Connie

Featuring Pom Boyd as Connie alongside Shirani Bolle, Gene Rooney, Johanne Webb and Meg Hennessey

Staged in Limerick’s historic Theatre Royal – the first public performance in the building for almost 30 years – CONNIE is a bold, immersive theatrical event that reimagines the incredible life of Limerick-born Hollywood actress Constance Smith.

With an all-female cast and a striking site-specific setting, this is a haunting, lyrical journey through memory, identity, and the cost of being forgotten.

Born on Limerick’s Wolfe Tone Street in 1929, a series of incredible events led Constance Smith to Hollywood fame in the 1950s when she starred in over 30 films and presented at the 1952 Academy Awards. Her defiant stand against the pervasive casting couch culture in an era of systemic abuse ended her career and she died finally in obscurity and poverty, her ashes thrown on an unmarked scatter ground, her legacy – even in her hometown – overlooked.

Written and created by award-winning Limerick playwrights, Ann Blake and Joanne Ryan, CONNIE blends live performance, archival film, and an original score recorded with the Irish Chamber Orchestra to give audiences a thrilling and unforgettable experience. Terry has been a dramaturg on the development of this new play, and consulting on the site-specific production.

CONNIE is made possible with the support of The Arts Council of Ireland / An Chomhairle Ealaíon, Limerick City and County Council, Limerick and Clare ETB, Limerick Arts Office, GMA Community Initiative, Limerick Festivals and Events, and the International Music and Art Foundation

CONNIE was commissioned by Ormston House and is presented by Joanne Ryan in partnership with Ormston House, Lime Tree Theatre, Irish Chamber Orchestra, Film in Limerick, Dance Limerick, lyric fm, Piquant, Mary Immaculate College, Pure Electrical, Limerick Cleaning, Limerick Post, No. 1 Pery Square Hotel and Spa and Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board.