Exiles: A Play in Three Acts

Set in a sun‑drenched Dublin suburb during the summer of 1912, the opening of this three‑act play invites listeners into the intimate drawing‑room of a middle‑class household. Richard Rowan, a writer wrestling with his latest manuscript, shares the space with his wife Bertha, their young son Archie, and a small circle of acquaintances—including the poised music teacher Beatrice Justice and the long‑serving Brigid. The careful staging of doors, curtains, and a lingering afternoon light creates a vivid backdrop for the characters’ quiet entrances and tentative conversations.

As Beatrice arrives for her piano lesson with Archie, the dialogue subtly reveals underlying tensions: the strain of creative ambition, the unspoken expectations of marriage, and the lingering sense of personal displacement that haunts each figure. Through seemingly ordinary exchanges—handing over keys, sharing newspapers, and probing unanswered questions—the play begins to explore how the characters navigate their inner exiles while bound by the conventions of early‑twentieth‑century Dublin society.