From Belfast's notoriously and fiercely loyalist Rathcoole estate Gary Mitchell is fast gaining a reputation as a progressive writer. I must confess, however, that Tearing the Loom is the first experience I've had of Mitchell's work and for me the jury is still out.

Set in the Armagh of 1798 the play looks at how the events of that year affect the Moore family, who are weavers, and to a lesser extent the Hamill family (father Samuel and son William) who are involved in the Orange Order.

Coming as he does from Rathcoole, Mitchell's portrayal of the Orangemen is an interesting one. The play's prologue has them strangling a helpless Catholic woman. They regret she was not a Presbyterian traitor. A bloody opening impression that stayed throughout the performance.

The Moores, father Robert, son David, daughter Ruth and grandmother Anne, I feel, are the essence of the play and symbolic of Mitchell's interpretation of the present.

The father wants to play no part in the conflict, the son and daughter divide (she with the United Irishmen and Harry her lover, while son David goes with the Orangemen). The grandmother is the touchstone. A family/society divides while the parent/government ponders uselessly what to do. The grandmother/state provides stability and interpretation.

The tragedy unfolded in the second part of the play and as one after the other was killed I wondered if the sense of futility that underpinned the drama reflected a belief on the part of the playwright that things are indeed hopeless. If that is the view of his community, it is indeed a sad situation.

By Peadar Whelan

Unmissable Misbegotten

It may be a hackneyed phrase, but this is truly one that cannot be missed. Dubbeljoint's latest offering directed by Simon Magill will keep you riveted as the intimate lives of the three main players is skilfully laid out. Wonderfully staged by Chisato Yoshimi and vividly lit by John Riddell, this production of Eugene O'Neill's masterpiece moves from biting humour in the first act to an intense unravelling of hidden emotions in the second.

Sean Campion as fading young buck and would-be suitor, James Tyrone and John Hewitt as Josie's father, revolve around the hard but ultimately vulnerable Josie (a massive performance from Billie Traynor). The finely crafted performances of these three mean that attention is kept completely focused on the twists and turns of this love story. The experience is almost cinematic.

Moon for the Misbegotten tours all over Ireland until the end of April.

By Ned Kelly