Mary Mary’s Last Dance


Produced and Devised by Púca Puppets

Mary Mary’s Last Dance is an adventurous new departure for Púca Puppets. An imaginative portrayal of the last night on earth of a vibrant 85-year old woman, this is the first Irish puppetry performance developed exclusively for adult audiences, and is a response to the dearth of Irish puppet theatre for adults. The performance was developed with the assistance of the Irish Museum of Modern Art’s Active Age group, who contributed their own recollections, dreams and songs in a series of workshops with Púca.

Through the skilful manipulation of hand-crafted puppets on an interactive set, Púca Puppets conjure up the vivacious world of Mary Mary, to the accompaniment of specially composed live music. Fantasy and reality become increasingly intertwined as Mary Mary is visited by people from her past, relives memories and entertains dreams. The result is both a poignant and an amusing celebration of life and of death – and of the indelible potency of memory and imagination.

Mary Mary’s reviews link to reviews

Performance Dates

2001:18-21 April Project Arts Centre, Junction 01 Festival and Balbriggan

2002: September Project Arts Centre
October Riverbank Arts Centre, Kildare and The Old Museum Arts centre
The Project Saturday Matinee was followed by a short film by Nino Tropiano which shows how the Active Age Group from The Irish Museum of Modern Art played a part in the making of the show.

Cast:

  • Concept and Realisation: Púca Puppets
  • Direction: Leticia Agudo
  • Manipulation: Helene Hugel & Niamh Lawlor
  • Music & sound effects: Liz Keller
  • Puppet and prop making : Hugel, Lawlor & Eimer Murphy
  • Set Design: Chisato Yoshimi
  • Set construction & gadgets: Ray Duffy
  • Lighting Design: Nick McCall
  • Lighting Op: Sinead McKenna
  • Administration: Alan Gallagher
  • Graphic Design: Margaret Lonergan
  • Memories & Dreams: Eileen Kennedy & the Irish Museum of Modern Art’s Active Age Group

Thank you: Tyrone Guthrie Centre, Eileen Kennedy, Mamo McDonald of the Older Women’s Network, Catherine Marshall, Helen O’Donoghue, Anne Davern and Terry O’Farrell of the Irish Museum of Modern Art. IMMA’s Active Age Group – Rose Nugent, Margaret Nolan, Michael Brennan, Joan Brennan, Phylis McGuirk, May Mc Gibney, Annie Delgarno, Teresa Egan, Jean Brady, Nora Ryan and John Kenny, Eithne Lawlor, Joan Cassidy, Raymond & all at Barabbas, Trevor Scott and Miriam Lambert, Mr. John McCormick, Margaret Lonergan, Gerry & Eithne Lawlor, Mr. Liam Carson, Ms. Ann Leahy & Catherine Rose of Age & Opportunity, Ms. Pamela Whitaker of Age Action Ireland, Nino Tropiano, Margot Jones, Helen Blackhurst, Declan Flaherty, Nancy Murphy.