The Pitch

Robbie has lived in East Belfast his whole life. He’s trained on the same football pitch every day. When plans are announced for his favourite place to be refurbished into a GAA ground he feels like he’s losing everything.

Then he meets Deren, a Gaelic footballer who’s been waiting on the day for a local pitch to call his own. Now suddenly Robbie’s little sister is playing GAA in school and asking Deren for pointers.

The pitch becomes a refuge for this unlikely trio. A place for them to practice, to argue and to make sense of the country they’ve grown up in. But with a United Ireland referendum gaining momentum, will these three remain friends after the result is announced?

Belfast is changing. What kind of future awaits?

The Pitch began as a short piece for Rapid Write Response at Theatre503 in 2023. In 2024, it was developed into a full-length play doing a short run at The Space. The play returned to Theatre503 in 2025 before heading to the Lyric Theatre Belfast, Naughton Studio, for a sold-out run in October 2025. It was selected for the Edinburgh National Partnership scheme with Pleasance Theatre Trust and the Lyric Theatre Belfast, returning to the Lyric in July 2026, before doing the full run of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival at Pleasance Courtyard, Baby Grand in August 2026.