IN DARKNESS VAST

by John McCarthy, as Hammergrin

I wrote, produced and directed the two seasons of In Darkness Vast, and learnt a lot about sound design and editing in mixing them for release. Along the way I needed to take out my guitar again, for a song in Season Two, which lead to lots more songs emerging in my main job as a playwright.

The whole drive around In Darkness Vast’s creation was to finish making something that I could feasibly do without Arts Council or theatre venue support. It’s managed to do that, while calling on lots of favours from friends and collaborators.

In Darkness Vast embraces the freedom of the audio form, how it can be so vast and so intimate at the same time.

I have a nagging idea for an epic 3rd season, which is gradually taking form. When I’m not working on that I am making theatre in Cork, Ireland.

Hammergrin made theatre in Cork between 2005 and 2015

That work included the Irish Times Theatre Award Best Production nominee Hollander. Hammergrin’s plays were site-specific and “unfailingly original” (Irish Theatre Magazine). They set us on our way as artists and makers. There’s more about those productions on the theatre page.