Dead Certain

Janine Obagi and Daniel Ewing are British actors who met while working in a theatre group that produces educational shows for kids. Although that work keeps them busy, they also wanted to explore new avenues, the fruits of which can be seen this month with their production of psychological drama, Dead Certain—when a wheelchair-bound woman asks an out-of-work actor to read through a play she has written, he jumps at the chance. But when they start to read the script, the actor is startled to find disturbing similarities to real life...

Where did this project come from?

DE: Janine had wanted to do something here for a while and...we worked together a couple of times on the [educational] shows and we just…

JO: We did the secondary [school] show together…and worked well together. And I put it to you and you knew this play.

DE: I thought it would be a great thing to do here. It’s different to see a thriller on stage. It’s a very exciting plot and it’s a really good play for two people to do; it’s a really good showcase for both of us.

What attracted you to this particular piece? Daniel, you already knew it—had you performed in it before?

DE: Yes, I performed it in London, with a friend of mine, we went to drama school together. And it was received really well there. The writer [Marcus Lloyd] actually came to see that production.

So it’s a modern piece?

DE: Yes, it was written about 10 years ago. It’s contemporary.

JO: From an actor’s point of view, both parts are dream parts. You get to show so many different emotions in one play. It’s incredible. And much of it is just set in one room. It’s the sort of play that the audience will continuously be [thinking] ‘what’s going on?’.

DE: [There’s] lots of twists and turns.

JO: Dramatically, to be able to play those parts, it’s pretty amazing. It’s quite hard to find…I went through a number of plays before I even met you. And to find one that, straight away...it was, “right that’s the one”.

Dead Certain: May 13th to 15th, 9.30pm, €1; La Riereta Teatre, Reina Amalia 3, tel. 93 329 2196

ALSO ON: Jocular Theatre presents Lend Me A Tenor. This screwball comedy by Ken Ludwig set in the Thirties features a misplaced opera singer, his hot-blooded wife and a desperate presenter trying to avoid chaos. May 15th, 16th, 22nd and 23rd at Fundació Cultural Hostafrancs, C/ Torre d’en Damians 6. €12. www.joculartheatre.com