5 things to know about Brokentalkers

Based in Dublin, Brokentalkers are an internationally renowned theatre company, comprising Co-Artistic Directors Feidlim Cannon and Gary Keegan, and Creative Producer Rachel Bergin.

Though ‘theatre company’ describes Brokentalkers, it far from defines them. Their original works have taken a variety of forms and formats, in a variety of spaces, and have been produced through working with an incredibly diverse range of contributors. As they get set to bring their show Masterclass to the Southbank Centre, here are five things to know about Ireland’s best-kept theatrical secret.

Though rooted in an Irish college friendship, Brokentalkers actually began in England

At the basis of Brokentalkers are two men, Feidlim Cannon and Gary Keegan, who first met at Drama School in Dublin in the late 1990s. The pair then made the leap to England and to university together, studying at Leicester De Montfort, where, upon graduating in 2001, they first formed Brokentalkers. Speaking to The Stage earlier in 2024, Cannon said of their time in Leicester, ‘it really did shape the work we make today. We came from Dublin, where all we have is old male playwrights to study, and we went to the UK and we were introduced to people like Yoko Ono, the Wooster Group and Forced Entertainment’.

Collaboration is always central to Brokentalkers’ work

Not only does their back catalogue of productions now span over two decades, it also includes a diverse range of collaborations, with artists from very different backgrounds. This includes the choreographer, dancer and stand-up Adrienne Truscott with whom they uncover ‘some difficult truths about power and patriarchy’ in Masterclass. They worked with traditional accordionist Danny O’Mahoney, to tell the rich history of the instrument in Ireland for Bellow, which debuted in 2024. And he’s not the only musician Brokentalkers have joined forces with, as Woman Undone saw them partner with Icelandic composer Valgeir Sigurdsson, and the hugely popular Irish singer Mary Coughaln to produce a re-imagining of the latter’s extraordinary early life.

Brokentalkers’ commitment to ensure authenticity of voices and stories within their works has also seen them collaborate with people who have little or often no prior experience of performing. One such work was The Passion Project, which saw Brokentalkers work with a community cast of over 100 to play out Ireland’s housing crisis on the streets and civic spaces of Ballyfermot in Dublin. They worked with another community cast, one of senior citizens, for ABACUS, a short film which realised those same citizens’ hopes, dreams and fears for the future. And for Have I No Mouth, which looks at the changing nature of the relationship between a mother and son in the aftermath of family tragedy, was performed by Cannon and his own mother, Ann, in the company of professional psychotherapist.

They’ve never been afraid to tackle, or platform, difficult subjects

Brokentalkers has been described as “one of Ireland’s most fearless and path-breaking theatre companies,’ and you only need to glance at a list of the subjects they’ve covered in their productions to see why that is. Their award-winning work The Blue Boy dealt with the experiences of men and women who were incarcerated as children in Catholic residential care institutions; Silver Stars shared the life stories of older Irish gay men, and their experiences of attempting to find fulfilment in a country challenged by their very existence; Track presented Dublin through the eyes of its newest immigrant arrivals; and Have I No Mouth explored family tragedy.

‘We never had the inclination to make up the stories because we felt they’re there and they’re coming directly from the subject. For us it’s more compelling, more interesting,’ explained Keegan. And to ensure these stories retain that compelling authenticity through Brokentalkers’ presentation, Keegan, Cannon and Bergin gather them from interviews with people connected to the shows’ subject matter; those who have experienced these issues first hand.

‘[Works such as] Track and Silver Stars are giving a voice to a part of society who are silenced – who are still getting silenced now… These stories need to be told. And even though it’s hard for an audience to listen to these stories, for all types of reasons… that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be told.’

Gary Keegan, speaking to Theatre writer Chris McCormack in 2011

Their works often take on very different forms

Though a theatre company at heart, that doesn’t mean Brokentalkers works have been confined to the stage. In a 2011 interview with theatre writer Chris McCormack, Keegan explained that this is born out of a two prong approach that’s part exploration, part a means of maximising audience engagement. ‘It’s what we’d like to try, and then more importantly does it serve the content? Is this the best method of delivery for this content? …one of the main things we have to do is we need to make people not switch off. We need to show this thing in a way that will make people look at it afresh and think about it all over again’.

This method has seen Brokentalkers explore stories through a host of different mediums, and deliver them through a variety of different means. ABACUS, as we’ve mentioned, took the form of a short video piece. Track was an outdoor production in which the audience were taken on a tour through the streets of Dublin, Silver Stars was presented on stage as a song cycle, whilst The Home Project, the story of a family forced to leave their home, was performed live in the homes of willing audiences at houses across Ballyfermot.

They’d never performed in London before… well, until now

Internationally renowned, Brokentalkers have presented work all over the globe, from Norway to New Zealand, Finland to France, Scotland to the United States. And they’ve picked up a number of awards on their travels too, including the Total Theatre Award in Edinburgh for Have I No Mouth; Best Production and Best Performer at Dublin Fringe Festival for The Examination; and Grand Prix winner at Kontakt Festival, Poland, for The Blue Boy. But, despite having a strong connection to England, they’d never performed in the capital. Well, until they came to us. In May 2024 they brought a run of Masterclass to the Southbank Centre, marking an eagerly awaited London debut, for audience and theatre company alike.

‘London is a huge deal for us because that is where we learned to make theatre – so we are excited’.

Feidlim Cannon, speaking to The Stage in April 2024, ahead of bringing Masterclass to the Southbank Centre