Swansong is a mighty tour de force monodrama faultlessly executed.

Meet Occi Byrne, the illegitimate child of a single mother in the Catholic west of Ireland. Shunned by church, state and family, Occi must fight his way to adulthood in a dog eat dog world. Violent, tragic and hauntingly tender, Swansong is the story of a lost soul from one of the masters of Irish drama.

When he was young, Austin (Occi) Byrne was tormented by the recurring rhyming taunts of the local bullies who were relentlessly cruel in the fact that Occi had no father. As he grows older, within the closed ecclesiastical communities of 1970’s, those taunts escalate in his delicate mind into a chorus. Occi’s quest to find his father becomes core to his identity; but his mother – all but shunned by her parents and the local community, keeps this secret.

“Impeccably delivered by Andre de Vanny, going from strength to strength with a dazzling energy that radiates throughout the entire work, you won’t be able to look away.”
– Upstaged Reviews

“That blew my mind entirely, I’m a wreck! I think that is THE performance of my life. Thank you so much for that experience, I don’t think I’ve ever been so moved in the theatre.” Audience member

Warnings: – Some trigger warnings (mental health, family abuse, domestic violence, strong course language)
Kyneton Town Hall
mrsc.vic.gov.au/buytickets
1300 888 802