The Freedom Of The City
by Brian Friel
by Brian Friel
The play "The Freedom of the City" by Brian Friel explores the tragic events surrounding three unarmed marchers during the Civil Rights movement in Derry, Ulster, in 1970, as they become victims of a violent crackdown by authorities.
About The Play
About The Play
★★★★ Four Stars, Time Out
★★★★ Four Stars, The Guardian
Derry, Ulster, 1970. The Civil Rights movement is at a pinnacle. As the unauthorised march from the Bogside explodes into violence, three unarmed marchers fleeing the tanks and tear gas find themselves in the mayor’s parlour in the Guildhall. Lily, a cleaning lady and mother to eleven children, thinks it’s all a hoot. Skinner wants to wreck the place. Michael takes the time to contemplate. As the police and army exaggerate their ‘occupation’ into a full-scale armed invasion, they pay with their lives for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Written as a direct response to the events of Bloody Sunday, the play documents the final hours of Lily, Skinner and Michael – and the subsequent inquest into their deaths. With a bitter attack on the establishment, and with Friel’s unique mordant humour, The Freedom of the City conjures an imaginary moment in which three innocent civilians find themselves the victims of a shameless killing and a horrifically unjust legal system.
Originally presented in Dublin at the Abbey Theatre and in London at the Royal Court, Brian Friel’s modern classic now receives its first professional London production for over thirty years at the multi-award-winning Finborough Theatre, well known for its production of Irish plays by such writers as Frank McGuinness, Tom Murphy and Jim Nolan.