Fall From Grace
By: Eoin Carney
Sitcom Mission 2012 finalist
Michael Feeney used to be Taoiseach (Prime Minister of Ireland) and he wants to be again - in his mind he still is. But the unfortunate reality is that he was forced from office due to his excessive hobnobbing with the rich and powerful. Will he be able to rehabilitate himself by acting like a humble politician focused on local issues, proving he's a true man of the people? Party elder Nessa Knowles-Lawlor hopes he can, as the alternatives to succeed him are spineless or dangerous or both. So she's installed herself as a placeholder leader and hired a no-nonsense American political consultant, Marsha Duncan, to keep him focused on his rehabilitation, as Michael's already charmed the pants off every home-grown politico in sight. Will Marsha set him straight or will Michael continue to act like he's still in power? She has her work cut out for her, especially as Michael's right-hand man and former minister for finance, Declan Hickey, is not happy with the new situation.
In this episode, Marsha finds Declan rolling up a red carpet and gets him to confess that Michael has been entertaining reality TV stars, against her advice. Recognising Michael's need for some glamour, she gets him invited to an official reception for the esteemed President Lak of North Turol. Marsha is impressed when Declan arranges a personal visit, until she figures out it's actually with the President's twin brother, Colonel Lak, genocidal despot of South Turol.
Credits
| Cast | Character | |
|---|---|---|
| Stephen Hogan | ... | Michael 'Feel Good' Feeney |
| Jon Glover | ... | Declan Hickey |
| Elizabeth Bower | ... | Marsha |
| Yasmine Akram | ... | Emer |
| Javed Khan | ... | President Lak/Colonel Lak |
Eoin Carney
Originally from Ireland, Eoin Carney is an Assistant Professor of Radiology at the University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. After many years of practice he has recently had success with numerous short plays being performed around the US, and as far away as Malaysia and South Korea. In the UK he has had work presented at: the Lost Theatre 5 Minute Festival, London; the CornerHouse One Act festival, Surbiton; the Laced Banana NUTS Series, Manchester at the Lass O'Gowrie; and at the Gi60 Festival, Harrogate. He is a regular attendee at the Last Frontier Theatre Conference in Valdez, Alaska, and the Stony Brook Playwriting Conference in Southampton, NY. This year his full length play, Blatnoy Blues, about a Russian physicist navigating his way through the US academic system, won the Lake Erie Playwrights Competition.
Note
Performed in Heat 4