Interview: Meade Conway, A Silent Scandal

Ahead of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2024, we’re chatting with a range of creatives who will be heading to the city over August to find out more about their shows. Today we’re chatting with Meade Conway about their piece A Silent Scandal.

A Silent Scandal Production Still - Senna O'Hara and Ben Carolan

Can you tell us a bit about you and your career so far.

Hello! My name's Meade Conway and I'm a writer whose work has been short-listed for several national writing competitions, alongside a few short plays that have been shown at London venues like The Cockpit and Baron's Court Theatre. Working together with a very talented team we're bringing my first full-length play (A Silent Scandal) to life for a full week's run in this year's Edinburgh Fringe.

What is your show about?

Our show is about institutional abuse and how those in power can get away with the worst crimes imaginable, all while misdirecting and casting blame on those trying to bring them to justice.  It tackles this theme through the lens of a single mother's plight in 20th century Catholic Ireland, highlighting how these dynamics came to dominate modern Irish history.

What was the inspiration for A Silent Scandal, and what’s the development process been to get to this stage?

The initial inspiration for the show came from the fact that one of the schools I attended as a child in Ireland recently had its own abuse scandal. I had gotten on badly at the school myself, and although it was never a place I thought much of I was horrified to learn just how badly many other students had suffered in the past.

The worst part of it was the lack of surprise that came from many corners, how people said that something had always seemed a bit off about so-and-so or that the atmosphere of the place never felt right. If it never felt right, why hadn't anyone done something? What if someone had tried, and they'd been silenced? Thinking along those lines, and trying to understand the conversations that likely happened behind closed doors at crucial moments, lead to a short section of the play being drafted and then performed at the London Irish Centre in August 2023, where it received a fantastic reception.

Building on this, the same team that performed at the London Irish Centre brought the full play to life at The Old Red Lion during its FreshFest in February 2024. We sold out our 3 day run and got an even more enthusiastic response from audiences, showing us that we had something quite special on our hands.

What made you want to take A Silent Scandal to the Fringe?

After our short run in The Old Red Lion earlier this year the whole team was ready to take on bigger challenges as well as work toward getting the play in front of a larger audience. This made the Fringe a natural destination.

Edinburgh is uncharted territory for all of us, but since we crave a challenge and want as many different people to see the play as possible we knew it was a no-brainer to throw our hat into the ring and try to bring a show we all think is important to the biggest arts festival in the country. Fingers crossed the ambition pays off!

Apart from seeing A Silent Scandal, what’s your top tip for anybody heading for Edinburgh this summer?

One of the best shows I saw in recent memory is 'Why I Stuck A Flare Up My Arse For England' written and performed by Alex Hill, who recently took London by storm with it. I saw the play in The Old Red Lion last year and was as impressed by the story as I was by the acting. He's an amazing talent who's bringing it up to Edinburgh this year, so if you're anywhere near the Underbelly (Bristo Square) you'd be doing yourself a disservice by not catching it.

Why should people book A Silent Scandal?

If you want to see a drama that has heart and conviction, this is it. We have fully fleshed out characters who tackle big themes in a way that is relatable and engaging, and when the emotions peak we've left audiences gasping in their seats every night and discussing for hours in the pub afterwards. If that's what you want out of a piece of theatre then our show is a must.

When and where can people see  A Silent Scandal?

We'll be on at the new venue hosted by Edinburgh Fringe veterans Greenside, Greenside@George Street, a lovely spot where we'll be performing 12th August - 17th August at 13:55 every day. If you miss us but you plan to be in Ireland in September we'll also be in Dublin's Smock Alley from the 2nd September - 4th September!