Getting to the Theatre 

We are located on the corner of Lower Abbey Street and Marlborough Street, a few minutes walk from O’Connell Street in the city centre.

By Bus:

Dublin Bus:

Take any route which stops on or near O’Connell Street.

Expressway/Intercity:

We’re a five minute walk away from Busáras, the main bus station in the city centre, located at Store Street, Dublin 1.

DART:

The nearest station is Tara Street.

Train:

Get off at Connolly Station which is located at Amiens Street, North Dock.

Luas:

Take the Red Line to Abbey Street or the Green Line to Marlborough.

Parking:

Parking for the Abbey Theatre is in the following nearby locations:

Irish Life Car Park – car entrance is on Gardiner Street Abbey Street (Closes at 10pm) Lower, North City, Dublin 1, D01 Y7V2

Dublin Q-Park, The Spire, Marlborough Pl, North City, Dublin 1, D01 W207

When you arrive 

There are two entrances to the Abbey Theatre.

The main entrance is located on Marlborough Street.

The performance of Like We Were Born To Move will take place in the Peacock Theatre. The entrance to the Peacock Theatre is on Abbey Street.

Staff 

The Abbey Theatre staff will make your visit as pleasant as possible.

You will recognise the staff because they are wearing all black and have a badge on with the Abbey Theatre logo.

Tickets and Entry 

You will need your ticket to enter the auditorium (the room the show will be performed in). If you have booked in advance, your ticket will be emailed to you and you can display it on your phone.

If you need to collect your ticket, it will be available from the Box Office in the Peacock Theatre from one hour before the performance.

Some audience members might be wearing a face mask and/ or ear plugs.

Peacock Theatre 

The entrance to the Peacock Theatre is located on Abbey Street. There is a set of automatic doors. You can use the elevator or stairs to bring you downstairs. There are 22 steps down which bring you to a foyer.

Lights 

The Peacock Theatre is underground, so once you go downstairs there are only electric lights.

The foyer is in two areas. The outside area is dimly lit with spotlights above the tables and it is darker in the corners. There are lamps set on the tables. The inside area is well lit but not too bright. There are strings of lights hanging from the ceiling and art hanging on the walls.

Smells and Sounds 

In the foyer there may be the smell of perfume and hand sanitiser.

There will be music playing at a low level. Other sounds you might hear include: people moving cups, glasses, people chatting, the sound of the Luas going by upstairs.

Toilets 

All the toilets are accessible for everyone.

They are all located in the foyer area of the Peacock Theatre. There are no hand dryers.

In the toilets with cubicles only there are three cubicles.

In the toilets with cubicles and urinals there are two urinals and one cubicle.

In the accessible toilet there is a toilet and sink in the one room. The toilets can be used throughout the performance.

The Peacock Auditorium 

The performance will happen in a place called an auditorium.

The main entrance to the Peacock auditorium is past the foyer, up five steps and through a set of double doors. The wheelchair entrance is to the left of the main entrance and up a slight slope.

Inside the Auditorium 

There are 123 seats in the Peacock auditorium. All of them look the same. A member of staff will show you to your seat.

Relaxed Performance 

During a relaxed performance, you are welcome to move, stim and make noise if you need to. It’s also OK to enter and exit the auditorium during the show.

Don’t worry if you think the actors may not like this – they know this is a relaxed performance and are happy for everyone to do what they need to to feel comfortable.

The lights in the auditorium will stay on at a low level throughout the show.

There may be some loud noises during the performance. If you need ear plugs, just ask a member of staff who can give you some. We have details of when the loud noises happen on the next page.

If you need to use it, there are quiet spaces in the cafe and foyer just outside the auditorium where you can go during the show. Then if you want to, you can go back into the auditorium and enjoy the performance.

If you can, please try not to use your mobile phone or have the volume on during the performance. But if you need to, that’s OK.

About The Show 

• The show is approximately 2 hours and 20 minutes long, with an interval. The first act is 1 hour in duration, the interval is 15-20 minutes, and the second act is 40 minutes.
• There are 16 actors in the play.

When you enter the auditorium, this is what the stage will look like.  

• The play is set in modern-day Ireland over a number of months.
• It takes place mainly between a house and a dance studio. When we are in the dance studio, the furniture is pushed back and there are mirrors onstage. When we are in the house, the table and chairs are usually centre stage. There are three times in the play when the actors address the audience. These sections are not in either space.
• Music will play when we transition between different spaces and the lights will change. Sometimes this music might be intense, or a bit loud. If you have headphones you like to wear in noisy spaces, you can bring them.
• If you would like to borrow some headphones to use during the show, please speak to a member of Abbey staff.

Content Awareness 

• Some of the characters have arguments onstage and shout at each other.
• Someone becomes unwell because they have accidentally taken too many painkillers
• There is mention of child neglect.
• There are discussions of foster care.
• One character “tattoos” another onstage. They do not use a real needle for this.

The Story of Like We Were Born To Move 

The play begins with a dance. There are six actors who dance in this opening section, with others crossing through the space. You will see all of the characters in the play during this section. There will be a voice-over of a conversation between the actors while this happens.

Once all but two of the actors have left the stage, the music will fade out and the lights will change. This part of the play takes place in a house. Different characters enter and leave the house over the course of an afternoon/evening.

The lights will change and music will play when we transition out of the house. A character will come on stage and take painkillers while other actors move the furniture. We are now in the dance space.

When we hear a voice-over play again, the actors will come onstage and talk to the audience and each other. They explain how one of the characters came to be living in the house. They move furniture in this scene as the next scene will be in the house.

Dance music will play after the house scene as we transition back into the dance studio. Towards the end of this scene, an argument takes place and one actor shouts at another. After this, another audience address takes place.

The next scene does not take place in the house or the dance studio. A brother and sister are having a conversation about a problem the brother is having. We can use our imaginations to decide where we think they might be.

When the sofa moves back onstage, we are in the usual house space again. At the end of this house scene, we move back to the dance studio. During this scene, two of the characters put on some music and start to dance. While this happens, Noah (the character taking painkillers earlier) comes back onstage. They are not in the dance studio with the two girls. We can use our imaginations to decide where we think they might be. The music will get louder and the lights will go out onstage. This is the end of Act I.

At the end of Act I, there is an interval of approx. 15 minutes. If you like, you can go to the bathroom or bar, or get some air during the interval. You are also welcome to stay in your seat. If you do leave your seat, the Peacock staff will let you know when it is time to go back into the theatre.

When the play starts again, we are in a different house to the one we’ve seen before. We know this because there is a different coloured blanket on the sofa and a bean bag on the stage. At the end of this scene, the actors take the beanbag and grey blanket with them. We are now back in the usual house. We stay in the house for the next couple of scenes, but there is a time jump between some of the scenes. We know when this happens because the lights will change and music will play. During one of these scenes, one character tattoos another. They have an argument where they both shout at each other.

The final audience address will happen after this argument has been resolved. All of the characters will come onstage and talk to the audience and each other.

The mirrors are brought back onstage and we are back in the dance studio. At the end of this scene, they are taken back offstage as the final scene of the play takes place in the house.

At the end of the play, the actors will come on stage to bow. The audience will clap and some may even stand up and cheer. You can join in, if you want to.