A Ticket to Identity
Jake O'Kane

I was pleased to be asked to write a piece by the MAC as I enjoy doing different things and this was my first attempt at writing drama. I’ve often heard you should write what you know, I think it more interesting to write what I don’t know. So, to write from the point of view of a Unionist was both challenging and interesting in equal measure. Covid, Brexit and the NI Protocol have combined to shift the foundation of Ulster Unionism. In this state of flux Unionists have often been reduced to caricatures as mindless boorish bigots, whose identity is defined by a jingoistic obsession with flags, emblems and marching. While this is true of a section of Unionism, it is not representative of all of Unionism. In this piece, I wanted to give voice to that seldom heard section who are intelligent, literate and devoid of the trappings of flag and drum. - Jake O’Kane

A Ticket to Identity, written by Jake O’Kane, stars Jake O’Kane as Billy, Chris Mohan as Johnny, Alison Harding as the automated phone, Richard Croxford as the Customer Help Assistant and Keith Singleton as Fiacre. Directed by Oisín Kearney, with sound and music composition by Garth McConaghie and live recording by Damian Hughes and Ian Jordan.