A new play on gambling addiction is set to come to Derry in the New Year

A new play about gambling addiction is set to come to Derry in the New Year.

‘My Valentine’s Boy,’ written by Martin O’Brien and Dave Chapman, will bring into focus an addiction that many throughout the world suffer with.

The play will explore the impacts of gambling on those going through the addiction, but also explore the impacts on the people closest to them.

Mr Chapman believes it is an important conversation to have, but while the play is a drama focusing on a subject that can be heavy at times, there are plenty of light moments throughout the play.

He said: “It is a drama with lighthearted comedy in it because life is like that; life can be funny while you are in a dark period.

“Our four main characters are a Derry couple and a Belfast couple.

“One husband meets the other husband, who had been in the hospital a few years before, and they start talking, but the Belfast man doesn’t want to talk as he is more interested in his phone; this is happening while the two wives are away shopping.

“One of the characters has escaped from addiction, but the Belfast man is still in his addiction. 

“In a sense it is a play about inspiration, the two guys coming together, one emphasising with the other, trying to show the audience the two sides of gambling, being in it, but also the recovery.

“We also see how the addiction doesn’t just affect the men in this story, but how it impacts the people closest to them, in this case their wives. 

“The story runs in real time through the play, so the audience is like a fly on the wall, so they feel like they are eavesdropping on these people.

“It looks at how they are coping with the problems their men are facing, but it also addresses that you never really escape it. It is always going to be with you there somewhere; even though you have escaped from this black hole, there are always going to be aspects of your life that you are taking along with you.”

The most recent survey on gambling prevalence was conducted in 2016, and it suggested there were about 40,000 problem gamblers in Northern Ireland—the highest rate in the UK per head of the population.

This was a reason behind the writing of the play by the pair, with this being Mr O’Brien’s fifth play and Mr Chapman’s debut play.

The pair spent six months writing the play, with rehearsals now taking place ahead of the opening night on February 12.

Mr Chapman said: “We are very excited about it, particularly for me, as it is the first time I have written a play.

“I can’t wait, as seeing what you have written on paper is one thing, but then it comes alive when the actors start bringing their characters into it and putting their interpretation onto it.”

Mr O’Brien shared his co-writer’s sentiment.

He said: “This whole process has been enjoyable; we have been bouncing ideas off each other since we started, even when Dave may not have been too pleased about me calling him at certain hours or 10 minutes after we had just left each other.”

The play is set to be hosted in St. Columb’s Hall for two consecutive nights before being on for two nights in Moville. 

Both venues used to be temperance halls, with the men believing this to be the fitting place to host their story.

Mr. O’Brien said: “I’m sure if it was built today, there would be gambling and drug addiction as part of its service.

“We do hope that from the people that come along to the show, if someone currently has a problem with gambling or one of their family members is currently going through it, that they might take something from this and it could help them, 

“Everybody has to start somewhere, and seeds have to be planted, and to me this play could be one of the ways to do it, and if it helps even one person wave an addiction, it doesn’t need to be gambling.”

‘My Valentine’s Boy’ can be enjoyed at St. Columb’s Hall from February 12 and 13 in 2025.