In the 25th anniversary year of the Good Friday Agreement (GFA), the Lyric Theatre, as part of Imagine! Belfast Festival 2023, presents a new political drama, ‘Agreement’, with Fermanagh’s Dylan Quinn working behind the scenes as the production’s Movement Director.

Running until Saturday, April 22, this major new play, commissioned by Michael Grandage Company (MGC), has been written by one of Belfast’s foremost playwrights, Owen McCafferty, and is directed by Charlotte Westerna, with set and costume design by Conor Murphy.

It examines the negotiations leading up to the GFA and weaves real drama out of this complex, momentous and landmark moment for Northern Ireland.

In the play, the clock is ticking. It’s April, 1998, and the main political parties in Northern Ireland, the British Government and the Irish Government – all under the watchful eye of Senator George Mitchell – try to hammer out a deal that could pave the way for peace in Northern Ireland.

Every word, every movement, every stare means something. This is the last-chance-saloon, and no one is leaving until agreement is reached one way or another.

The stage is set for this political masterpiece which includes a stellar cast line-up featuring Richard Croxford as Senator George Mitchell, Dan Gordon as John Hume, Andrea Irvine as Mo Mowlam, Ronan Leahy as Bertie Ahern, Packy Lee as Gerry Adams, Patrick O’Kane as David Trimble and Rufus Wright as Tony Blair.

As a place that has played its part in the 25-year story of the GFA, including an iconic moment of the peace process – the handshake in 2012 between Queen Elizabeth II and Martin McGuinness, the Lyric invites audiences to come together to reflect on this historic and momentous time in the history of Northern Ireland.

The Lyric will also be hosting a number of discussions based on key themes within the play.

These will include a special pre-show event hosted by the Irish Association to discuss how culture and arts have provided opportunities for dialogue, engagement and encounter since the GFA was negotiated.

The Lyric will also be teaming up with Tenx9 Tenx9 to bring nine true stories on the theme ‘agreement’ as an echo of the new play by Owen McCafferty.

Tenx9 is all about true-life stories told by the people who have lived them

Writer Owen McCafferty, suggests that, while the play is set at a very specific moment, it is much more broadly about the process of negotiation.

“We all spend a good deal of our lives negotiating. It’s how we solve the problems that confront us in our relationships with others.

“These negotiations always follow the same pattern: a problem arises and we blame the other, and in return, they blame us.

“There is a stand-off, and at this point a decision must be made. Do you continue to blame the other for the existence of the problem or do you realize you are part of the problem?

“The former leads to a breakdown in the relationship, and the latter leads to negotiation – and the possibility of resolution.”

The Lyric Theatre is supported by Arts Council of Northern Ireland National Lottery funding and Belfast City Council.