Christ Deliver Us!

Christ Deliver Us, inspired by Spring Awakening (published in 1891 and first performed in 1906) transposes Frank Wedekind’s notorious 'children’s tragedy' from fin-de-siècle Germany to the equally repressive atmosphere of Ireland immediately after World War II.

In a Catholic Diocesan College and an Industrial School for ‘difficult’ boys, Thomas Kilroy explores many heavy subjects. A few examples include the uncertainties and frustrations of sexual blossoming and the pressures exerted by parents and teachers who forfeit authority for dictatorial power. This scathing drama, while hinting at the redeeming possibilities of love, asserts the extortionate price put on childhood by both Church and State. The boys possess an unquenchable wish to be free and in this world, obtaining that wish is next to impossible.

Like his friend Brian Friel, Thomas Kilroy has been a keystone of Irish theatre for more than half-a-century. He is also one of its most inventive, influential and valued artists.