and everyone involved.