LOCKOUT

What an assured and professional production! If you're Irish you will love the accents! The story is a good history lesson about how the original labor strikers sacrificed for our rights for a 40-hour week and a liberation from child labor!... full review

The Lockout was exceptional! I loved being taken on an emotional journey into the story of the Labor Union strike in the turn of the century in Dublin, and the conditions and struggles of the laborers and the sacrifices that were made through the emotions and words of the character Ellen Byrne. The acting was so compelling! Everyone was wonderful, with Christopher Wallinger bringing intensity to his character Jim Larkin, and Lyle Friederichs who portrays James Connolly with passion and fierceness. Playing the lead character Ellen Byrne, Bridgette Campbell took the audience on a emotional journey with such seamless storytelling! I particularly loved how she connected with individual people toward the front rows when she was telling her ... full review

Loved it! Bridgette & the entire ensemble was beautiful. The use of movement, sound, silence and lighting was beautiful. Going on a ride of Ireland history at a most important and vital time was a real treat. I thank the playwright & Cast for sharing this work with us.... full review

"Lockout" is an eye-opening account of what life was like for the poor during the labor union strikes in Dublin. Told from the perspective of Ellen Byrne a mother of three children and wife to a striker, playwright Ann Matthews provides a glimpse into the lives of those hit hardest by the lockout. Bridgette Campbell, as Ellen, portrays a heart-breaking stoicism and strength bred from sheer force of will and necessity. You want to pity her, but her fierce refusal to give up prevents such maudlin sentiments. With Lyle Friederichs and Christopher Wallinger as the enigmatic strike leaders, James Connolly and Jim Larkin, "Lockout" is a beautifully done snapshot of Irish history.... full review