Interview: Aisling Kearns on playing Freya in THE BRIGHTENING AIR at Old Vic Theatre

The world premiere of The Brightening Air, a new play by Olivier Award-winning writer and director Conor McPherson (Girl from the North Country) is set to open at The Old Vic this April. It's an entrancing tale of fate, family and unseen forces in 1980s Ireland. Actress Aisling Kearns spoke to us about her experience so far…

Can you tell us a bit about The Brightening Air?

The Brightening Air tells the story of the McFaddin siblings who are visited by a relative with some news regarding their home in the countryside of Ireland. Alongside this, there are plenty of secrets and unseen forces which are catalysts to events that follow. Relationships are tested, found and ended - it's quite the ride!

What interests you the most about the role of Freya?

Getting to play a minor role who has a major effect on the other characters is really interesting to me. Freya's not an open book, and I hope the audience have lots of questions regarding her intentions throughout the play.

How does it feel to be part of the play's world premiere? Does performing a brand new role differ from your experience acting in classic plays like Juno and the Paycock?

Oh my god - it is some buzz! It reminds me of times in drama school studying plays and who played the original role - that's me now! It's a real ‘pinch me’ moment in my career. Getting to be the first to play Freya removes any pre-conceptions of the character which is freeing. Having the writer be our director is a joy too, as it allows me to delve into his creation of Freya and how we can both bring her to life.

The Brightening Air is set in the 1980's. Are there any interesting parallels with the present times?

The 80's in Ireland was a bleak time with emigration and a recession booming. Unfortunately, in Ireland today, there still is that feeling in the air - people deciding to leave Ireland behind for a brighter future someplace else. The play touches on these subjects and asks us subtly - how much has really changed?

What do you hope audiences take away from this play?

I hope they leave the theatre with a sense of wonder - a feeling of how much in this life we control, and how much is already written in the stars for us.

The Brightening Air plays at London’s Old Vic Theatre until 14 June, with tickets available here.