Last November I sat in barebones productions’ 65-seat black box in Braddock and watched four well-dressed parents take each other apart over the course of one afternoon. The play was Yasmina Reza’s God of Carnage. I respected it and I enjoyed it. Note: they are not always the same thing!
Because I enjoyed it so much, I leaned forward upon hearing the company announce the closer for its 2026 season: David Ireland’s Ulster American, opening Friday, October 9, and running through Sunday, October 25. It is the play’s first regional production, and I suspect that anyone who liked God of Carnage will want a seat for this one too.
Three People, One Room, One Long Night in barebones productions’ Ulster American
Ireland sets Ulster American in a London living room on the evening before rehearsals start for a new drama. Three people are there. Ulster native Ruth Davenport wrote the play. Englishman Leigh Carver will direct it, and the living room is his. Jay Conway is the Oscar-winning American film star, who has swooped in to play the lead.
They are supposed to have a drink and bond together to do the work ahead of them. Instead, egos get bruised, politics come out, and a great deal of history that nobody in the room is prepared to deal with comes out, too. Ulster American first appeared at Edinburgh’s Traverse Theatre in 2018, and it has been engaging audiences ever since.
If You Saw God of Carnage
The two plays have a lot in common. Each runs without an intermission, in a single room, in real time. Each builds to its crescendo out of conversation and little else. Differences of opinion turn out to be differences of perspective. Apparently it’s nigh on impossible to reconcile those differences.
Both plays scratch at the veneer of civility and good manners we all use to deflect conflict and paper over serious, ongoing disagreements. In both, power shifts among the characters like tectonic plates, and the quakes and eruptions follow.
Both works also ask something of us audience members. They want us to find ourselves, and our own habits, in the tactics on display, some of which are only barely socially acceptable. Did I recognized a few of mine last November? I’d prefer not to discuss that!
Who’s in the Room
David Whalen, one of the four combatants in God of Carnage and a longtime barebones collaborator, is back for this one. He is joined by Simon Bradbury and Christine Weber, both new to the company. Artistic director Patrick Jordan, who acted in the Reza last fall, directs this time. Tony Ferrieri designed the set and Andrew Ostrowski the lighting. Ian Bowen is the sound designer.
Jordan thinks the timing is right for us to witness this play. It’s set in London, with Brexit and the Troubles in the background, but he hears American life in it, and he describes it as a comedy about the gap between what we say we believe and how we behave when someone pushes back.
“It takes aim at virtue signaling and performative allyship, but it doesn’t let anyone off the hook,” he says. “Once the conversation gets personal, that’s where the fun and the danger starts.”
He hopes people will leave wondering how much of what they hear from their neighbors is sincere. Will we be able to want actual conversation instead of just remarks that make us look good and feel good? That is a big lift. The company’s God of Carnage was well directed and well-acted, though, so I am inclined to trust that the lift will be achieved, heavy or not.
If You Go See barebones productions’ Ulster American
The black box holds 65 people, and the company says several performances have already sold out, so I would not wait. Tickets are on sale at barebonesproductions.com.
- Dates: October 9 through 25, 2026
- Curtain: 8 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday
- Tickets: $40 for most performances, $50 for closing weekend (October 23 to 25). Wednesday, October 14, is pay-what-you-can. Students, artists and groups of 10 or more can ask about discounts.
- Where: barebones black box, Bingo O’Malley Stage, 1211 Braddock Avenue, Braddock
- Have dinner before or a drink after: Braddock Public House, run by Brew Gentlemen, shares a building with barebones, so dinner and/or a drink after is easy and enjoyable. After an evening of watching other people’s bad behavior, yoy may want a beer.
- Leave the kids at home: This is a dark comedy with strong language and violence, and its characters talk about sexual violence.
For more to do this month, see TABLE’s Pittsburgh events calendar. Or, find out more about what’s happening in Pittsburgh’s theater scene.
About the Author
Keith Recker is Editor-in-Chief and Co-Owner of TABLE Magazine. A color and trend forecaster for nearly 20 years, his clients have included Pantone, WGSN, Stylus, and the Color Association of the United States. He is the author of three books on color, including Deep Color: The Shades That Shape Our Souls and True Colors: World Masters of Natural Dyes and Pigments, and PANTONE: The Twentieth Century in Color. He is co-founder of the Open Source Colour Association, a new organization devoted to inclusive and transparent color forecasting. Earlier in his career, he was a vice president of home merchandising at Saks Fifth Avenue, Bloomingdale’s and Gump’s San Francisco. Listen to his podcast appearances at The Color Authority and EcoFashion Hub.
Read more of his work here or contact him at keith@tablemagazine.com. Follow him on Instagram as @TheChromosapien.
Photo Courtesy of barebones productions
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