Derry theatre remembers lives lost to the Troubles and Covid-19

A socially distanced audience will sit among objects recalling Northern Ireland’s prolonged conflict and the pandemic in a piece about mourning

In a verse dedicated to his aunt, the Irish poet Seamus Heaney wrote of a “sunlit absence”. That striking image of loss has now directly inspired a theatre production that will pay tribute to those who died during the Troubles in Northern Ireland and during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Anything Can Happen 1972: Voices from the Heart of the Troubles is set to be staged at Derry Playhouse this autumn. The theatre usually seats 150 but social distancing means the vast majority of its red chairs will be left empty, with space for only 20 or so people. The Playhouse is inviting audiences to contribute significant objects or photographs that connect them to loved ones lost during the Troubles or the pandemic. These will be placed on the empty chairs around audience members and illuminated, creating a kind of spotlit absence. Kieran Griffiths, the director of the Playhouse, says this cross between installation and theatre production is also a way of “spotlighting our missing audiences and our theatre community in mourning”.

Anything Can Happen 1972: Voices from the Heart of the Troubles is part of the Peace IV Programme, funded by the EU, to support peace and reconciliation.

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