Journey of the Play

Written and performed by Aidan Dooley

‘a remarkable and uplifting piece

of theatre, gives everything and

asks nothing.’

Emer O’Kelly

Sunday Independent Dublin

Tom Crean – Antarctic Explorer written and performed by Aidan Dooley premiered at The New York International Fringe Festival in August 2003, where it won the ‘Best Solo Performance Award’. In the same year the show played the Dublin Fringe Festival, where it picked up a ‘Best Actor Nomination’.

The show originated from a fifteen minute Living History performance on Tom Crean created by the Aidan Dooley for London’s National Maritime Museum’s Antarctic Exhibition ‘South’ in 2001. Following the publication of Michael Smith’s book about Tom Crean called ‘Unsung Hero’ the show was developed over a two year period with several small tryout performances in Ireland, including a performance in front of Crean’s remaining family at the Tom Crean Society’s memorial in Annascaul.

Between 2004 and 2005 the show toured to over 30 venues across Ireland, and also played two sell-out seasons at the Northern Stage Theatre Vermont, USA.

2006 saw the show return to the USA playing a sell-out three week season at The Sugan Theatre at Boston Centre for the Arts where the show was nominated for an ‘Outstanding Solo Performance Award at that years’ Elliot Norton, Boston Theatre Critics Awards. The show then returned to Ireland to play the first of two sell-out, five week seasons at Andrews Lane Theatre Dublin, the second season following the triumphant success at the 2006 Edinburgh Fringe Festival where the show won a Fringe First Award.

In 2007 the show returned to Ireland to play two capacity weeks at Dublin’s Olympia Theatre, before travelling to the Adelaide Fringe Festival Australia, via seasons in Florida, Vermont, Malta, Dubai and Geneva. It then went back to the USA to play an eight week sell-out season at the Award Winning Irish Repertory Theatre in New York before returning to the UK to complete a four week UK tour.

This year has already seen the production receive its London premier at the New End Theatre, where it played to capacity houses and got awarded the Time Out Critics Choice before returning to Dublin for a return sell-out week engagement at the Olympia Theatre which, by popular demand, then transferred to the Gaiety for a further two weeks. 2008 ended with another four week sell out tour of Ireland.