in Belfast, where his latest play, Burnt Out, has been in rehearsal, Mitchell concedes that his uncompromising version of Irishness has never been everyone’s cup of tea. “Yeah, they’re still equally unpopular,” he says, a rueful grin breaking out across his face.
Its setting is the living room of an aspirational young Belfast couple called Cheryl and Michael, who both come from mainly Protestant, working-class areas of the city. They’ve done well and have just bought a house in a leafy suburb. Michael is a primary-school teacher who is in line for a vice-principal’s post, while Cheryl owns a beauty salon.
That abundance of words continues to flow, albeit in a new domestic and historical context. Mitchell explains how the bonfire will prove to be unexpectedly problematic for the couple, on a number of levels. “The building of the bonfire leads into an investigation of the family, where they’ve come from, the fact that these two are social climbers. They desperately want to be middle class.
“In my plays I draw on experiences from within my own community. I create characters that allow me to tell a story, which I think is important. I wouldn’t want to oversell my talent or this play, but I do think a conversation needs to start about what Protestant culture actually is.
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