Kilkenny playwright’s work to be performed in Milan

An award-winning Kilkenny playwright is travelling to Milan early next month to see his work being produced in the world-famous Piccolo Teatro in Milan.

Darren Donohoe’s play Taxi Light Vigil will be performed at the iconic venue on November 8. The play recently won the NEXT Generation Award and is currently touring in Italy and is receiving a hugely positive response from audiences.

Taxi Light Vigil tells the story of Carla, the receptionist at the taxi company Happy Clappy Cabs and Dave, one of the drivers. She is starting her night shift. It is Tuesday, an evening that is usually fairly boring, but something unusual happens.

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A series of anonymous calls and clues scattered throughout the office lead the characters on what appears to be a veritable psychedelic trip through which they come into contact with their worst demons. In the period between sunset and dawn, their lives are revealed to use through exhilarating dialogue, dramatic monologues, tense waiting and explosive action.

Taxi Light Vigil was written during the pandemic and was produced in Milan earlier this year.

Darren Donohoe is an award-winning Irish playwright and poet. Darren’s plays and readings for the Abbey Theatre include Home Game, The Barkhausen Effect and Home-from-Home. Other plays include, Dayshift (Tramedautore Theatre Festival – Milan, Festival on the Crisis PIIGS - Barcelona) and Tuesday Evening (following the news) (Fishamble). Darren won the Bread and Roses Playwriting Award, 2019 and the Radius Playwriting Competition, 2020 in association with Finborough Theatre. He was also awarded the Dennis O’Driscoll Literary Award, 2020.

Darren’s poetry was nominated for a Hennessy Literary Award in 2012, 2014, 2016, and 2020. He was the Platform 31 Artist representing Co. Kilkenny in 2022 and was writer-in-residence at Carlow College, St Patrick’s, 2019, and the Science
Gallery, Trinity College, Dublin, 2020.

Darren’s poetry is widely published in journals and newspapers and his debut poetry collection titled Secret Poets was published by Turas Press in May, 2022 and is available from the Kilkenny Bookstore, Khan’s bookstore and online at

turaspress.ie.