Did you know that every 31 Hours someone takes their own life by jumping in front of a train, and out of these people they are ten times more likely to be a man than a woman? 31 Hours dissects the different reasons, stories and journeys that cause people to end their lives in this way, told from the perspective of four men who clean up the railways after these incidents.
“31 Hours” is the story of four men who clean up after rail suicides. It is a story of four men at work. Four men at home. Four men dealing with their own lives. Their own problems. Dealing with them in their own way. On their own. Silently. It is a story of four men failing to talk.
Under the direction of the talented Nuala Donnelly, Pintsized Productions brings Kieran Knowles’ poignant play about mental health to the fore at a time when it is particularly relevant to audiences.
On the minuscule stage upstairs in Belfast’s The American Bar, Matthew Blaney, Richard McFerran, Rob Crawford and Jonny Everett hurtle through this incredibly physical performance with a surprising amount of stillness. In amongst the hustle and bustle of the movement of the men on stage there is an intensity that shines through and the juxtaposition really packs a punch.
Dressed in bright orange hi-vis outfits we learn more about these men’s lives over the course of 80 minutes, as well as the lives of some people who will go on to commit suicide, and it quickly become clear that they all have something in common: they don’t talk about their problems. With only a head torch each as a prop, all the action is portrayed through the dialogue used – for a play about not talking the irony isn’t lost on the audience.
To find out more information you can follow Pintsized Productions on Facebook here, or you can catch 31 Hours at the following locations:
Mon 12th Aug 7.30pm at The American Bar
Wed 14th 7pm at Cuan Mhuire Newry
Thurs 15th Aug 7.30pm at Strand Arts Centre
Fri 16th Aug 7.30pm at SOLITUDE, Cliftonville F.C. Social Club.
