alphabetical author index

Handful of Stars, A

  • Billy Roche
  • Full Length Play, Drama, Contemporary
  • 6M, 1F
  • ISBN: 9781848423992

A gripping but warm-spirited snapshot of life in a small southern Irish town.

  • Full Length Play
  • Drama

  • Time Period: Contemporary
  • Target Audience: Young Adult
  • Set Requirements: Interior Set

  • Performance Group:
  • High School/Secondary, College Theatre / Student
A gripping but warm-spirited snapshot of life in a small southern Irish town.

In the sleepy Irish town of Wexford, where shotgun weddings are outnumbered only by random acts of violence, the pool hall is Jimmy's sanctuary. But will such a place embrace his bright ambition, or bring it down, burning, to the ground?

Originally part of Billy Roche's The Wexford Trilogy, A Handful of Stars was first performed in 1988 at the Bush Theatre, where it won the John Whiting Award and the Plays and Players Award for Best New Play.

This edition was published alongside the play's first professional stand-alone revival at Theatre503, London. The text of the play is also available in The Wexford Trilogy.

REVIEWS:

"Simultaneously mean and warm, stifling and nourishing, comic and sad."

 The Times

"Funny, rueful and tender... has the potency of truth."

 Telegraph

"Carefully observed... almost unbearably honest."

 Time Out

"A nice balance of comedy and tension... [has] a great deal of warmth."

 A Younger Theatre

Premiere Production: Bush Theatre, London, 1988.
  • Casting: 6M, 1F
  • Casting Attributes: Good role(s) for younger performers

Name Price
Handful of Stars, A Script This is optional. Order Now

A gripping but warm-spirited snapshot of life in a small southern Irish town.

In the sleepy Irish town of Wexford, where shotgun weddings are outnumbered only by random acts of violence, the pool hall is Jimmy's sanctuary. But will such a place embrace his bright ambition, or bring it down, burning, to the ground?

Originally part of Billy Roche's The Wexford Trilogy, A Handful of Stars was first performed in 1988 at the Bush Theatre, where it won the John Whiting Award and the Plays and Players Award for Best New Play.

This edition was published alongside the play's first professional stand-alone revival at Theatre503, London. The text of the play is also available in The Wexford Trilogy.

$24.95