Entertainment

Armagh writer John McCann's one-man play DUPed casts an eye on unionist party

John McCann's play DUPed will be performed at Belfast's Accidental Theatre this month
John McCann's play DUPed will be performed at Belfast's Accidental Theatre this month John McCann's play DUPed will be performed at Belfast's Accidental Theatre this month

THE bizarreness of Northern Ireland's politics is explored in a one-man play at Belfast's Accidental Theatre this month. Using interviews with activists and journalists, DUPed explores the legacy and continuing impact that the late Rev Ian Paisley and the Democratic Unionist Party have on those who oppose religious and social conservatism.

The play is written and performed by by Co Armagh-born John McCann, who now lives in Dundee, and directed by Erasmus Mackenna. With the DUP currently playing a pivotal role in the Brexit negotiations, McCann believes the play is perfectly timed to explore its impact. DUPed also deals with the party's opposition to same-sex marriage and abortion. Having opened at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe last year, this production from Scottish company Ambergris received the Scotsman Fringe First Award.

:: DUPed, Accidental Theatre, Shaftesbury Square, Belfast, March 27-30 at 8pm; theatre and its Book Bar (buy a book, receive a free drink) open at 7.30pm. Tickets from Accidentaltheatre.co.uk