Sanctuary sequel on stage this September

We are thrilled to share the news that playwright Christian O’Reilly has written Finding Sophie, the sequel to our award winning play Sanctuary which will world premiere in the Town Hall Theatre, Galway from 5-13 September 2025. Produced by Decadent Theatre Company and Town Hall Theatre Galway, it features a return of Larry and Sophie, played by Kieran Coppinger and Charlene Kelly who return to the stage in their original roles.

Thirteen Years Ago

2012 was the year of our original commission, a new dramatic work about the personal lives of adults with intellectual disabilities within romantic relationships and the societal and legal barriers they faced.  The resulting work ‘Sanctuary’ premiered in October 2012, as part of Galway Theatre Festival.  Set in the world of people with intellectual disabilities, the play was a touching and funny love story about Larry and Sophie, two people who longed to be together in a world that did everything to keep them apart.

Back then, we could not possibly have imagined that the depiction of a loving, consensual, sexual relationship between Larry and Sophie would continue to inspire and provoke national discourse in 2025. In 2013, Wildfire Films followed our production from rehearsal room to the Dublin Fringe Festival in a documentary ‘Somebody To Love’ which aired on RTE One. Not long after, O’Reilly began to shape the screenplay that would eventually become a feature length film starring the original cast. Today, Sanctuary (2016) remains one of only a handful of feature films that casts intellectually disabled actors as the principle characters.

The return of Larry and Sophie

Unlike Hollywood movies, sequels in contemporary theatre are an exception. Speaking about this, Director of Sanctuary, Petal Pilley commented “In theatre it isn’t an everyday occurrence to have a sequel, a follow up play written for an audience to take another look into the lives of beloved characters after some time has passed. However, with Finding Sophie this is exactly what Christian O’Reilly has materialised, written with great thought and depth. It is a joy to see actors Kieran and Charlene grab their characters Larry and Sophie thirteen years after the first staging of Sanctuary, with pride and ownership. I’m anticipating with excitement Decadent Theatre’s opening night – I can’t wait!”.

How To Buy Tickets

Finding Sophie is produced by Decadent Theatre Company and Town Hall Theatre Galway and supported by Galway Arts Centre, Blue Teapot Theatre Company and Magic Pill Productions. The show runs from 5^th – 13^th September. Tickets on sale from https://tht.ie/4505/finding-sophie  or Box Office 091 569777.

Photo credits: Reg Gordon (2012) and Emilija Jefremova (2025)