c21 LAUNCH NEXT STAGE OF NEW INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATION AT NI SCIENCE FESTIVAL FEBRUARY 2026

Very excited to announce the next stage of our recent International project. Never Always Ever Was, is a bold new multi-generational two-hander by Melbourne playwright Fleur Murphy, commissioned by c21 Theatre Company in partnership with the National Celtic Festival, Australia (NCF).

Spanning the years 1989 – 2049, the play weaves intimate personal stories with global themes of legacy, family, and climate change, tracing the shifting sands of life in vulnerable coastal communities.

Performed by one Australian and one Northern Irish actor, the work features performers embodying multiple characters across time and place, highlighting the fragility and resilience of those living on the edge—geographically, emotionally, and environmentally.

Never Always Ever Was is a dramatic text based one-act play that has already been through its first stage of development culminating in a public excerpt reading at the NCF in 2025. The feedback was fantastic. We are thrilled that a second development is happening in Belfast Northern Ireland in February 2026, with the playwright and performer joining us for a residential. The project concludes with a second public reading at the NI Science Festival on Friday 13th February at 7.30pm in Portico Arts Centre, Portaferry.