Scabs | Theatre Upstairs | The Irish Literary Times | Scoop.it

The centenary of the 1913 Dublin Lockout continues to be portrayed on the Irish stage in a way in which the historical industrial dispute draws an inescapable allegory with events in recent Irish history. Having previously featured as part of 10 Days in Dublin, Naomi Elsters' Scabs is given another staging in Theatre Upstairs.

While Anne Matthews’ monologue-driven Lockout thoroughly explored the role of women during the 1913 Lockout and the courageous leadership shown by both James Larkin and James Connolly, Naomi Elster's Scabs is, by comparison, a one-act play in which loyalties are tested and eventually, severed in the most cruel and brutal fashion imaginable. The action focuses on the Casey-O'Kelly's, a young Dublin couple with one young child of ill health, and their uncompromising stance against Audeon Kelly's (Rob Harrington) employer.