Beyond Belief, written by Damian Gorman with music by Brian O’Doherty, is the second part of a “Peacebuilding Trilogy” at the Playhouse in Hume’s home, Derry, after The White Handkerchief, a play about events of Damned Sunday. , earlier this year. Writer Damian Gorman at the Playhouse. Photo: The Playhouse / PA Mo Hume, the daughter of the late politician, said the play would “present his life and work with great integrity but also with joy. My father’s career had many triumphs, many difficulties, but he was a warm, kind and funny family man, a man who loved to sing. “He was a very proud man of Derry.” The Hume family and the John and Pat Hume Foundation support the production. Hume – the leader of the nationalist Northern Ireland Nationalist Party SDLP for more than 20 years, a Westminster MP and member of the European Parliament – helped persuade the IRA to abandon its armed struggle. He argued that nationalists and trade unionists should share power and pursue their goals through peaceful, democratic means. Following the signing of the Good Friday Agreement on April 10, 1998, with the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Tony Blair declaring “the hand of history is on our shoulders”, Hume and United Ulster leader David Trible were jointly awarded the Nobel Prize. peace. Brid Rogers, a former SDLP deputy leader and a friend of Hume, said: “A lot of people think of John Hume as a figure in history. not many people know the real, human John Hume. Aside from being innovative, motivating and inspiring for a generation, it was a lot of fun. “No party has ever been complete without John singing.” Glasses belonging to John Hume above a signed copy of the Good Friday deal. Photo: The Playhouse / PA The drama will show Hume at his strongest and weakest, said its director, Kieran Griffiths. Hume had dementia towards the end of his life. “When he was more vulnerable, he sometimes got lost in his hometown. “People in Derry gently took his hand and looked at him at home, without any sense of shame.” Griffiths added: “His relationship with his wife, Pat, is crucial – it was a shared force. In a very simple sense, Beyond Belief is a love story. “ When Hume died in August 2020, Covid’s restrictions meant that only a small funeral could take place. “People were deprived of the opportunity to say a proper goodbye. I hope that the project will give the community and the wider Diaspora the opportunity to put their hands on it “. In recent years, the power-sharing arrangements introduced under the Good Friday agreement have been periodically in jeopardy. “This drama will remind people of what is at stake, what John was trying to achieve and how important it is to endure,” Rogers said. Beyond Belief: The Life and Mission of John Hume will be at the Derry Playhouse from March 31 to April 7, 2023, with the final performance being broadcast live. Tickets at derryplayhouse.co.uk
