Now You’re Talkin’

Now You’re Talkin’ is set in a rural reconciliation centre where a cross community group of Belfast women are on a residential facilitated by Carter, an American do-gooder who has arrived to solve sectarianism in Northern Ireland.

Participants, Veronica, Jackie, Collette Thelma and Madeline soon reject Carter’s text- book theories and practice to combine in a sit-in to promote the establishment of a Belfast City based Cross Community Centre. Replicating the action of the Peace Women of the time, this quintet learns media speak only to understand that they are victims of the press and powers beyond their capabilities.

Collette: -tell them we don’t have any arms….we’re a group of women here to talk about peace!

Madeline: For God’s sake, this is Northern Ireland, if you don’t mention arms you wouldn’t get a write-up in the bloody Beano!

Veronica: People starved themselves to death for this country, people are bein’ murdered for this country, and you have the gall to walk out there and the answer to it all is a community centre in the middle of High Street? Do you not see that nearly every atrocity that’s happened in the last 17 years, the last bloody 700 years, could have been avoided. People aren’t sectarian for the good of their health—they’re sectarian because of the situation they’re in.

Now You’re Talking, Copyright © Marie Jones (1985). All rights whatsoever nature on these plays are strictly reserved. No use may be made of this play of whatsoever nature without licence. All enquiries should be addressed to Curtis Brown Group Limited, Haymarket House, 28-29 Haymarket, London SW1Y 4SP Email

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