Vacant Tipperary supermarket gets new lease of life with theatre production

A vacant supermarket  in Clonmel has become the platform for an exciting theatre production “Everything Must Go.”

The former Superquinn  in Market Place was acquired by Supervalu before finally closing its doors to the public in 2016. 

The building has now reopened for an interactive theatrical experience inspired by the urban decline of the area. 

A product of Asylum Productions, Once Off Productions and Clonmel Junction Festival, the production written by Aideen Wylde and Donal Gallagher creates an immersive and unique theatrical experience. 

The audience is encouraged to engage with the haunting wasteland and peruse the abandoned aisles while the cast provide concurrent performances. 

The eclectic ensemble of ghostly figures are performed by a mixture of professional and local amateur actors. 

Memorable acts include a haunting dance from the checkout attendants and a butcher wandering the aisles with a cart adorned with human limbs. 

The lighting by Declan O'Sullivan alongside the sound composition design by Dave Boyd help transform the vast building, brilliantly creating the illusion of separate compartments for the audience to explore. 

Music from old advertisements helps to stir a haunting nostalgia, with the empty shelves encouraging the audience to reflect on how our society is dependent on excessive consumerism. 

A particularly clever aspect of the production is how it utilises the original features of the vacant building to add to the production. 

The supermarket’s retained aisles still are adorned with old price tags and the old customer notices are a stunning addition to the vibrant design by Medb Lambert. 

Features such as the clinical meat preparation area, the haunting candlelit bakery and storage room decked out with a creepy Christmas display add to the unsettling nature of the surreal performances.  

Auctioneers encourage the audience to bid on the empty building, with their presence compared to flies on a corpse of the once bustling shopping district.

What may have been a disjointed production is brought together by a stirring musical finale with stirring choreography by Cindy Cummings. 

The play helps the audience to imagine what it would be like to buy groceries in the aftermath of an atomic bomb dropping on O’Connell Street. 

A far cry from a  traditional trip to the theatre, the opportunity to enjoy the interactive and freestyle nature of this production is not to be missed.