Hello? Mum? I'm calling from the future...
A sweeping, multigenerational story, Never Always Ever Was weaves together the lives of Danny, a restless young man from Belfast determined to escape the tensions of home in search of purpose and adventure, and Julia, a recent university graduate from Port Fairy who has returned home to find a way to turn her passion for environmental conservation into meaningful action. Their fateful meeting on New Year’s Eve in 1989, at a small-town pub, sets the stage for an exploration of identity, home, and the far-reaching ripple effects of the choices we make.
Told across four key moments in time — 1989, 1997, 2025, and 2049 — Never Always Ever Was follows one family across sixty years of love, loss, migration and change. As coastlines shift and the world transforms around them, each generation must reckon with what they have inherited, what they will leave behind, and what it means to call somewhere home.
This dynamic two-hander sees two performers embody a vivid tapestry of interconnected characters across generations, accompanied by live music that weaves through the work and its shifting landscapes. Through the entwined stories of Danny, Julia, their ancestors, and descendants, Never Always Ever Was reflects on the environmental challenges facing coastal communities – revealing both the fragility and enduring strength of the places we call home, and the futures we strive to protect.
Told across four key moments in time — 1989, 1997, 2025, and 2049 — Never Always Ever Was follows one family across sixty years of love, loss, migration and change. As coastlines shift and the world transforms around them, each generation must reckon with what they have inherited, what they will leave behind, and what it means to call somewhere home.
This dynamic two-hander sees two performers embody a vivid tapestry of interconnected characters across generations, accompanied by live music that weaves through the work and its shifting landscapes. Through the entwined stories of Danny, Julia, their ancestors, and descendants, Never Always Ever Was reflects on the environmental challenges facing coastal communities – revealing both the fragility and enduring strength of the places we call home, and the futures we strive to protect.
Never Always Ever Was was commisssioned by Northern Ireland-based c21 Theatre Company, with support from the National Celtic Folk Festival. The ongoing development of Never Always Ever Was has been supported by the British Council’s Connections Through Culture Grant, British Council Northern Ireland, Seaborn, Broughton & Walford Foundation, City of Greater Geelong, Geelong Arts Centre, Culture Ireland, and Regional Arts Victoria.
2027 SEASON & TOUR
DETAILS COMING SOON!
Writer: Fleur Murphy
Director: Tom Royce-Hampton
2027 Touring Partner: Regional Arts Victoria
Interested in presenting Never Always Ever Was in 2027? Explore our Regional Arts Victoria Production Profile for further information about the production and touring opportunities HERE.
Director: Tom Royce-Hampton
2027 Touring Partner: Regional Arts Victoria
Interested in presenting Never Always Ever Was in 2027? Explore our Regional Arts Victoria Production Profile for further information about the production and touring opportunities HERE.
"Murphy's writing is beautifully poetic and hopeful."
"A powerful and important piece that winds you into the lives of characters and makes the issue of climate personal. Offering the warmth of family and relationships as a way through it all."
"Very emotive and pertinent"
"This international collaboration around the Irish migration to Australia and climate change expressed through the heart of family and generations, promises a rich production for the future."
"A powerful and important piece that winds you into the lives of characters and makes the issue of climate personal. Offering the warmth of family and relationships as a way through it all."
"Very emotive and pertinent"
"This international collaboration around the Irish migration to Australia and climate change expressed through the heart of family and generations, promises a rich production for the future."
