A new work by a UCD student who graduates within a week of their show premiering at the Dublin Fringe Festival will have a double debut as the production will be the first public performance to be hosted at Trapdoor, the newly developed ‘black box’ theatre at UCD.

A Version of Life is a play created by Robert Power that was developed during his studies in the UCD School of English Drama and Film, and time spent on Erasmus at the University of Iceland.

The piece is a very creative, energetic auto-fictional exploration of creative chaos and focuses on an artist trapped in their studio with an endless array of projects.

Navigating life and death, and an outside world filtered through a virtual assistant, Valerie, who appears to have dreams of her own, the artist at the heart of the work is unable to escape their own mind and a recurring dream of Icelandic nirvana.

“A Version of Life feels like it was always there in my subconscious, waiting for me to be still and write it,” said Robert.

“During my time in Iceland I was making a short film about a dream while simultaneously, in my studies at the university there, examining identity and the impact that living on an island has on the psyche. This connected with my dissertation on the auto-fictional elements I found and identified within my research on J.M Synge at UCD. Then, as though it were destiny, I met Professor PJ Mathews in CFA’s Creativity module.

“An incredibly generous and intelligent man with a deep understanding of the arts and the creative process, PJ seemed to understand me and nurtured the idea in a way which gave me the belief, space and platform to shape and showcase it in its infancy at Trapdoor. The feedback was wonderful and we knew it was something that could grow. I also felt immediately that it was something that could connect, not just with artists but everyone who has ever dreamed of another version of life or themselves.”

While finishing his final assignments, Robert met with David Francis Moore, Artistic Director of Dublin Fringe Festival and told him about work.

A unique blend of art elements including theatre, live music, film and visual art, A Version of Life was selected to be part of the 2024 Dublin Fringe Festival and make its debut at the newly finished Trapdoor venue at UCD.

“The idea connected with David and the team at Fringe and we were so delighted to be accepted into this year’s programme. It is just the beginning for something that feels like it was always waiting for the light to shine on it. It’s an absolute honour to bring the show to Fringe and so very special to bring it home to UCD where it began its incubation.”

Alongside premiering at Fringe, A Version of Life will enjoy a second debut of sorts as the show will be the first to be staged at Trapdoor since it reopened its doors in February.

The site of the University’s old Dramsoc theatre, the disused performance space – once the heartbeat of amateur stage performances at UCD – was transformed following a €2.5 million facelift earlier this year.

From the 1970s to 2012, this space fostered the talent of some of Ireland’s most distinguished writers, playwrights, and theatre and film directors including Frank McGuinness, Neil Jordan, Consolata Boyle, Marina Carr and Conor McPherson.

Left unused for more than a decade since the early 2000s, the redeveloped performance space is now a permanent 144-seated theatre with professional grade lighting, visual and audio sound systems, and seating, and serves as the new home of the UCD Creative Futures Academy (CFA).

The staging of the show at Trapdoor carries extra meaning for Robert, who said it was where the show first began its development journey.

“Some theatre spaces have a magic in the air which lends itself to the fantasy of imagination and live performance. Trapdoor has that magic. It is also a state of the art, highly sophisticated technical theatrical space run by kind and superbly talented individuals that work as a team,” he continued.

“As an artist working in different mediums I see Trapdoor as the perfect imaginarium. It is a privilege to create in this historic space. I was fortunate to have been introduced to the great Frank McGuiness here in Spring and witnessed his incredible speech at the launch where he pondered what might first spring from the Trapdoor. That it will be A Version of Life is something I will be forever grateful for.”

As part of developing his new play, Robert received mentorship from leading industry professionals including actor and writer Mark O’Halloran and Jenny Jennings, Artists-in-Residence at the UCD CFA, as well as Olivier Award Winning Director, Donnacadh O’Briain.

The work was further developed during the CFA ‘Creativity’ module, under the mentorship of Professor PJ Mathews earlier this year.

“It has been a great pleasure to work with Robert on this play, and to see it now reach a wider audience through CFA’s partnership with Dublin Fringe Festival is very gratifying. Robert developed an early version of this work for my Creativity module and it was clear from the start that A Version of Life had great potential for success.

“With the opening of the Trapdoor space, our students now have the opportunity to learn and innovate in a state-of-the-art performance venue. The plan is to make Trapdoor a vital part of the creative infrastructure of Dublin City, showcasing emerging UCD talent to the wider world, and bringing the creative energy of Dublin City to the Belfield campus,” Professor Mathews added.

Now in its 30th year, the Dublin Fringe Festival offers an important platform for emerging artists, and this year its programme contains over 500 performances taking place in more than 25 venues.

Performances of A Version of Life will take place at Trapdoor, located in the UCD Newman Building, at 7pm on the 12th, 13th, and 14th of September.