A Solas Nua, Abbey Theatre, and Luke Casserly Production:
DISTILLATION
by LUKE CASSERLY
Commissioned by Solas Nua
★★★★
"This ode to our landscape will give you a new perspective on Ireland’s bogs. All of the senses are engaged: not just sight and hearing but also touch, smell and even taste."—THE IRISH TIMES
★★★★
"Genuinely inventive."—IRISH EXAMINER
"This is a thought-provoking show, that stays in the mind long after, like the sweet woody smell of the bog perfume that lingers on the wrist."—IRISH INDEPENDENT
ABOUT THE SHOW
A performative journey that takes you to the Irish bog landscape through scent.
Distillation is a response to the recent cessation of the peat harvesting industry in Ireland. Over the past year, Luke Casserly has collaborated with renowned perfume maker Joan Woods to create a unique distillation of the Midlands bog – the place where he grew up – as the starting point for an olfactory encounter which looks at our human relationship to place.
Dedicated to the future of our broken landscapes – in the hope that by listening to them, we might be able to better understand them.
Generously supported by Culture Ireland.
Production images by Patricio Cassinoni
Following a sold out run as part of the Dublin Theatre Festival in collaboration with the Abbey Theatre in 2023, this exciting experience traveled to the Peacock Stage in Abbey Theatre during early 2024, and returned to Washington, DC in April and May where it was originally crafted as part of Solas Nua’s 2023 Norman Houston Multi-disciplinary Commissioning Award; comprised of a six-week residency at STABLE Arts.
Solas Nua was thrilled to be back at Eaton DC for Distillation, where we previously performed The Smuggler (NY Times “Best theatre of the year”) and our ground-breaking theatre-listening experience, One Moment Now. Eaton DC, listed by Time Magazine as “One of the World’s Greatest Places” is delighted to offer Solas Nua patrons a special rate on hotel rooms.
After a successful run in Washington DC, Distillation was held at Round House Theatre in Maryland through the end of May. From there, the performance piece embarked on a North American tour, hitting venues all along the East Coast. In a jam-packed June run, Distillation dazzled audiences at the Irish Arts Center in New York, the Irish Classical Theatre Company in Buffalo, the Irish American Heritage Museum in Albany, and the Canada Ireland Foundation in Toronto.
Created by Luke Casserly
Perfume by Joan Woods
Sculpture by Ger Clancy
Dramaturgy by Rex Daugherty
Costume by Doreen McKenna
Additional Costume by Síofra Caherty
Video by Robert Higgins
Sound by Sam Hardiman
Stage Management by Grace Carter
Artistic Documentation by Fergal Styles
Production Photography by Patricio Cassinoni
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Distillation premiered as part of Dublin Theatre Festival 2023. A co-production by Solas Nua & Abbey Theatre, commissioned by Solas Nua. Supported by Goethe-Institut Irland, with additional development support by IMMA, Druid FUEL, Axis Ballymun, and Backstage Theatre’s Activate Residency programme. Developed through the support of an Arts Council Theatre Project Award.
