Brightening Air

The Brightening Air

by Conor McPherson
Originally produced at The Old Vic, London, UK
April 10, 2025 - June 14, 2025
 

Synopsis: How much of living is really just forgetting?   


The family home is more than merely a building. It can be a destination of pilgrimage, an inherited investment, a repository of memory or even magic.    


And, for brother and sister Stephen and Billie, home is all they have. Mucking along in their decaying farmhouse, they’re doing just fine.  


That is, until the arrival of an ex-clergyman uncle with an unscrupulous plan, a sister-in-law seeking a miracle, and a prodigal brother hell-bent on trouble. 


A world premiere from Olivier Award-winning writer and director Conor McPherson (The Weir, Girl from the North Country), The Brightening Air is an entrancing tale of fate, family and unseen forces in 1980s Ireland. 


Artistic Statement: I’m so excited that my new play The Brightening Air will have its world premiere at The Old Vic. I’ve had such fantastic times at this historic building with its incredible audience. I’m really looking forward to seeing everyone in the spring and sharing this new story. - Conor McPherson, writer, director and Old Vic Associate Artist

Creative team:

Writer & Director: Conor McPherson
Set & Costume: Rae Smith
Lighting: Mark Henderson
Sound: Gregory Clarke
Movement & Intimacy: Lucy Hind
Casting: Serena Hill CDG
Voice: Charlie Hughes-D’Aeth