• Sunday October 16 2:00 PM (American Sign Language interpreted)

• Friday October 21 7:30 pm (Post-Show Discussion)

Five Minutes of Heaven

Adapted by Michael Egan from Guy Hibbert’s award-winning screenplay

Directed by Illusion’s Producing Director Michael Robins

Five Minutes of Heaven is a play about personal effects of violence and the possibility of reconciliation in Northern Ireland.

The story is a fiction based on an actual event. In 1975 during the Troubles. Alistair Little, a 17-year-old member of the Protestant Ulster Volunteer Force, murdered Jim Griffin, a 19-year-old Catholic. Griffin’s younger brother Joe, who was 11 at the time, witnessed the killing. 

Little then goes to prison for 12 years and after being released becomes deeply involved in anti-violence, restorative justice and peace building throughout the world.

Forty-five years later a television program about reconciliation in Northern Ireland comes up with the idea to film a meeting between Alistair Little and Joe Griffin. The play explores that meeting.

“Five Minutes of Heaven is a gripping…play being given a stellar world premiere production by Illusion Theatre. In a production that could not possibly be improved, this is a play that demands our attention.” – Arthur Dorman, Talkin’ Broadway

“The world premiere stage adaptation of the 2009 Irish film Five Minutes of Heaven tells the story of two men affected by the period of Northern Ireland's history known as "The Troubles." Based on a real-life murder and an imagined meeting between the killer and the victim's brother 35 years later, the taut 75-minute drama is riveting and tension-filled… The adaptation by Michael Egan and the excellent five-person cast (including the playwright himself) beautifully and painfully bring this difficult story to life, and highlight the relevance of the historical events to the here and now.” – Cherry and Spoon

A gripping 'Five Minutes of Heaven' reckons with consequences – Rohan Preston, Star Tribune

Content Warning: Five Minutes of Heaven contains accurate descriptions of the violence of the times, mature language, touches on sensitive subject matter that may be difficult for some individuals with a history of trauma including self-harm, suicide, or suicidal thoughts; physical violence; and hate speech or slurs.

Trigger Warning: Gun violence including gun shots.

Run time: approximately 75 minutes with no intermission.