About
“Do you think you can choose? What kind of heart you have?” It’s been a year. Twins Polo and Twitch reunite on the night of their twenty-fifth birthday. Their hometown is getting smaller. The only thing there is more of is rust. But there’s a reason Polo left. And Twitch…
“Do you think you can choose? What kind of heart you have?”
It’s been a year. Twins Polo and Twitch reunite on the night of their twenty-fifth birthday. Their hometown is getting smaller. The only thing there is more of is rust. But there’s a reason Polo left. And Twitch won’t be forgotten.
Set on the beach, in the local night club and dingy bars of your hometown, in your childhood bedroom, getting ready for the night out you’ll wish you could forget.
Hot Mess explores vanishing youth, dead ends and dark secrets. Follow this cautionary tale as Twitch and Polo come to reckon with their past and who they’ve become.
Age Suitability: 14+
Warnings: Strobe lighting, sexual reference, strong language
STARRING
Molly Mew as TWITCH
Fiachra Corkery as POLO
Laura McAleenan as JACKS
Ross Fitzpatrick as BILLY
Written by Ella Hickson. Directed by Úna Ní Nualláin. Produced by Muirenn Lyons. Lighting Design by Colin Doran, Production Design by Jodie Doyle, with Composition, Sound Design & Live Performance by Ruairí Nicholl. Graphic Design & Photography by Izzy Hamilton. Assistant Producer Anna Buchmueller.
ABOUT THE WRITER
Ella Hickson is an award-winning playwright whose work has been performed throughout the UK and abroad. Her adaptation of Oedipus opened at the Old Vic in 2025. Other theatre includes Adult Children (Donmar ‘21), Anna (National Theatre ‘19), Swive (Globe Theatre ‘19), The Writer and Oil (The Almeida Theatre ‘18 and ‘16 respectively), and Wendy and Peter Pan (The Royal Shakespeare Company ‘15). She is a member of the Royal Society of Literature, a MacDowell Fellow and recipient of The Catherine Johnson Award.
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR
Úna Ní Nualláin is an interdisciplinary theatre maker and writer from Dublin, Ireland. Úna graduated in 2022 from UCD with a first in Law with History. She completed her MFA in theatre directing at The Lir Academy in 2025. Recent credits include assistant director on Bán by Carys Coburn (dir. Claire O’Reilly, DTF ’25), director of Walden by Amy Berryman (Lir GradFest ’25), assistant director on The Misanthrope (dir. Eoghan Carrick, The Lir ’25) and co-director of The Last Wolf in Ireland by Rachel Thornton. She has written and directed two original plays Carline (The Pearse Centre ‘23) and Need Help (no worries if not) (Boy’s School ’24). In 2025 Úna curated and presented Lughnasa, a night of spoken word, music and performance, in association with Poetry Ireland.
ABOUT THE PRODUCER
Muirenn Lyons is an emerging creative producer and theatre maker from Westmeath. She has recently finished her MFA in Theatre Producing at the Lir, having also trained at TUD Conservatoire, Bow Street Academy, and Ecole Philippe Gaulier. Producing credits incl; Dead Monks by Jamie Sykes, (Grumble Theatre ’25), Montague by Megan O’Malley (dir. Katie O’Halloran, The New Theatre ’25), dublinitgirl_vs_dartlinediva by Harry Hennessy (Dublin Fringe ’25), Walden by Amy Berryman (dir. Una Ní Nuallaín, Lir GradFest ’25), cock by Mike Bartlett (dir. Katie O’Halloran), Adelphi ‘63 by Laura Brady (dir. Séimí Campbell, Scene + Heard ’25) and asst. producer on Blister by Siofra O’Meara (DFF ‘22). For more information click here.
ABOUT THE VENUE
Smock Alley Theatre has been a cornerstone of Dublin’s cultural scene since 2012, home to a vibrant community of artists and audiences. Renowned for its bold, multi-disciplinary programming, it presents the annual Scene + Heard Festival of New Work, premieres original productions at the city’s major festivals, and supports emerging talent through initiatives like the Baptiste Programme – Ireland’s first dedicated, paid and mentored script development scheme for Black Irish artists. In 2025, Smock Alley Theatre became Dublin Municipal Theatre (DMT) at Smock Alley. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Oonagh Murphy, its mission is to broaden access to theatre and deepen support for artistic ambition at the heart of the city.
