David Horan

Freya's always been sensitive. Difficult, some say. Funny how those words have started to mean the same thing. It's September 2018, and everyone's living in a new, more inclusive Ireland after two referendums and one hot summer. We're all redefining ourselves. And so is Freya. She got dumped. But when her ex shows up at her parents' door along with unexpected news, it feels like anything is possible again. Can sensitive, difficult Freya learn to see herself anew? The personal becomes political in David Horan's funny and fascinating play exploring identity and family. Sandpaper on Sunburn was first performed at Smock Alley Theatre in 2024 as part of the Dublin Theatre Festival.

Brian and Donna's son is nine years old and he's struggling. That's what his teacher says. Says he should see a psychologist. But Brian and Donna – recently separated – never liked school, never liked teachers. An explosive triple confrontation that is funny, heartbreaking and beautifully observed, Iseult Golden and David Horan's CLASS is an award-winning play about learning difficulties: in school, in life, wherever. After a sold-out run in the Dublin Theatre Festival 2017, the play transferred to the Abbey Theatre, Dublin, in January 2018 before playing in the Traverse Theatre as part of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2018. CLASS won an Edinburgh Fringe First Award and was named Best Theatre Script at the 2018 ZeBBie Awards awarded by the Writers Guild of Ireland.

Following in the footsteps of historic figures and writers who have lived in Oxford, David Horan reveals the many dimensions, social and cultural, of a city where tradition and modernity interconnect. He explores both the historic and contemporary faces of Oxford.