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Mobile the Play

A play by the Traveller Wagon Wheel Theatre written and performed by Michael Collins and directed by Mick Rafferty was performed on Sunday 11th November 2007 at the Otley Courthouse, Courthouse Street. The performance was part of the Irish Arts Festival ‘The Gathering’.

Mobile graphic

Reviewed by Michael Reeves, a writer from West Clare, Ireland

‘Mobile’ had its British premier to a packed audience. Witty, thought provoking and moving, nobody left the theatre feeling smug as a result of this play.

On stage Mobile is about the tensions and infighting within the Traveller Community. Deftly, it illustrates how the outside community contributes to the issue through hard nosed prejudice and indifference.

Peter is faced with a dilemma. Will he or will he not fight his cousin to settle a family dispute? His cousin has been a close friend all through his life. To add to the pressure, Peter and his cousin are married to sisters.

This one-hander vividly brings to life characters the audience does not see. Through entertaining story-telling and an easy-going intimate style of delivery filled with colourful antidotes, the play has pace and tension as the dilemma grows and gathers its own momentum. This is achieved through frequent calls to Peter’s mobile phone. There are moments of dark comedy as the pressure grows on him to fight.

Michael Collins is a disciplined and an intelligent actor. He listens to his audience and he entertains with stories of the ins and outs of the Traveller life. It would be difficult not to like the character, Peter, whom he has created. Loyal, honest, insightful, Peter takes the audience with him through his growing dilemma. In doing so, he holds a mirror up to the prejudice, injustice and problems within and beyond the Traveller community. Just as the audience might be tempted to relax, Peter pulls it up short with home truths and propositions.

Audience

The audience mingle before the performance

Having weighed and considered all aspects of the dilemma presented to him, does he fight? There was a sense that Peter might be too philosophical a person to fight as the play developed. It would spoil the play to say if he decides to fight or not fight. If it comes your way, don’t miss ‘Mobile’. It is rooted in age old problems and its drama is full of warmth and human frailty.

A review by Arthur Ivatts OBE Senior Policy Consultant to Department for Children Schools and Families

Michael Collins is to be congratulated on this moving play which was first performed in England at the Otley Courthouse on the 11th November 2007, and which explores the issue of feuding within the Traveller community. “Mobile” looks at the dilemma of a Traveller man who is required by his family to fight another Traveller to settle a family dispute. The play is powerfully performed alone by Michael Collins who acts with the authenticity of someone who is not only an excellent playwright, but also a renowned actor in his own right. His Irish Traveller background provided both the inside knowledge of Traveller culture, together with his deep commitment to the advancement of his community. The play betrays not only the complexity of cultural dynamics, but also the community’s informed consciousness about the need to respond with wisdom and dignity to the newly experienced environment of social inclusion offered by majority society. This struggle should be acknowledged and supported by society at large given the fact that it alone has been responsible for the extreme social exclusion, racist persecution and discrimination towards this community over centuries. The consequence of this historic abuse has been that the normal disputes within and between families and communities have had to be resolved by the participants alone as the mainstream structures of conflict resolution have wilfully neglected the needs of the Traveller community. By a strange coincidence the relevance of the theme of Michael’s play had been independently confirmed in John Coxhead’s recent book entitled “The last bastion of racism” (Gypsy, Roma and Traveller policing).

The play occupies a single set with the communication to the unseen different family members being facilitated by the ubiquitous ‘mobile’ telephone. Michael engages the audience from the opening curtain with the mental turmoil triggered by the phone call demand that he is to fight as a method of resolving an on-going family feud which is made the more poignant on account of him having to fight his first cousin who is also his close friend. His acting style is captivating with the naturally expressed oscillation of mood ranging from intense anger to one of honest personal reflection. The mixture of his exercising orally the masculine expectations of his family and himself, with his knowledge of the behaviour that is now more appropriate in delivering justice and social cohesion to his community, is quite extraordinarily moving. Big issues are dealt with creatively and sensitively and which must confront the Traveller community with serious questions about cultural change and adaptation. A much bigger issue is also recognisable as a clear message to all humanity in regard to the international resolving of conflict without the use of brute force. All who see this play should leave the theatre both enriched and left with a relevant question about their own life and the way they think and behave.

A Review of the UK Premiere by Richard O’Neill Writer and Broadcaster from Manchester

Michael Collins once again demonstrates his substantial writing and acting abilities in this one man performance. Set in the Irish Travelling community mobile asks the age old question of its main character, to fight or not to fight?

Mobile is darkly comic, gripping, questioning and informative but never preachy, or self pitying.

For pure power and an insight into conflict resolution in a unique culture Mobile is a must see.

Great resource

Open Roads, Open Minds

Storytelling Learning Resource

A DVD, Wall Poster, Storyteller & Artist Portraits all wrapped in one attractive package.

And starring Michael Collins performing parts of his play "It's a cultural thing". Click on the image above to see a clip of the performance.

The resource can be used to enrich the curriculum for all children. In writing this Learning Resource into schemes of work across the Key Stages it will help in the process of ‘inculcating race equality into the curriculum and moving teaching and learning on.’

It can be ‘a valuable tool for educational improvement, capturing pupil’s interest and improving attainment.’

Click here

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