Meet The Cast and Creatives of Both Sides
On Friday 26th September 2025 at 7.30pm, Seamus Heaney HomePlace welcomes Paris-based Alchemy Theatre Company with the European première of Belfast writer Jane Coyle’s play, Both Sides.
The content, characters and narrative style of Both Sides are inspired by the works of the great Irish writer Samuel Beckett who spent much of his adult life in France and wrote many of his best plays in French.
Central to this double-sided storyline are two women, Stella and Estelle, whose lives are separated by time and distance. Yet, they are strangely connected.
In a Paris café, a young woman sits and watches the world go by. Many of the passers-by appear to be carrying the burden of hidden grief. She has a dark secret too and fears that an enigmatic stranger may be about to reveal it.
In a bar in the old town of Nice, a once-glamorous older woman drinks alone, refusing company. As the evening progresses, she shares her story of leaving Belfast for a bohemian life in France, a life blighted by painful personal losses.
Stella and Estelle. Who are they? How are they connected? As the enigmatic narrative slowly unfolds, illuminated by Beckett-flavoured references and situations, the audience is drawn deeper into their lives, past and present.
Meet the Cast and Creatives:
Mia Leahy – Estelle
A classically trained actress with more than twenty years’ experience, Mia’s career began at the Granary Theatre in Cork before she trained at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. Since then, she has performed extensively across the UK and Europe, earning recognition including Best Actress at the London New Play Festival. Now based in Paris, she enjoys performing in both French and English, with a long-term ambition to perform in Gaelic.
Hannah Coyle – Stella
Actor, writer and founding member of Alchemy Theatre, Hannah trained at the Lyric Drama Studio in Belfast and the prestigious Cours Florent École de Théâtre in Paris, where she won a two-year international scholarship. Her stage credits include The Crucible and The Playboy of the Western World at Belfast’s Lyric Theatre, alongside major classical roles with Alchemy Theatre and Cygnet Theatre, Paris. Her own reimagined version of Chekhov’s Three Sisters was commissioned and staged by Alchemy in 2024.
Nathalie Allison – Director
A director, educator and certified intimacy coordinator, Nathalie has worked and lived in Paris since 2018. With over a decade of professional experience as an actress in film and theatre, she turned to directing with a passion for stories centred on complex female characters and bold political writing. She directed the European première of Both Sides in 2024, as well as numerous productions at Cours Florent.
Jane Coyle – Writer
Born in Wales and based between Belfast and Brittany, Jane is an award-winning playwright, arts journalist and critic. Her work has been staged across Europe and she contributes regularly to The Stage and The Irish Times. Jane has written widely for television, radio and film and is co-librettist of the opera The Suitcase, adapted from her own award-winning play. Her writing continues to travel internationally with recent productions in Paris, Vienna, Ljubljana and Corfu.
Praise for Both Sides
“An absorbing evening spent in Paris and Nice … insightful writing, sensitive performances.” – Irish News
“Two intriguing stories … shades of Beckett … they joy of writing.” – Belfast Times
“Has the makings of a great film.” – Paris Film Maker
To book your tickets, visit our website or call our box office on 028 7938 7444.
