“Werther - Irish National Opera
It was a bold call by Motley; the idea of centering the drama against the background of electrification in a rural community may sound rather strange, and removing the drama from the context of 18th or 19th century bourgeois society may appear to be sidestepping one of the fundamental drivers of the work. Yet, it worked splendidly in bringing out the societal pressures and conflicts that make Werther and Charlotte’s love untenable and which ultimately lead to Werther taking his own life.”

“We are very pleased, and quite excited, to welcome Sophie Motley to our team as Artistic Director.
Sophie is no stranger to us: she brings a wealth of experience from her previous rich assignments to her new role. In making this appointment, the board was quite taken with Sophie’s vision for The Everyman and how she will address, and grow, the many audiences which our theatre commands. The current difficulty encountered in dealing with the pandemic places limits on what we can attempt on stage; but it also sets challenges to our creativity in how we commit to remaining continually relevant to our audiences.
We are confident that Sophie will lead the further development of The Everyman in its position as the beating heart of theatre in Cork.”