The Middle Kingdom

"The Middle Kingdom is based upon the early Irish myth, Tochmarc Étaíne, or The Wooing of Étaín. It is preserved in the 12th century Lebor na hUidre, or Book of The Dun Cow, yet was recorded in the Gaelic language roughly dating to the 8th century. I was inspired to bring this lesser known of Irish tales to light after delving into the dramatic works of of the Irish writer, W. B. Yeats.

At the time Yeats was writing for the stage the epic sagas of Ireland were being slowly submerged under the crippling weight of industry and so called progress. Yeats, along with his contemporaries of the time, began not only safeguarding the literary treasures of their nation, they breathed new life into the pages of history and heralded a new dawn for the Celtic spirit.

So, lest these stories fall into the unintelligible fragmentary wayside of our current era, I have chosen to continue the tradition of keeping myth alive and so have dedicated my first play to the lasting memory of William Butler Yeats." ~Dalrymple MacAlpin

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The Theatrical

debut of The Middle Kingdom by Dalrymple MacAlpin, produced by The Center For The Arts, had its world premiere in Grass Valley California, February 19th, 2015 at the

Center For The Arts

Synopsis~

The Middle Kingdom takes place in the heroic age of Ireland, before the coming of Christianity. It concerns the trials and tribulations of the high King Eochaid as he searches for the one thing to make his kingdom complete, a Queen. After finding Etain, the daughter of a great chieftain, swimming with her maidens in an enchanted lake, the King is so taken by her undeniable magic glamour, he immediately proposes marriage.

Although she agrees, not all is as it seems. Beyond the fields we know lies Etain's true husband, the otherworldly God Midir, who has spent nearly an age searching disconsolately for his beloved. After Etain was cursed by Midir's first wife, Fuamnach and set adrift on the winds of ill luck, Etain was reborn a mortal maid.

It is this mortal maid which Midir has come to claim as his own and take back with him. Etain demands proof of Midir's claim and so after completing a serious of impossible tasks set by the King, Midir uses simple trickery and outwits Eochaid into giving up Etain. The lovers are reunited at last and before anyone can stop them, Midir and Etain fly off in the form of two white swans, never to be beholden by the eyes of mortals ever again.