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Grand View Viking Theatre’s upcoming play, Dancing at Lughnasa, is a classic Irish tale that will immerse viewers in a cultural, vibrant and beautiful story of a young man’s recollection of powerful memories.

Dancing at Lughnasa is set in a small village in Ireland in 1936 and is centered around the lives of five unmarried sisters who are trying to make a living in the rapidly evolving world of the industrial revolution. The play is told through the memories of Michael, their nephew, as he paints the colorful story of not only the maiden aunts who raised him as their own, but also the rest of his family during this difficult time.

Director, Kristin Larson, describes Dancing at Lughnasa as, “A play about a sweet memory of a family at a crossroads. It’s the young boy’s memory of a very, very vivid time in his life.”

Drama Tiergy, Paige Beck, has an important role in the play. She educates those involved with the play on what is happening historically in the time period. Beck has a large part in the preparation process.

“I think what I’m most looking forward to is how the characters are portrayed. Kind of seeing the journey from how the actors turn and perceive the characters – how they can turn into them on stage,” said Beck.

A goal of the Viking Theatre is to offer a wide variety and diverse selection of plays for the viewers and the cast members. This is the first Irish play in the nine years since Larson has been theatre director.

Ryan Scott, who is playing lead character Michael, is excited for this production. This isn’t his first production, nor is it his first time as the lead, but, with this being an Irish play, it is his first time having to learn an Irish accent.

“Most of us are learning Northern Irish. Some rehearsals we devote just to dialect,” Scott said. This means devoting a lot of time to reading about, listening to and studying the accent.

“It’s a lot of work, but I’m looking forward to it,” Scott said.

Even though this isn’t Scott’s first time being involved in a production, he tends to get excited about the same thing for each one.

“With every play, the part I look forward to the most is the audience’s reaction. It’s the silent parts of the play where everyone is still registering what happened,” Scott said.

Dancing at Lughnasa will be packed with emotion, dancing and Northern Irish accents. It will have monologues and memories, tragedy and triumph.

“It’s very poetic, it’s very lyrical. It’s really funny and filled with life,” Larson said.

“It’s an exciting play. It has drama. It has humor. It has dancing. It will leave you feeling good,” Scott said.

Dancing at Lughnasa will be shown October 15, 16 and 17 at 7:30 p.m., and October 18 at 2:00 p.m. at the Viking Theatre.