A chilly evening’s warm respite buzzes with conversation, folk music, and the crisp pour of a frothy Guinness. Groups of friends and neighbors gather in ambient light, leaning in to listen to each other’s ghost stories. 

This is the scene set by Connor McPherson’s The Weir. Taking place entirely in a pub in rural Ireland, the play explores the relationships in a close knit community when a newcomer arrives in town. 

Debuting in London in 1997, The Weir has been performed in several countries across the world. In the U.S, it is a Broadway hit. Now, The Weir has made its way to Iowa City, where it will be performed at the Riverside Theater from Oct. 14 to 30. Along with actors Noel VanDenBosch and Elliot Bales, this performance will feature Tim Budd as Jack, Bob Mussett as Jim, and Aaron Stonerook as Brendan.

A weir is a low dam that helps regulate the flow of water in a river. It allows the river to flow over it, causing a change in the height of the water level. In the context of this play, a weir represents a change in the relationships within the community.

The Weir is an authentic representation of Irish society and culture. It features many Irish phrases that Riverside translates to make the script as comprehensive as possible without leaving anything out. This way, the audience can stay engaged for the entirety of the show; audience engagement is a cornerstone of this play. 

“Part of what drew me to it [The Weir] is I knew that this play was originally written in a small theater, and it was written to really make the audience feel like they were flies on the wall of this rural Irish pub,” said Adam Knight, producing artistic director at Riverside Theater and director of The Weir.

Riverside Theatre’s current location on 119 E. College St. also helps facilitate this intimacy between the audience and the actors. The small size of this space closes literal and figurative gaps between the seats and the stage, making human connections much easier — the perfect space for such an intimate play. 

“A lot of this play is about people who come from the same place and have been separated, and through the telling of these stories and the introduction of this stranger that they’re all trying to kind of help and welcome in, all of those divisions are illuminated and some are slightly mended,” Elliot Bales said.

Bales has been a professional actor for the last 12 years after retiring from the U.S. Army, in which he served for 26 years. This is his fourth show with Riverside Theater. He previously participated in several Riverside Shakespeare in the Park performances and now plays the role of Finbar in The Weir. Bales originates from Arlington, Virginia. 

Bales was also working with Riverside during its transition from its former space on Gilbert Street to its new space in the downtown ped mall. He was blown away by Iowa City’s involvement in helping Riverside make this transition. 

“Coming from a place that has a lot of money and is the fourth largest theatre community in the country, D.C., to see this level of commitment from a smaller city, but a very vibrant and important city and a very arts oriented city was cool,” Bales said. 

Finbar is from the small village of County Leitrim, and inherits a local pub and other properties from his father. He sells some of this property to the newcomer, Valerie. Valerie is played by VanDenBosch and serves as the catalyst for the stories and conversations in the bar. 

VanDenBosch has been performing since she was 16 years old, but her main profession is managing the program of bioethics and humanities at the Carver College of Medicine.

“It’s just a great group of people, a great script, a great space,” said VanDenBosch. “This is kind of my happy place when all three of those things collide.”