
Once Before I Go
Phillip McMahon(Author)
Fintan Walsh(Editor)
Methuen Drama (Publisher)
Published on 29. May 2025
Book
Paperback/Softback
128 pages
978-1-350-52376-0 (ISBN)
Description
Told against the backdrop of Dublin's burgeoning gay rights movement of the 1980s and 1990s and the contemporary LGBTQ+ community of today, Once Before I Go explores the bonds of Irish queer lives across three decades in Dublin, London and Paris.
This Student Edition includes commentary and notes by Fintan Walsh, Birkbeck, University of London, UK, which look at the play's themes of sexuality, emigration, time and relationships, as well as its style as a realistic three-part drama that draws on queer performance aesthetics, such as drag, camp, music, idioms and queer culture references.
It also considers the cultural context of the world of the play for the gay community compared to today's world in which queer rights and representation have become the relative norm.
The edition includes an original interview with the playwright.
This Student Edition includes commentary and notes by Fintan Walsh, Birkbeck, University of London, UK, which look at the play's themes of sexuality, emigration, time and relationships, as well as its style as a realistic three-part drama that draws on queer performance aesthetics, such as drag, camp, music, idioms and queer culture references.
It also considers the cultural context of the world of the play for the gay community compared to today's world in which queer rights and representation have become the relative norm.
The edition includes an original interview with the playwright.
Reviews / Votes
Once Before I Go is a play that implores us to join the dance, to live fully, to live without judgment, to live well. * Irish Times * McMahon's dark-humoured, powerful play says more about Ireland than reams of opinion columns. * The Times * A decades-spanning drama that showcases depth of character and emotional grounding. * Drama & Theatre *More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Target group
College/higher education
Dimensions
Height: 196 mm
Width: 130 mm
Thickness: 11 mm
Weight
110 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-350-52376-0 (9781350523760)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Philip McMahon is a playwright and theatre director based in Dublin, Ireland. His plays include Come On Home (Abbey Theatre, nominated by Best New Play in the 2019 Irish Times Irish Theatre Awards) and Town is Dead (Abbey Theatre, nominated for five Irish Theatre Awards, 2017). He is also Artistic Associate at the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre, UK.
Fintan Walsh is Professor of Performing Arts and Humanities at Birkbeck, University of London, UK, where he is Head of the School of Creative Arts, Culture and Communication.
Fintan Walsh is Professor of Performing Arts and Humanities at Birkbeck, University of London, UK, where he is Head of the School of Creative Arts, Culture and Communication.
Content
Chronology
Contexts - cultural context (queer rights and representation; same-sex marriage legislation in Ireland, 2015; decriminalisation of homosexuality, 1993; availability of HIV treatment and prevention mediation; history of oppression; migration; AIDs epidemic)
Theatrical context (Irish theatre's long history of dramatic realism; contemporary queer performance and aesthetics)
Plot
Themes (sexuality; emigration; time; relationships)
Dramatic devices (setting and time; genre and form; characterisation; language)
Production history (Gate Theatre, Dublin, 2021)
Critical reception (academic debate)
Interview with Philip McMahon
ONCE BEFORE I GO
Notes
Contexts - cultural context (queer rights and representation; same-sex marriage legislation in Ireland, 2015; decriminalisation of homosexuality, 1993; availability of HIV treatment and prevention mediation; history of oppression; migration; AIDs epidemic)
Theatrical context (Irish theatre's long history of dramatic realism; contemporary queer performance and aesthetics)
Plot
Themes (sexuality; emigration; time; relationships)
Dramatic devices (setting and time; genre and form; characterisation; language)
Production history (Gate Theatre, Dublin, 2021)
Critical reception (academic debate)
Interview with Philip McMahon
ONCE BEFORE I GO
Notes