When life throws us a curveball, how do we find our next step? With humour and humility, The Tightrope Walker navigates a woman’s journey through crisis and recovery in a performance that captivates audiences with its warmth and presence.
With love and deep observation, Jenny explores the precarious balancing act that is a serious illness and stitches the pieces of the story together in a different way each night.
The Tightrope Walker is a theatre production by writer/performer Jenny Macdonald at Galway Theatre Festival on May 2 – 3 at the O’Donoghue Theatre.
The Tightrope Walker is set in an imaginary waiting room, exploring the performer’s experience of serious diagnosis and recovery with humour, compassion and interactive storytelling.
An immersive, live operated sound design by Martha Knight, and opportunities for reflection or gentle engagement enfold the audience within Jenny’s telling.
An innovative theatrical form and an affirming tale, The Tightrope Walker connects us to the care, community and connection we may create in difficult times.
The Tightrope Walker was written during Jenny’s time as writer in residence at the Irish Hospice Foundation, 2022-2023.
It features a soundscape performed live by composer/designer Martha Knight, set design by Irish Times Theatre Award winner Pai Rathaya and direction by NYC-based theatre artist Joe Salvatore.
First produced in the SoloSIRENs Festival 2023 at the Civic Theatre, Tallaght, it was programmed in the Samuel Beckett Theatre as part of Creative Brain Week in March 2024.
It was performed for the Beaumont RCSI Cancer Centre and Tallaght University Hospital in October 2024, and featured in the January 2025 First Fortnight Festival. In February 2026, it was performed in RCPI and St. James’s Hospital in Dublin.
Its development and previous performances were funded by The Arts Council of Ireland, South Dublin County Council Arts Office, the Irish Hospice Foundation and The Civic Tallaght.
The writer and performer brings levels of personal insight, observation and generosity to the show that is rare to witness…This non-linear exploration of illness also keeps us alert to what might come next – Sylvia Thompson, The Irish Times
