This week I interview the composing team of Tom James McGrath and Amy Clare Tasker about their new musical, Rising. Songs from the show are incorporated into the episode.
Rising reimagines the 1916 Dublin rebellion through the inner life of Patrick Pearse, its most enigmatic leader. As he leads the charge against the British Empire, Patrick must reconcile his public role with the private self he has kept hidden – his queerness, his sensitivity, and his doubts.
Fighting alongside him are a community of eccentrics: artists, bookworms, socialists and socialites. Together, they form not just a revolutionary force, but a chosen family.
Les Mis meets Milk in this thrilling, queer re-examination of Irish history, one that resonates far beyond 1916.
In a January 2025 episode, I interviewed McGrath and Tasker about their first collaboration, The Queen is Mad.
Presented by Pinecone Performance Lab in association with the Irish Creative Collective, this concert reading takes place on 24th April 2026 to mark the 110th anniversary of the Rising.
For more information, go to irishculturalcentre.co.uk/event/rising-a-new-irish-musical.
Purchase tickets at irishculturalcentre.ticketsolve.com/ticketbooth/shows/1173674505.
Tom James McGrath (book, music & lyrics) is a composer-lyricist from Tipperary, Ireland. His background is in classical and Irish folk music. He has a master’s degree in contemporary composition from Trinity College, Dublin. His musicals have been performed in the Camden Fringe, London and Smock Alley Theatre, Dublin. Tom works part-time as an NHS doctor. He is a member of the Book, Music & Lyrics workshop.@TomJamesMcGrathh • www.tomjamesmcgrath.com
Amy Clare Tasker (book & lyrics) is a theatre maker and musical theatre writer. She works with her own company Pinecone Performance Lab, and with The Cockpit, where she produces the Voila! Europe Theatre Festival and the Theatre Maker artist development programme. Amy has a BA in Drama from the University of California, Irvine. She is a member of the Book, Music & Lyrics workshop, Mercury Musical Developments, and Musical Theatre Network.
@ AmyClareTasker • www.amyclaretasker.com
(3) Podcast Posts footer
Full information for each episode including playlists is available on our main PODCASTS page or view a list of ALL episodes.
