BOMB SEX Hits London Following Sell-out Run At Brighton Fringe 2018

It's the 1980s, 'the Troubles' in Northern Ireland are at their height. But life goes on and some people just want to get some...!

Weeman Theatre presents BOMB SEX, an explosive dark comedy examining the relationship between Ireland and England during 'the Troubles' told through those trapped in their own situations.

"Bang bang and it's all over!" ... "Ain't Thatcher beautiful?" ... ''Some women love a man in uniform...even if he is a terrorist'... "When sleeping with a soldier, it's not the clap you need to be worried about, it's the tarring and feathering" ..." But always make sure you come home and make love to your husband after the bingo".

BOMB SEX is an eclectic mix of English and Irish characters who cross the Protestant and Catholic divide, delving into the conflict and its political impact in the 1980s. Intertwining dynamic story-telling with comedy and pathos, the play examines the fight for identity at a time when it was dangerous to be who you wanted to be. Fresh from a sold out run at Brighton Fringe 2018, this hilarious and yet tragic piece of writing is penned and performed by Fintan Shevlin.

First generation northern Irish playwright and actor, Fintan Shevlin says:

"BOMB SEX examines the past and ongoing relationship between England and Northern Ireland, especially relevant in the light of the current Brexit border debate and the social struggle for same sex marriage and abortion rights. As a child of the troubles, I was raised as a Roman Catholic in a close knit-community of conflicting religions and wanted to explore how the Irish see sex and the church's influence of what was and is socially acceptable. BOMB SEX depicts the personal battles people are fighting, as well as the dangers they face externally."

Performance dates and times

Weeman Theatre present BOMB SEX at The Hope Theatre, 207 Upper Street, London N1 1RL
Sunday 24 and Monday 25 June 2018 at 7.45pm.

Online tickets £15/concessions £12 at https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/event/245599

www.thehopetheatre.com
0333 666 3366

Fintan Shevlin is originally from Co. Tyrone Northern Ireland. The youngest of six children and a farmer's son, he grew up through the Troubles since birth until his twenties. Says Fintan:

"I remember the soldiers lying in the hedges as you walked home, the checkpoints across the border, the constant fear. The constant surveillance - it was a way of life. I've seen bombs go off and witnessed the impact the Troubles had on local families and the surrounding villages."

Fintan moved to England in his twenties and trained in acting at The Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts. His professional debut was at the Lyric Theatre Belfast in the Frank McGuinness translation of Brecht's 'The Caucasian Chalk Circle'. Since training he has worked on a range of theatre, independent films, TV commercials and pilots. Fintan currently produces with Octopus Films and is a keen playwright and composer.

The conflict in Northern Ireland during the late 20th century is known as 'the Troubles'. Over 3,600 people were killed and thousands more injured. Over a 30-year period, many acts of violence, from street battles to car bombs, were carried out by paramilitaries and the security forces and the evolution of these methods of violence greatly influenced the tactics and impact of the conflict.

From August 1969 to July 2007, Operation Banner was the operational name for the British Armed Forces' deployment in Northern Ireland, the longest continuous deployment in British military history. According to the Ministry of Defence, 1,441 serving British military personnel serving in Northern Ireland died in Operation Banner of whom 722 were killed in paramilitary attack and 719 died because of other causes. The British military killed 306 people during the operation. About 51% of these were civilians and 41% members of republican paramilitaries.

Tarring and feathering was a punishment designed to publicly humiliate and degrade the victim, which dates to the Crusades and was used to impose informal justice throughout Europe and its colonies. Tarring and feathering became a popular form of punishment in Northern Ireland, carried out by the IRA, in the 1970s. Many of the victims were women accused of conducting sexual relationships with members of the RUC or British soldiers. Terrified women had their heads shaved, were tied to a lamppost, and had hot tar poured over their heads followed by feathers. The feathers would stick to the tar for days, acting as a reminder of their so-called crimes against their community.