Conor McPherson on ghosts, the unknown, and the darkness on stage

Conor McPherson, the acclaimed Irish playwright, finds himself contemplating the profound mysteries of existence, a theme that permeates his work. Sitting in a Georgian room at Dublin's Gate Theatre, McPherson, known for plays like "The Weir," which delves into the supernatural, considers the idea that events can occur beyond human comprehension.

"I think we live in a situation we can’t understand, and that we know nothing really about – where we came from, why are we conscious, what does it mean to know you are alive and know that you will die?" McPherson muses. He suggests that people fill their lives with illusions and distractions to cope with this fundamental uncertainty, seeking pleasant experiences as a buffer against the unknown.

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I think we live in a situation we can’t understand, and that we know nothing really about – where we came from, why are we conscious, what does it mean to know you are alive and know that you will die?

McPherson draws a parallel between these gaps in human understanding and the nature of theater. "The stage is a great metaphor for that: there is this pool of light in the darkness where something is happening. That’s what life is like," he explains. As a playwright, he is drawn to the "darkness around the stage," believing that "the truth is somewhere" within it, even if it remains elusive.

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The stage is a great metaphor for that: there is this pool of light in the darkness where something is happening. That’s what life is like.

Now 54, McPherson, who lives in Dublin with his wife and daughter, has been a fixture in theater since 1992. His prolific career includes plays such as "This Lime Tree Bower," "Port Authority," and "The Night Alive," as well as the musical "Girl from the North Country." He has also penned screenplays and adapted classic works. Notably, "The Weir," written when he was 26, became an instant sensation upon its 1997 London premiere.

McPherson's journey has not been without personal struggle. In the midst of his early success, he battled alcoholism. On February 22, 2001, the premiere night of his play "Port Authority," his pancreas ruptured, forcing him into a life-threatening hospital stay. He has remained sober ever since, a testament to his resilience.

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I think you are always trying to drag the darkness on to the stage somehow, because that’s really what it’s about. That’s where the truth is somewhere, and we’ll never know it.