‘Joe Prop’ On Its Way To Birr Theatre

By Justin Kelly

A one man show starring Fair City’s Maclean Burke will be staged at the Birr Theatre & Arts Centre on Saturday, February 28. The play is set in the bedroom of bullied 12-year-old schoolboy, Joe Kavanagh, who dreams of international stardom as the best tight head prop in world rugby. Burke is famous for his role as Damien in Fair City, but now the Dublin actor moves from the soap ensemble to the stage for this solo performance.

Joe Prop has been adapted to a full length play after a successful stint at the 'Undermybed2014' Barnardos Project in the Smock Alley Theatre in Dublin. Playwright Gemma Doorly, the same writer that brought the hugely popular show W.A.G to sold out audiences, has teamed up with Maclean Burke and Barnardos for this production. 10% of all tickets sold for Joe Prop across the country will go directly to Barnardos.

Burke in Joe Prop

The play’s central character is subjected to the scorns of his school’s bullies, and they have set up a ‘Fat Joe Kavanagh’ Facebook page to poke fun at him. Medication from a childhood illness has left Joe overweight, but he finds solace as a prop on the school rugby team. His school coach Mr. Murray says: “Some jobs are meant for big guys.”

A statement on the Joe Prop website says this is “Maclean Burke as you’ve never seen him before – leaping, jumping, tackling and scrummaging in a physically charged and powerful one man show.” Burke will be joined by voiceover cameos from a host of famous rugby personalities, and the statement says “it will have you laughing, crying, and most of all believing that anything is possible.”

The Irish Independent has written that this “is Maclean Burke in a moving and hugely energetic performance,” while the Irish Mail on Sunday called Joe Prop “funny, engaging, poignant and beautifully acted.”

On February 28, Joe Prop will begin at 8pm at the Birr Theatre & Arts Centre. Tickets are priced at €16. For more information or to book tickets, contact 057-9122911 or visit www.birrtheatre.com