Cast announced for Royal Exchange premiere about IRA city bomb
- Alan Hulme
- Apr 27
- 2 min read
An epic story of Manchester and Ireland by multi-award-winning playwright Rory Mullarkey premieres at Manchester's Royal Exchange Theatre (May 15-June 15), 30 years after an IRA bomb devastated the heart of the city.
Directed by James Macdonald, Even These Things takes place in three different moments of Manchester's history: 1846, the day the IRA bomb exploded in the city centre in 1996, and today, asking audiences to imagine what lies beyond disaster. The final performance of the run will take place on June 15 - 30 years to the day after the bombing.
Elaine Cassidy and Katherine Pearce will appear in leading roles, alongside a community cast of more than 100.
Award-winning Irish actress Elaine Cassidy will play Annie Donovan, a woman with a score to settle, as the play opens in the Manchester of 1846. Her extensive film credits include Disco Pigs, for which she won the Irish Film and Television Award.
Her stage credits include several Donmar Warehouse productions as well as well as Scenes From The Big Picture at the National Theatre and The Lieutenant Of Inishmore and The Crucible for the Royal Shakespeare Company. Her television work includes Harpers Island, earning her a second Irish Film and Television Award for Best Actress.
Katherine Pearce, who plays Jenny, who moves back to present-day Manchester in the play's final section, returns to the Royal Exchange after starring in Our Pals and No Pay?, No Way! in 2023. Her TV credits include Rules of the Game, Girlfriends and the BAFTA‑winning Three Girls.
Fionnuala Dorrity also joins the cast as a helicopter pilot and Queen Victoria. An award-winning voice and movement artist, actor, musician, theatre-maker, puppeteer and pyrotechnician, she is originally from Northern Ireland and now lives in the North West.
A community cast of 108 from across all 10 Greater Manchester boroughs will highlight the profound impact the events had on the Manchester community, and places the people of the city at the centre of the story.
More info and tickets here
