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Supporting Producer: Maura O'Keeffe
Stage Manager: Tyson Gerhardt/ Rebecca Roche
Set Construction: Barry Rogerson
Costume: Hazel McCague
Originally produced in collaboration with the Abbey Theatre and with funding from Foras na Gaeilge.
Buíochas ó chroí le: Amharclann na Mainstreach, Culture Ireland. Foras na Gaeilge, Baird McNutt, Studio Donegal, The Little Mill, Dunany Flour, Declan Caulfield. Maura O'Keeffe.
Arán & Im celebrates the Irish language in an engaging, accessible bilingual way, through sourdough bread and home-churned butter.
Read Manchán's Irish Times article about Arán & Im.... here.
You can download the programme and sourdough bread recipe....here
Is taibhiú drámaíochta é Arán & Im ina mbácálann Manchán arán taois ghéir ar feadh 70 nóiméad fad is a thugann sé léargas ar iontaisí na Gaeilge – agus é ag ceiliúradh focail mhealltacha a bhaineann leis an tírdhreach, téarmaí i dtaca le hiomas agus léirstean, agus an iliomad nathanna a thugann beocht do chumhacht agus mistéir an tsaoil nádúrtha.
Arán & Im
Arán & Im is a theatrical performance/installation in which Manchán bakes sourdough bread for 70 minutes while offering insights into the wonders of the Irish language – exploring potent words of landscape, terms of intuition and insight, and the many phrases that bring to life the mysterious glory of our natural world.
It is a celebration of language, land and local Irish food, with freshly-baked traditional sourdough bread for the audience to slice and spread with butter they churn themselves from Irish cream.
It was originally produced in association with The Abbey Theatre. It has toured the east coast and west coast of North America in 2022 and 2023, and toured, England, Scotland and Wales in 2024. This Winter 2025 tour will play in some larger venues, of up to 600 people, and thus Manchán won't be baking bread for all audience members. He will be buying in some. Also, not all audience members will get to churn the butter.
England, Scotland and Wales Tour - Autumn 2024
Mwldan, Cardigan. Norwegian Church Arts Centre, Cardiff. Irish Cultural Centre Hammersmith, London. Liverpool Medical Institution (as part of Liverpool Irish Festival). Tyneside Irish Centre, Newcastle (as part of Tyneside Irish Festival). Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh. An Lanntair, Stornoway. Seall, Isle of Skye (Sabhal Mòr Ostaig)
North America tour - West Coast - Autumn 2023
Broadwater Theatre Complex, Los Angeles; Irish Cultural Centre, Phoenix, Arizona; United Irish Cultural Centre, San Francisco; Felman's Bookstore, Menlo Park. University of Montana, Missoula. Wheatgrass Books, Livingston, Montana. The Seattle Athenaeum. Corrib Theatre & Historic Alberta Hse Portland. The Cultch Historic Theatre, Vancouver .
Irish Tour Autumn 2022
Hometree, Ennistymon. Ballybunion Arts Festival. Birr Vintage Festival. Arás Éanna, Inis Oirr, Culturlann McAdam Ó Fiaich. Riverbank Arts Centre, Kildar. Viking Theatre Clontarf. White Horse, Ballincollig. Butter Market, Kenmare. Townhall Theatre, Cavan. Ursa Minor Bakehouse, Ballycastle, Co Antrim. Ballina Arts Centre, Co Mayo. Aonach Mhacha, Armagh. Dunamaise Arts Centre, Portlaoise,. Solstice Arts Centre. Cultúrlann Uí Chanáin Derry city, Co Derry. An Grianán Theatre, Letterkenny, Co Donegal. Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Autumn school, Lough Gur, Co Limerick. An Taibhdhearc. Fumbally Stables. Repair Acts Festival, Kilbeggan, Co Westmeath. Roscommon Arts Centre. The Linenhall Arts Centre, Castlebar, Co Mayo, Mermaid Arts Centre, Bray. Pavilion Theatre, Dún Laoghaire.
North America tour, Spring, 2022 (East Coast), with Once Off Productions
Carnegie Center, Pittsburgh, PA; Telus World of Science, Edmonton, Alberta; St Louis Science Center, St Louis, MO; Tennessee Shakespeare Company, Memphis; Irish Arts Center, New York, NY; Irish American Heritage Museum, Albany, NY; Irish Cultural Center, Canton, MA; Boston College, Boston, MA; Kingston, New York. Buffalo Irish Center, Buffalo, NY; Canada Ireland Foundation, Toronto, ON; The Gaelic League, Detroit; ZingTrain, Ann Arbour, MI; Celtic Junction Arts Center, St Paul, MN; Irish American Heritage Center, Chicago, IL; Chicago Gaelic Park, Chicago, IL; CelticMKE, Milwaukee
Irish Tour, Autumn 2021 (with Once Off Productions):
Mick Lally Theatre, Glór, Cork Opera House, Backstage, An Grianán, Hawk’s Well, Solstice, An Táin, Draíocht Riverbank, The Source, Fennelly’s Mermaid Arts Centre, Pavilion, Dún Laoghaire, Fumbally Stables, Axis, Lyric, Mullingar Arts Centre
Ireland Summer 2019 Tour
Delvin Parish Hall,. Castlepollard Community School. Leaves Festival, Dunamaise Theatre, Portlaoise.
Clonakility Samhain Festival,. Portumna. Cashel Arts Festival. Garter Lane, Waterford. Fleadh Cheoil, Drogheda
Hawks Well, Sligo. Skibereen Arts Festival. Earagail Festival, Donegal. Backstage, Longford.Arás Inis Ghluaire, Bellmullet. Enniscorthy, Wexford Literary Festival. Roscommon Arts Centre,
Civic Theatre, Tallaght, Co Dublin, Féile na Bealtaine, Dingle. Wild Mind Festival, Fenit. Linen Hall, Castlebar,
Belltable, Limerick. The Dock, Carrick-on-Shannon,
Abbey Theatre Tour 2018
Glór Uachtar Tíre, Maginn's , Co Down,Dec 2018
Fumbally Stables, Oct, 2018
Cork Opera House, Sept 2018
Townhall Theatre, Galway, Sept 2018
Abbey Theatre, Dublin, Aug 2018
Lime Theatre, Limerick, July 2018
IRISH AUTUMN 2025 – Arán & Im tour
Books will be sold and signed at all shows
5th Nov Townhall Theatre, Galway
6th Nov glór, Ennis
10th Nov The Everyman, Cork
11th Nov Lime Tree, Limerick
12th Nov Strule Arts, Omagh
13th Nov Solstice, Navan
15th Nov The Mac, Belfast
16th Nov Pavillion Theatre, Dún Laoghaire
19th Nov Market Place, Armagh
20th Nov Theatre Royal, Waterford
24/25th Nov Hawk’s Well, Sligo
27th Nov Siamsa Tíre, Tralee
30th Nov Pavilion Theatre, Dún Laoghaire
3RD Dec An Grianán, Letterkenny
4th Dec An Táin, Dundalk
5th Dec Dean Crowe, Athlone
