Seanchaí

Worth watching

Seanchaí was so good! And not just "my friend wrote this so it must be good" but actually a delight to watch. Sneath as Siobhan and Guerrero as Fionn made me laugh and cry in turn. This play packed a lot of heart into only 45 minutes and makes this a Fringe must-see.

I love a tight 45 show.

This show knew the story it wanted to tell, told it, and then left the audience wanting more. Phenomenal work.

A Seanchaí (pronounced nothing like you would expect it to be unless you're familiar with Irish) is an oral storykeeper, but when alzheimers starts to creep in, that becomes a much more difficult role to maintain.

The show is funny, emotional, and with excellent lighting and music cues, unexpectedly epic. Susan Sneath is an absolute joy to watch on stage and nails her comedic timing.

It's only 45 minutes! You can fit it in!

And you should.

I didn't know what this was about besides storytelling which is a personal interest of mine. The performance was a great surprise and hit me especially hard due to life events. I may have left after crying but I would gladly watch this again.

Drop everything and go see this play. This is an intelligent, touching piece, and I truly laughed and shed some tears of sadness. I was going to skip this show because I had not been interested in "Irish storytelling" -- however, the themes are personal, universal, and intergenerational. Susan and Mark provide strong, emotional, and moving performances. This is a quintessential example of a "showcase Fringe piece". A must watch for any and all thoughtful Fringe audiences.

This show was lovely. A very sweet and sincere examination of memory, family, and storytelling. The actors were very talented and it was a beautiful mix of silly and serious.

First time ever seeing a storytelling (at the fringe, needless), and it was a very touching tale. About midway through I felt I was fully emerged, like I was sitting in their room, watching the conversation unfold. As someone who has older loved ones in her life, a couple lines from the show resonated with me, I even wrote them down for personal keeping. I think this is a good show for anyone with an interest in Irish stories, it also features a bit of coming of age, and familial relations! Can't go wrong with this one.

Susan Sneath, who was a founding performer at the Edmonton Fringe Festival over four decades ago, returns to the stage as Siobhan, a Seanchaí who lives alone in a care home, missing her family, lamenting the stories she can’t remember. Mark Guerrero plays Fionn, a Gen-Z writer (read: content creator) who is attempting to glean what he can from Siobhan’s teachings. Wanting to carry on the traditions.

Sneath gives her character such heartbreaking vulnerability. She really is the core the emotional core of the show. And Guerrero, on the other hand, imbues Fionn with youthful curiosity and exuberance. The intergenerational connection between the two is heartfelt and endearing. I won’t say I shed a tear, but it was awfully dusty in the theatre for some reason.

The script by Gavin Bradley tugs at the heartstrings even more.

This is a perfect jewel of a play/production. In all the great stories, is a happy ending even possible? The seanchai whose memory is fading, her apprentice who has already experienced loss, and the stories of Irish legend swirl about, providing profound connections amid the laughter and the sadness. Susan Sneath offers in Siobhan a raw and unsentimental face of imminent dementia, and shows us in snippets the brilliance of a woman holding in her mind the oral culture of a nation that turns on and off. That Siobhan's gift to the world is as a memory repository makes the horror of this disease all the sharper. Her companion Fionn, played by Mark Guerrero, offers up a new form of storytelling with gusto and goodwill, and together they provide us all with a legend for our time. Written by Gavin Bradley and produced by him and Amanda Samuelson, this is very likely the play we’ll remember this year’s Fringe by.

This was a beautiful piece of theater based on storytelling that was wonderfully acted, heartwarming and poignant. It subtly tackles the issues of aging and the dance of intergenerational relationships. I was engaged from the start and enjoyed every minute. Kudos for the playwright and director for creating a tight piece and not feeling the need to use the entire sixty minutes.

Playwright Gavin Bradley, director Amanda Goldberg, and performers Mark Guerrero and Susan Sneath create this lovely and credible story of a traditional Irish storyteller/oral historian, a seanchaí, meeting a TikTok content creator who adapts the same stories. Folklore and Irish-language snippets contribute to the atmosphere as the human connections build. Contemporary Canadian setting makes it more meaningful.

This story really connected with me and so cried a lot, and from what I could tell a lot of other people did too.

It’s not all sad though there are plenty of funny parts too!

Fantastic!!!! Irish story telling woven into the story of family and life!! Go see this show!

Incredible heart and humor. I am humorless and often heartless, and found myself transformed. Honestly so so good. Cried twice, laughed more 😭 🤣

I was in the hands of two ‘pros’ with a great script in a lovely venue. This whole experience was a deep thoughtful exploration of ‘storytelling’ and storytellers as Fringe.

What a beautiful story brought to life by the incredible cast. Susan Sneath is outstanding in her role as Siobhan the Seanchaí (Irish oral storyteller) who’s now aging and facing the accompanying changes. Mark Guerrero plays Fionn, a young man interested in learning the skill of storytelling.

Both actors were incredibly polished and the execution was tight, shockingly putting a world of details and emotions into just 45 minutes. Susan was very convincing in her role and is clearly an experienced actor. A highlight for me was when Fionn performed some modern day storytelling for Siobhan. He was hilarious and executed that scene flawlessly.

This story hit really close to home, and I wasn’t expecting it. I cried and also felt comforted by the way that Gavin Bradley so thoughtfully crafted this script.

A lot of my favourite Fringe shows are, in one way or another, about the importance of stories, and this lovely two hander is no exception.

The production made excellent use of the stage in terms of how they used the space, props, and lighting. The actors' chemistry made the characters believable, and the way they delivered the Irish stories was absolutely beautiful. This show had a good mix of humor and heartfelt moments, and though the script is shorter, with a runtime of 45 minutes, enough connection with the characters and story were built that I (and lots of people around me, I noticed) cried.

Seanchaì made a perfect gap filler in my Fringe schedule and I was so surprised and delighted by how much I loved this show.

Not sure I'll ever be able to look at a children's choir the same again.

This was nice! The acting was lovely, especially from the actor playing Sioban. The script had some truly beautiful moments and turns of phrase. The reveal was timely and tragic. The music was great, but I wanted more as it truly added a lot to the scenes it was in. I cried real human tears! Not a bad showing for a play that fits in a trim 45 minutes.

How Stories Connect Generations

Seanchaí, the irish word for a traditional or storyteller and story keeping, is a show that was connected and delicately intertwined for the entire performance. While the theme of family and cultural disconnect is heavy and complex, the touching elements of language and story bringing family together made the show memorable. A duo performance, both actors leaned into their roles genuinely and effortlessly. The script was incredibly thoughtful, and the direction that the actors took in reflecting both an older and newer generation, made it relatable and heartfelt to the audience.

Oral storytelling is sacred, and sharing face to face rather than on a screen is traditional connection that a newer generation craves. From learning from the grandmother in the performance, the truth of stories, language, memories, and communication, it proves its how we keep one another’s histories alive.

This is one of those shows where everything comes together to create something truly magical. The script is excellent! The performances from both actors are so stellar, nuanced and DETAILED! The technical elements and set are thoughtful and well executed. I saw this show at stage struck last year and it has stuck with me ever since and its only gotten better. Made me laugh. Made me cry. Taught me about my heritage. This show really has it all and I can't recommend it enough. Just be ready for a good cry!

Beautiful and touching performances. A magic story about stories and their power to connect us.