Limerick’s Theatre Royal will host its first public performance in nearly three decades with Connie, an immersive theatrical event exploring the life of Hollywood actress Constance Smith, running from Saturday October 18 to Sunday, November 2.
Written by award-winning Limerick playwrights Ann Blake and Joanne Ryan, the production blends live performance, archival film, and an original score recorded with the Irish Chamber Orchestra. The all-female cast is led by Pom Boyd as Connie, alongside Shirani Bolle, Gene Rooney, Johanne Webb, and Meg Hennessey.
With an all-female cast and a striking site-specific setting, CONNIE is a haunting, lyrical journey through memory, identity, and the cost of being forgotten.
The Theatre Royal on Cecil Street—one of the only surviving city cinemas that originally screened Smith’s films in the 1950s—becomes a character in itself. Its abandoned art deco design and faded grandeur mirror the story of the Limerick-born actress whose life spiralled from Hollywood stardom to prison.
“This is not a history play. It’s more of a play that is playing with memory,” director Ann Blake told the Limerick Post. “We don’t know the exact conversations she had, we know events that took place, but we have to imagine those conversations.”
The 90-minute production doesn’t shy away from examining how Smith ended up imprisoned twice. “She’s a complex character, a series of events took place that contributed to this, and we were interested in looking at that,” Blake said.
The project evolved from a talk by historian Sharon Slater, who serves as consultant on the production. Set designer Emma Fisher has created what Blake describes as “something so magical” within the historic space.
“I think for the audience, it won’t be a typical night out at the theatre,” Blake added.
Tickets are available at limetreebelltable.ie.
“We’re very, very fortunate to have Sharon Slater as a consultant on the project, and she is a world leading expert as a historian on the life of Constance Smith.”
For more detail on the remarkable story of Constance Smith see Sharon Slater’s comprehensive article at https://limerickslife.com/constance-smith/
