El Niño – A crime novel set between Ballinrobe and Galway City.
Kindle Authors
Truman Town Films – New Production Call Out.
Truman Town Films – Call out for new production.
Logline: Pete arrives at the door to win back Jane after 10 years in prison. Jane’s married to Dave now, but maybe she can be tempted back into her old life?
Blurb:
Truman Town Films, founded by Mick Donnellan, a writer from Ballinrobe, Co. Mayo, are currently in the process of developing Mick’s new script into a feature length film. Set in The West of Ireland, primarily Ballinrobe, the story portrays the story of three complicated characters at a critical moment in their lives. Protagonist Pete has just been released from prison and has come to win back former girlfriend, Jane. Problems arise when Dave, Jane’s new husband, arrives home from work and insists that Pete leaves but Jane is reluctant to see him go. His appearance has coincided with doubts she’s been having about her life and her marriage and we soon see that Dave, despite his high social standing, is far from the ideal husband.
Tone: Dark comedy, Noir, Character driven. Comparable to Martin McDonagh, Tennessee Williams, David Mamet.
Themes: Loneliness, existential crisis, feminism.
Location: One main location – a living room/house setting – with potential for flashbacks/exterior drone context shots. Most likely to be shot in South Mayo or greater West of Ireland region if more suitable location is found.
Cast:
3 Actors.
Pete (20/30/40’s)
Jane (20/30/40’s)
Dave (30/40/50/60’s)
*Suggested ages are guideline only and casting will always prioritize suitability and talent required for the role. All age groups are encouraged to apply and will have an equal chance of success.
Auditions: Screen Tests in progress – apply @ mickdonnellan@hotmail.com. Actors should be prepared to commit to three weeks on set/filming.
Scheduled Shoot: To be announced – expecting to be shot and ready for submission/distribution before March 2023.
Budget: Funding applications currently in progress but not guaranteed.
Interested in hearing from: Actors and film crew such as sound technicians/mixers, lighting experts, stage managers, script supervisors, make-up artists and set builders or anyone that feels they’d like to be involved and can bring exciting knowledge or talent to the project. Send info to mickdonnellan@hotmail.com
Recent Projects/Awards:
Mick Donnellan works as a successful Playwright and Screenwriter. Film credits include Tiger Raid (2016) adapted from Mick’s Play Radio Luxembourg. Optioned by London Film Company Dixon/Baxi/Evans, the script was developed in London and shot in the Jordanian desert. Starring Brian Gleeson, Damian Molony and Sofia Boutella, it was accepted into the Tribeca film festival (New York) and was also seen at Cannes and Edinburgh. The Irish Premiere was screened at the Galway Film Fleadh. You can read more about Tiger Raid and watch the trailer here:
Mick is also the author of four novels. El Niño (2012) Fisherman’s Blues (2014) and Mokusatsu (2019).
His fourth The Naked Flame was published in February 2022.
He recently received the Agility Award through the Arts Council of Ireland and the Mayo Theatre Bursary through Mayo Arts Office.
His most recent Play Nally was supported by Westmeath Arts Office and aired in May 2021 as a Zoom/Youtube performance. It was attended by over two thousand viewers on the night and many more since.
You can watch Nally here: https://youtu.be/FiJYuaa5x2Q
In May 2020 Mick had a monologue (The Crucified Silence) chosen as part of the Scripts Ireland Play festival. After a week of intensive workshops with Playwright Eugene O’Brien, the monologue was directed by Jim Culleton (Fishamble) and performed by Aaron Monaghan.
Mick was recently part of the Galway Theatre Development Programme run by Andrew Flynn in conjunction with Galway’s Town Hall Theatre.
He is also listed on the Irish theatre institute here: http://irishplayography.com/person.aspx?personid=47564
Theatre and Film Background:
Mick Donnellan completed the MA in Writing at NUIG in 2004. Since then, he has worked as a novelist, travel writer, teacher and Playwright. He completed his first novel, El Niño, in 2004 and immediately secured a literary agent. He left Ireland soon after and went on to live in Spain, Australia, and Canada. While traveling he worked as a journalist and co-founded the Arts Paper – Urban Pie – in Vancouver. Upon returning to Ireland he went on to work with Druid (2009) and RTE (2010) and El Niño was published in 2012 with excellent reviews.
Later, Mick established his own theatre company, Truman Town Theatre. All Truman Town Plays are written, directed, and produced by Mick. The company exploded on to the theatrical circuit in 2011 with their hit Play – Sunday Morning Coming Down. Following a national tour, they went on to produce (and tour) two more hugely successful Plays Shortcut to Hallelujah and Gun Metal Grey. These dramas eventually became known as the “Ballinrobe Trilogy.”
Moving slightly from rural settings but not themes, the theatre company toured a fourth Play, Velvet Revolution. Set in a stark urban landscape, it created interest in Mick’s work among the film industry. He followed Velvet Revolution with his fifth Play – Radio Luxembourg which became Tiger Raid.
While the film was in development, Mick’s second novel – Fisherman’s Blues – was published. As it rose up the ranks, and enjoyed positive reviews, Mick was taken on board as co-screenwriter on the Tiger Raid project.
Other exciting projects include the screen adaptation of Shortcut to Hallelujah with Florence Films. The screenplay is titled Sam and is based around the gypsy curse supposedly set on the Mayo Football team as they returned home as All Ireland Champions in 1951. Set in the present day, Sam is drenched in Irish lyricism and modern-day dark humour. The script has been met with keen interest by film producers and actors throughout the industry.
Mick has lectured part-time in writing at the AIT (Athlone Institute of Technology) in County Westmeath. The course has enjoyed an exponential increase in numbers since its inception in September 2017. April 2019 saw the release of the well-received Tales from the Heart which is a collection of creative work from the students. It was launched at the college by bestselling author and esteemed politician Mary O’Rourke.
Mick has also worked as a writing lecturer at NUI Galway.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Keep goin til ya hear the bang….
One time in Australia I was drinking with a fella and we were talking about cars, and lightning storms, and floods in the Northern Territory. We were in Broome, or Katherine, or Hall’s Creek, one of them. The air was soft and warm and the Jim Beam&Coke was going down well on his porch. And there was more porches, and people drinking, and everyone worked in the mines. He was saying to keep an eye on the temperature and if it goes up, no matter how much, even a bit, then get it checked and it’ll save the car in the long run. Now I’m down by the Shannon Weir in Athlone and the temperature is gone up to the last. There was nowhere else for it to go. It was like it was trying to escape, breakthrough the dashboard and into engine. If it was a game of Snake or Pacman it would go through the wall on the right and come in through the wall on the left again. I was waiting for the bang, the smoke, the plume of mechanical and financial disaster that usually followed. Same as the Insignia in Edenderry and the Qashqai in Claremorris and the Astra in Galway that time. And let’s not mention that fuckin Peugeot. My immediate plan was to park somewhere handy for a truck to tow it away. This was important. It was only seconds before all the lights came on and the engine would blow, and the power steering would die and then there’d be no hope of getting it anywhere.
But this time nothing happened. The gauge stayed high, but the car continued to drive. Up by St. Peter’s Port and onto Connaught Street. The sun smiled on and people wandered by like nothing was the matter. Usually by now there’s a crowd gathered, and extras giving unwanted advice, and a smell like burning tyres and mechanical piss. Yet, the Focus glided through the panic like there was nothing wrong at all. No warnings, no stutter. I pulled in. Surprised and optimistic. Time to look at the engine like I knew something about them. The bonnet can only be opened with a key. One of them fancy ideas that never took off. Either way, I fucked it up about three months ago and now there’s a steel stick that does the job. You have to angle it through the front grille like you’re doing a blind endoscopy and then it clicks and slicks and you’re in. The engine was a bit hot but nothing solar. Plenty of water and coolant, no lack of oil. Time for Youtube. There was lads talking about sensors, and waterpumps, and putting eggs in the radiator. And click here, and like this, subscribe and follow, but there was no need, sure cos the needle was gone down by now and the car was grand. Sure they’re all mad in Australia anyway, and on Youtube, time to drive on, keep goin til ya hear the bang, and there was no bang yet. Might buy six eggs just in case but that’ll do.
Mick Donnellan 