FAQ Sheet: Dancing at Lughnasa by Brian Friel
Directed by Michael O’Neill
Choreography by Ben Munisteri
Performance Dates: March 4, 5, 6, and 7, 2015
Venue: Williams Center for the Arts Main Theater
Important Character Contexts:
 The time is 1936. The place is outside the imaginary village of Ballybeg in County
Donegal, Ireland. [Ballybeg means “any town” in Irish.]
 Women often were considered a burden in the tough rural economy of Ireland, so a
family of five women, as in the play, faced poverty every minute of every day. These
characters are dirt poor. They accept it, but they aren’t very happy about it.
 To the Irish Father Jack would be a “spoiled priest,” a pejorative term that describes
an ordained Catholic priest who either quits the Church or is relieved of his duties by
the Church. His return from Africa in disgrace has repercussions for the family’s
reputation and its meager means of surviving.
 The family’s wireless radio—nicknamed “Marconi” in the play—should be thought
of in the way we might think of the latest, most advanced high-tech gadget on the
market.
 The Mundy sisters are practicing Catholics, but as rural Irish women, they also have
strong ties to the soil [mundus is Latin for earth or world], the changing seasons, and
celebrations, such as the August harvest feast of Lughnasadh, that are pagan traditions
that are very much a part of their culture.
About Dancing and Accents:
 Please note that all the characters must dance during the play EXCEPT Michael
Evans and Father Jack.
 Gerry Evans speaks with a Welsh accent.
 Michael Evans speaks with an Irish accent affected by twenty-five years of living in
England.
 The Mundy sisters and Father Jack speak with Irish accents.
Character Descriptions:
Kate Mundy: Kate, age 40, is the eldest of the Mundy sisters and behaves as a mother
figure as a result. As a schoolteacher, she is the only wage earner in the house, but her
reputation as 'The Gander' in the schoolroom is seen to extend into the household. She is a
fiercely devout Catholic, indicated by her distaste for the pagan practices at Lughnasa and
Jack's loss of faith. However, her sensitivity is evident throughout the play and through the
narratives provided by Michael, who claims she was "inconsolable" when Father Jack died.
Maggie Mundy: In place of a career, Maggie, who is 38, acts as the chief family
homemaker. Throughout the play she is revealed as serving a deeper purpose as the "joker"
of the family, defusing tensions as they arise. She cheekily challenges Kate's authority by
calling her "Kitty", while being her confidant at the same time. Once a rebellious young
woman, Maggie is seen to have dreams of her own when she learns of her best friend's
success. Her sudden quiet contemplation in her monologue is deeply contrasted with her
usual fun-loving ways.
Christina Mundy: At 26 years old, Chris is the youngest of the Mundy sisters, and, like
Maggie, has no paid job. Gerry Evans fathered her son, Michael, seven years ago and is seen
walking in and out of their lives as he chooses. As a result, Chris fluctuates between falling
into a deep depression when he leaves, yet being renewed with optimism that his next visit
will be a permanent stay. Her lack of income can lead Chris to be defensive on the
upbringing of her son, but she never speaks ill of Gerry in her son’s presence.
Rose Mundy: Rose is 32, but behaves much younger than her years, due to a developmental
disability. This condition makes her particularly vulnerable to an unseen character, Danny
Bradley, who Rose believes is in love with her. However, her sisters believe that Danny
Bradley is exploiting Rose's simple nature for his own gain. After disappearing overnight to
attend Lughnasadh, the traditional Celtic harvest celebration, Rose returns home in shock
from being raped. Rose is particularly close to her older sister, Agnes, with whom she knits
gloves to sell in the town. Of the sisters, Rose dances with the most abandon, and during the
dance in Act I, her movement transcends her mental disability and she becomes triumphant,
both the dancer and the dance. We learn through Michael's narrative that, after leaving home
with Agnes, Rose eventually dies in a hospice for the destitute in Southwark, London, in the
1950s.
Agnes Mundy: Agnes, age 35, is quiet and contemplative, knitting gloves with Rose while
also helping Maggie to keep the house in order. She appears to be silently infatuated with
Gerry and is quick to leap to his defense. Her knitting fails to support her when the knitting
factory opens in town. Due to her sense of parental regard for Rose and guilt over her
romantic feelings for Gerry, Agnes emigrates with Rose to London, breaking off all contact
with the family, and dies in dire circumstances in the 1950s.
Michael Evans: Portrayed as a young man, somewhere in his thirties, who recalls for us the
events of the summer of 1937 when he was seven years old. Michael does not physically
appear in his recreation of the past, but the other characters address spots on stage as if he
were present. During such moments, the adult Michael speaks his lines as a seven-year old
from his vantage point on stage. As a child, Michael is surrounded by love, since all five of
the sisters dote on him. As the play’s adult narrator, Michael not only dictates the action,
conjuring it up from his memory, but he also reveals the futures of the other characters in
the play. The question we will need to pursue with this character is crucial for the shape our
production will take: Why is he telling us this story?
Gerry Evans: Michael’s father, aged 33. Although Kate sees him as immoral for having left
Chris after fathering her illegitimate son, Gerry exudes charm and is genuinely affectionate
towards Chris. The young Michael adores him. Gerry must be agile and smooth, and as a
former ballroom dancer instructor, he dazzles the Mundy sisters with his fancy footwork. A
traveling gramophone salesman in the summer of 1936, Gerry always seeks adventure, and
tells the Mundy sisters he is leaving Ireland to fight in the Spanish Civil War against Franco.
As well as having romantic feelings for Chris, Gerry seems particularly inclined towards
Agnes, although the true state of their relationship remains something we will explore in
rehearsal. We learn later that Gerry secretly has another family back in Wales, and that all his
proposals of marriage to Christina have been false.
Father Jack: Jack is 53. He had left home as a young man to work as a missionary in a leper
colony in Uganda. Beyond this, he had been a Catholic chaplain in the British Army in East
Africa during World War I. He is well respected in Donegal for his missionary work in a
leper colony. However, his sudden return to Ballybeg for undisclosed reasons has paved the
way for great changes. He has difficulty with his memory, often forgetting the names of his
sisters or confusing them with his former houseboy Okawa, with whom we are told he was
“very close.” Jack professes a broad admiration for the pagan beliefs of the native people of
Africa, and appears to have lost his Catholic faith, which is the likely reason his superiors
have sent him back. This is a great worry for Kate, who is concerned about the family's
reputation. Jack refers to Michael as a love child rather than an illegitimate child and says
they are common and accepted among the people of Uganda.