A talented actress who swapped the Cumnock countryside for the bright lights of New York City has just wrapped up a six-week stint in her off-Broadway debut.
Aida Leventaki, who now lives in Brooklyn, took to the stage at the Irish Repertory Theatre in Belfast Girls — a gritty period play about the voyage from Ireland to Australia during Earl Grey’s Emigration Orphan Scheme between 1848-1850.
The play, by Jaki McCarrick and directed by Nicola Murphy, delves into the historical government scheme, which saw orphaned women, aged 14 to 18, swap famine-wracked Ireland for the land down under in pursuit of a better life.
It aimed to kill two birds with one stone by relieving overcrowding in the Irish workhouses and provide Australia with domestic labourers and single young women to be married off.
But, it wasn’t all it was cracked up to be as many suffered exploitation and abuse from employers, and others returned to the prostitution work they left behind.
Aida, 24, who graduated with the top prize for speech and language in 2018, put on her best County Sligo accent as she got back to country roots taking on the role of Molly Durcan, a country girl with a secretive past and a love for books.
Set in 1850 on board the Inchinnan, Belfast Girls takes the audience on the women’s tough journey — reinforced by the cabin sets cramped living conditions — where they endured unforgiving maritime conditions, rats, disease and clashing personalities.
Aida’s mum Linda Gillan, from Cumnock, told Ayrshire Live : “It’s got some light-hearted funny moments in it, but it’s quite a heavy play.
“And it’s got the undercurrent of the start of feminism.
“There’s five of them and they’ve all got their own story and as the weeks go by, their stories and truths come out.
“As usual in history, poor women were the victims of it.
“It’s an important part of history and unfortunately it’s not confined to history.
“It’s basically just human trafficking — it’s still going on.
“It’s still as relevant today as it was back then.
Busy Aida completed seven shows per week for six weeks before the final show on Sunday.
The actress will now enjoy a well deserved rest, but not for too long, says mum Linda, as ambitious Aida has plenty of projects on the horizon.
Linda, who flew out to see the play twice, said: “She’ll have a wee rest but not too much. She’s very on the go all the time. She’s constantly auditioning and she writes.
“This has been a great experience for her. She’s absolutely loved it.
“It’s been well received and she’s had the opportunity now to see the stamina you need to do a stage run as well.”
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