Two local extras on a Hollywood film set in Southern Ireland give rise to an hilarious clash of cultures. What’s more, the two extras play all 15 roles! What’s not to like?

It is 1996 and a Hollywood company comes to Ireland to film The Quiet Valley, a kind of homage to the 1952 film The Quiet Man. Of course, they bring their own American stars, as well as their own notion what Ireland should be like: green, sweet and friendly. But they need the help of the ‘locals’ to film the crowd scenes. We see all this through the eyes of two Irish extras, who also play all the roles the play demands, from the seductive female lead, a despairing and suicidal local youth, to the old crotchety Irishman who is the last surviving extra from The Quiet Man, as he keeps telling us! Marie Jones paints a picture of the clash of cultures between the romantic ideal and what is the reality of Ireland in the late nineties.

From reviews of the 2021 season:

“It’s a fast-and-furious quirky play featuring two of the most fearless, fit, and able actors in town. Unforgettable will be Brendan Cooney’s gorgeous physicality as a huge, beefy security guy.” – Samela Harris/The Barefoot Review – Adelaide

“There are enough laughs to make your ribs ache and a story to tug at the heart strings. Watching these two make comedy magic you forget that they can switch so quickly to serious subjects.” – Fran Edwards/Glam Adelaide

“The audience is so cleverly involved throughout, we readily respond when the director calls “Action!” Scenes are constantly conjured from nothing more than pure energetic dexterity, the blistering pace of character changes a brilliant tour de force by director/producer Joh Hartog.” – David Cronin/The Clothesline