Presented by Dublin Dance Festival and the Abbey Theatre

Scorched Earth


23 - 24 May 2025

Written, Directed and Choreographed by Luke Murphy

Booking Information


Dates: 23 May – 24 May

On the Abbey Stage 

Times: 7:30pm

Tickets:  €15 – €42

Crime-drama meets dance theatre in this gripping exploration of ambition, land and legacy.

A murder, an interrogation and a world shrouded in fantasy and fear, Scorched Earth is part crime-drama, part psychological thriller that pierces into a dark but fundamental element of the Irish psyche. What right do we have to the land beneath our feet? What are we willing to do to keep it? Or to take it?

Inspired by John B Keane’s The Field, Scorched Earth transports the audience into a stark interrogation room as a detective and suspect unearth the ghosts of a long-unsolved murder.

Blurring the lines of dance and theatre, Murphy weaves a tapestry of compelling storytelling, striking visuals and visceral movement. The cast of five international performers plunge us into a world of memory, ambition and resentment, culminating in a final chapter that leaves no doubt as to the cost of success.

From DDF Artist in Residence and the creators of the multi-award-winning Volcano, Scorched Earth is a bold reckoning with the haunting forces that shape our past and define our future.

 

Co-produced by Dublin Dance Festival and Galway International Arts Festival. Supported by a 2025 Arts Council of Ireland Arts Grant Award.

 

Credits

  • Choreographer, Writer & Director: Luke Murphy
  • Cast: Luke Murphy
  • Cast: Ryan O’Neill
  • Cast: Sarah Dowling
  • Cast: Tyler Carney-Faleatua
  • Cast: Will Thompson
  • Set and Costume Designer: Alyson Cummins
  • Lighting Designer: Stephen Dodd
  • Composition and Sound Designer: Rob Moloney
  • Audio Visual Designer: Patricio Cassinoni
  • Production Manager: Simon Bird
  • Chief LX: Alan Mooney
  • Audio Engineer: Aidah Sama
  • Stage Manager: Chris Hopcraft
  • Stage Manager: Iain Synott
  • Producer: Gwen Van Spyk
  • Associate Producer: Miles Hannigan

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Abbey Theatre
26/27 Lower Abbey Street
Dublin 1
Ireland
D01 K0F1