The Journey – live performance presented by Clondalkin Tower Drama Group
The Journey – live performance presented by Clondalkin Tower Drama Group
October 18 @ 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm IST
The Journey is a powerful and emotionally charged play exploring themes of migration, survival, betrayal, and resilience presented by Clondalkin Tower Drama Group at the Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality at 30 Sandycove Road, Dublin on 18 October from 3 to 4pm.
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Artists
Oladipupo Salem, actor
Mariam Fasipe, actor
Afolabi Fasipe, actor
Abosede Ogunsola, actor
Vuvu Mateus Artur, actor
Arinze Michael Ogbu, actor
Ebenezer Omole, actor
Daniel Appoh, actor
Joy Sylvester, actor
Uche Paul Chukwukem, actor
Abiodun Sanni, actor
Mohammed Shadji, actor
Uwague Sylvester, stagehand
Smart Osazua, stagehand
Osakpolor Aigbe, stagehand
Full Event Details
The Journey is a powerful and emotionally charged play exploring themes of migration, survival, betrayal, and resilience. It follows Michael and Joyce, a couple whose lives are turned upside down after Michael is kidnapped during a risky business trip. After paying a ransom, the couple is forced to flee their home country and seek asylum in Ireland.
Once in Ireland, the challenges continue — from adjusting to life in IPAS accommodation to the unravelling of their relationship. Michael becomes entangled in a secret affair with Isabella, leading to emotional abuse, neglect, and a deep sense of isolation for Joyce, who is pregnant and vulnerable.
The play weaves in the stories of other migrants and asylum seekers, like Isabella, Smart, Bob, and Steve, highlighting a range of personal and social struggles — from romantic betrayal to domestic abuse and systemic hardship. It culminates in a dramatic confrontation revealing Michael’s double life and the emotional toll of displacement on individuals and families.
Through intense dialogue, raw emotion, and layered storytelling, The Journey sheds light on the lived experiences of migrants navigating uncertainty, trauma, and hope in their search for safety and belonging.
Beyond the stage, The Journey serves as a powerful tool for raising public awareness about the lived realities of displaced people in Ireland. By dramatizing the emotional and systemic challenges faced by asylum seekers — from navigating the Direct Provision system (now IPAS) to enduring isolation, unstable relationships, and institutional neglect — the play bridges the gap between policy and personal experience. It puts a human face to headlines, transforming statistics into stories that resonate deeply with audiences.
This storytelling fosters understanding and empathy among Irish communities, many of whom may have limited direct contact with asylum seekers. By engaging viewers emotionally, it challenges harmful stereotypes and misconceptions, making visible the everyday struggles and resilience of displaced people. The play also opens up critical conversations around issues such as access to mental health support, domestic abuse in asylum settings, and the long-term impact of displacement on families.
In community talkbacks, educational settings, and public discourse, The Journey becomes more than entertainment — it becomes activism. It invites policymakers, service providers, and the public to reflect on the urgent need for systemic reform and to support more compassionate, rights-based approaches to asylum and integration in Ireland.
The purpose of the company (The Clondalkin Towers Drama group) is to promote, produce, and perform theatrical and dramatic works in Clondalkin and surrounding areas, to encourage participation in and appreciation of the performing arts by the local community, and to support the integration of International Protection applicants by fostering inclusion, cultural exchange, and engagement through drama and community theatre.
Organisations Involved / Partner Organisation(s):
