PJ wakes up on the morning of his fiftieth wedding anniversary . He has big plans for the day, until his daughter lets him down. He needs to think on his feet. It’s time to take his vintage Mercedes out of the garage and take her for a spin. He hasn’t been on the road in over three years following a few minor “incidents” but today is too important so, he will do what he has to do.
He arrives at Horizon Sky nursing home, where his wife Eleanor now resides. He is determined to spend the day with her no matter what.
An incident at the nursing home gives PJ the perfect opportunity to take his wife out of her nursing home for the day. Surely this would do her good.
Baby’s Last Ride is a black comedy, told from three perspectives. PJ, Triona, a healthcare worker, who has her own issues going on from the Nursing Home and Peter, PJ’s unfortunate son in law who cannot get into PJ’s good books, no matter what.
Gillian Grattan Bio
Gillian works as a playwright, drama facilitator and freelance radio producer.
Radio drama, Mr. Sun, was broadcast on RTÉ and KCLR, Kilkenny. The play was awarded silver at the New York radio Awards, 2019 and was adapted for short film. with Emagine, Waterford as producers.
Stage work includes Hooked (Central Arts, Verdant productions, Inis Nua Philadelphia, Irish Theatre of Florida) Fish Out of Water (Irish Classical Theatre, Buffalo) Lost Weekend (Axis Arts Centre Ballymun) as well as several radio plays for KCLR96FM in Kilkenny: Snapshot, Beyond The Forest and, Tinderella. Tinderella will be published in a book of plays from the southeast of Ireland in 2023. Audio documentary work includes Shattered Bonds, The Other Half and The Bus. (KCLR)
Gillian is artistic director at TADA! Theatre and Film School, Thomastown and Inisitioge, Kilkenny where children learn how to create and perform in their own scripts for film and theatre.
Gillian works with many organisations as a drama and film tutor. Gillian has previously received Art Links, Arts Act Bursary, Tyrone Guthrie Bursary and received a professional development bursary from the Arts Council . Gillian is currently on the Mavens Programme, at the Mill Theatre Dundrum 2023 and is delighted to have a residency at A Little Room, where she will be working on ‘Baby’s Last Ride’.
