How To Keep an Alien
By Sonya Kelly
Dramaturgy by Teya Juarez
Contents
The Playwright and the Real-Life Origins of the Play
Direct Provision—The Other Side of the Irish Immigration System
Seeking Asylum in the United States
Soundscape of How to Keep an Alien
Synopsis
How to Keep an Alien is a story about falling in love and proving it to the government. While working on a show, Sonya falls in love with the stage manager, Kate, a woman from Australia. But Kate’s work visa is about to expire, and in order for them to build their life together in Ireland, the two must embark on a long journey of proving their relationship to the Irish government, which includes an overstuffed dossier of documents, letters, and receipts. As a recounting of the story told by Sonya and her stage manager, Justin, How to Keep an Alien is a story about immigration systems, navigating new relationships, and, above all, what we do for love.
Glossary
|
Term |
What does it mean? |
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“Raining on the Rock” by John Williamson |
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4mTKcJfnnE John Williamson is an Australian singer-songwriter; the song has been referenced as an unofficial Australian anthem This image is the Uluru rock in Australia that the title of the song is referencing (Wikipedia) |
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prompt copy |
the stage manager’s prompt book (The Free Dictionary) |
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beginners |
Theatrical term, equivalent to calling “places” in the US (Get Into Theatre) |
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dossier |
“a collection of documents about a particular person, event, or subject” (Google) |
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Alien |
I’m sure we know what this term means, but I wanted to include the various definitions to consider! “Belonging to a foreign country or nation” “Unfamiliar and disturbing or distasteful” “Referring to or denoting beings supposedly from other words; extraterrestrial” “A foreigner, especially one who is not a naturalized citizen of the country where they are living” (Google) |
|
The Nose by Nikolai Gogol |
This short story is about a bureaucrat who wakes up and discovers his nose is missing, and he finds it “parading the city wearing the clothes of a higher-ranking bureaucrat.” Despite a policeman catching the nose, it cannot be reattached. The bureaucrat wakes up one day and the nose is reattached to his face. There have been many interpretations as to what this story symbolizes. (Study.com) |
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Dublin |
The capital city of Ireland; the cultural and financial center of the country (Britannica) |
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Harpsichord |
A keyboard musical instrument, played by plucking strings (Britannica) |
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da Vinci’s last supper |
Leonardo da Vinci’s “Last Supper” painting (1495-1498); a depiction of the biblical event of Christ revealing that he knows one of his disciples would betray him (LeonardodaVinci.net) |
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Queensland |
The second-largest of the Australian states; the small population is concentrated on the East coast of the region (Britannica) |
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Visa |
“an official document, or a stamp put in your passport, that allows you to enter or leave a particular country” (Collins Dictionary) |
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Temporary working visa |
I assume this is in reference to Working Holiday visas; for Australian citizens specifically, you must be between 18 and 35, and you may not work for a single employer for longer than 6 months; it is valid for 12 months (Citizens Information) Will update with any new/conflicting information |
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60,000 euros |
Accounting for inflation, and if my calculations are correct, ≈$81,304.047 USD today |
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Offaly |
A county in Ireland, home to the monastic ruins of Clonmacnoise, Birr castle, and boglands; formerly known as King’s County (Ireland 101) |
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hara-kiri |
“Ritual suicide” formerly practiced by samurai in Japan as an “honorable alternative to disgrace or execution” (Google) |
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knickers |
Slang for underwear (Irish.English-Dictionary) |
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Mince |
British slang; “to walk or speak in an affected dainty manner” (Collins Dictionary) |
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Radiographer |
A medical professional who performs x-rays and CT scans (Merriam-Webster) |
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18th century venetian chandelier |
|
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bloody |
A swear word used to give emphasis; generally understood to be offensive, but not quite as offensive as “fuck” (Oxford Learner’s Dictionary) |
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Cane toad |
A species of toad originally brought to Australia to combat the invasive sugar cane beetle; today they are considered a toxic, “national menace” that “[devours] anything it can fit in its mouth” (NPR; Nature.com) (This is a photo of a particularly huge cane toad, deemed “Toadzilla,” found earlier this year) |
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Blarney stoned |
In reference to Ireland’s Blarney Stone, people visit and kiss the Blarney Stone, as it is believed to grant the kisser the “gift of eloquence and persuasiveness” (History.com) |
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Fumble in a greasy till |
This is a direct quote from the poem “September 1913” by William Butler Yeats; the poem is a lament about the state of the country during the Dublin lock-out—an industrial dispute involving thousands of workers (Poem Analysis) |
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gombeen |
Irish slang for “a mean, underhanded, corrupt person,” “usually applied to politicians” (Your Dictionary) |
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“Shot Through the Heart” by Bon Jovi |
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CUm15MA62Q Song released by hard rock/Glam metal artist Bon Jovi in 1984 (Google) |
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Camden Street |
A bustling area of Dublin, Ireland, with bars and shops (Camden Court Hotel) |
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Damo |
Australian nickname for “Damien” (Matador Network) |
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Uluru |
The Uluru rock, also called the Ayers Rock (also referenced by the John Williamson song “Raining on the Rock”) A giant monolith, “revered by a variety of Australian Aboriginal peoples of the region, who call it Uluru” (Britannica) |
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Watership Down |
A 1972 novel by English author Richard Adams about a group of anthropomorphised rabbits as they journey to a promised land, adapted into an animated film in 1978 (Goodreads, Wikipedia) |
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Cheeky |
“boldly rude, impudent, or disrespectful in usually a playful or appealing way” (Merriam-Webster) |
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“Always” by Bon Jovi |
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwWMUUe_9PI Song released by hard rock/Glam metal artist Bon Jovi in 1994 (Google) |
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Immersion |
As Justin says, a water heater |
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The Angelus (pronunciation: an-jeh-luhs) |
“a Roman Catholic devotion commemorating the Incarnation of Jesus and including the Hail Mary, said at morning, noon, and sunset” (Google) |
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Russel Crowe |
A New Zealand-born Australian actor best known for Les Miserables (2012) and Gladiator (2000) (IMDb) |
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Casablanca |
An iconic, multiple Oscar-winning, American classic romance film released in 1942 (Warner Bros) |
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E.T. |
American 1982 film E.T. the Extraterrestrial, about a boy who helps an alien return home (IMDb) |
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Erin go Bragh |
Irish phrase meaning “Ireland forever”; popular expression of loyalty and affection for Ireland (Dictionary.com) |
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Tullamore Station |
Train station in Tullamore, Offaly county, Ireland |
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Gladiator |
2000 film set in Ancient Rome starring New Zealand-born Australian actor Russel Crowe (IMDb) |
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Man of Steel |
2013 Superman movie starring British actor Henry Cavill and New Zealand-born Australian actor Russel Crowe (IMDb) |
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coeliac |
Auto-immune condition in which your body attacks itself when you eat gluten (NHS) |
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tenner |
A ten-pound note (money) (Your Dictionary) |
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Flaming gallah |
An idiot, a fool; derived from the perceived stupidity of the galah bird (Australian National University) |
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“Bright Eyes” by Art Garfunkel |
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a502RejLz8s Written by British songwriter Mike Batt and performed by Art Garfunkel (of popular folk rock duo Simon and Garfunkel); this song was originally featured on the soundtrack of the film Watership Down (mentioned previously in the script) (Wikipedia) |
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National Theatre, Scotland |
The National Theatre of Scotland is located in Glasgow, Scotland; established in 2006 (National Theatre; Facebook) |
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An Taoiseach (pronunciation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Fjmrk8ne_o) |
Irish term for the Prime Minister of the country (Merriam-Webster) |
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Garda National Immigration Bureau |
The GNIB is responsible for immigration services in the state; operates a string of offices where you go to register or renew your permission for your Irish Resident Permit (IRP)—previously known as the GNIB card (Irish Immigration Services) Irish Residence Permit Card |
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Gaelic football top |
Gaelic is Celtic language spoken mainly in Scotland and Ireland; Gaelic football is a sport, sort of a cross between soccer and rugby (Google; Discovering Ireland) |
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Biro (pronunciation: bai-row) |
British slang word for a ballpoint pen (Collins Dictionary) |
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Connemara marble |
A rare variety of green marble known as the gemstone of Ireland, often used in jewelry and recognized as the one of the country’s oldest indigenous industries |
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De facto visa |
De facto immigration permission granted to “the partner of a person who has a current permission to reside in Ireland”; you must have lived together for two years prior to submitting your application (Irish Immigration) |
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Civil partnered |
Before a referendum in 2015, same-sex couples were granted the right of civil partnership in 2010, which was similar but not exactly the same as being married (Citizens Information) |
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swanning |
British slang word; “to go somewhere in a relaxed and careless way, without paying attention to your work or responsibilities” (Macmillan Dictionary) |
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cheque |
The British spelling of “check” (Google) |
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Ryanair flight FR270 to Glasgow, Prestwick |
Ryanair is an Irish low-cost airline; Glasgow, Prestwick refers to the Glasgow Prestwick International airport in Ayrshire, Scotland (Sky Scanner; Glasgow Prestwick Airport Website) |
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Cape of Good Hope |
Located in Cape Peninsula, South Africa (Previously known as the Dutch/British colony of Cape Colony est. 1806); “originally inhabited by the San and Khoikhoi peoples” (Britannica; Encyclopedia) |
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Scarlet fever |
A bacterial illness; once considered to be particularly dangerous for children, is now more easily treated with modern day medicine (Mayo Clinic) |
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Stranraer (pronunciation: Stran-raa) |
A town in Scotland (Google) |
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“Eine kleine Nachtmusik” by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, second movement |
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mu6v8gVVW6M The title is German for “A Little Night Music”; the second of four movements of the piece; the piece was completed in 1787 but published posthumously; one of the most iconic pieces of classical music to this day (Britannica) |
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The Achilles heel of the Roman Empire |
Achilles heel is a saying for a “weak point,” originating from Ancient Greek Myths; this statement about Scotland is in reference to the fact that (very long story very short) the Roman Empire tried and struggled to ever conquer what became Scotland (Scotland.org) |
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Yoko Ono |
Japanese musician and artist most well-known for her relationship with John Lennon of The Beatles; often blamed as the reason for the group breaking up (Britannica) |
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Edinburgh, Fort William, Aberdeen; Inverness |
All cities in Scotland; Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland, and home to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival where How to Keep an Alien (and another piece by Sonya Kelly, The Wheelchair on My Face) were performed (Britannica) |
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Drafty Kilt |
A Scotch ale beer (Drafty Kilt Website) |
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Black Grouse |
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Brisbane |
The capital of Queensland, Australia; the third largest city in Australia (Britannica) |
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Septimus Severus |
A Roman emperor of Libyan descent; led his army into Caledonia (what is now Scotland) but they never succeeded in taking it over (DB Pedia; English Heritage) |
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The Doldrums |
A nautical term that “refers to the belt around the Earth near the equator where sailing ships sometimes get stuck on windless waters” (National Ocean Service) |
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Boxer fish |
I’m assuming this is in reference to box fish, which are small yellow fish that are found in the Indo-West Pacific (Australian Museum) |
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Box jellyfish |
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Xylophobia |
The fear of forests or wooden objects (Psych Times) |
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Melbourne |
City in Australia, Capital of the state of Victoria (Britannica) |
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Emirates boarding music |
In reference to Emirates Airlines; based in Dubai but services flights all around the world (Emirates.com) Some examples of the boarding music (I’m not positive which one Sonya would have heard) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQrNvnIYh_0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RrL350R8kJU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fi1x0KZ0G4 |
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Uni |
A British and Australian slang term for “university” (college) (Dictionary.com) |
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Rambo trilogy |
Franchise of American action movie starring Sylvester Stallone (Wikipedia) |
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Metallica |
An American heavy metal band, formed in 1981 (Google) |
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Astral travel |
Astral projection; “a supernatural phenomenon in which a person’s astral body is said to separate from the physical body and travel to or in a different plane of existence” (Dictionary.com) |
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Morton Bay |
Moreton Bay (note the correct spelling here) is off the coast of Australia, just north of Brisbane, Queensland (Queensland-Australia.com) |
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Tullmores |
Tullamore is a market town in County Offaly, Ireland (Britannica) (Note: Tullamore, Ireland is less than 8 square miles big; Brisbane, Australia is 6,100 square miles big) |
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Logan Reserve |
A residential suburb of the city of Logan, Queensland, Australia; est. 1862 (Wikipedia) |
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Lamington National Forest |
A large National Park with rainforests, walking trails, and ancient trees; 2 hours south of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia (Queensland Government) |
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arses |
“Arse” is a slang term for “ass,” “buttocks” (Merriam-Webster) |
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wee |
Slang term for “pee,” “piss” |
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possum |
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Cassowary bird |
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dcQO6Zb8Eg |
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Kiwi birds |
A small, flightless bird found only in New Zealand; National icon of New Zealand; they have nostrils at the end of their beaks, and they live in the ground in burrows https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5tk4Iw16DI (San Diego Zoo) |
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Tasmanian devil |
World’s largest carnivorous marsupial; can weigh up to 26 pounds; originally found throughout Australia, they are now only found in Tasmania (National Geographic) |
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Dingo |
Wild dog that can be found in Australia and Southeast Asia; there are so many in Australia that they are considered pests (National Geographic) |
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eejit |
Irish/Scottish slang term meaning “idiot” |
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Sean-nós version (pronunciation: shan-nos) |
Irish for “old style”; the style indicates that the song is sung in Irish, a capella, and usually with ornamented melodies; the exact origins of this style are unknown (Irish Culture and Customs; Wikipedia) |
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The Silence of the Lambs |
An American horror film about a serial killer, starring Welsh/English actor Anthonie Hopkins and Jodie Foster (IMDb) |
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yiz’ll |
“Yiz” is a UK slang term for you (plural) (British-American-Dictionary) |
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Gassenhauer from Schulwerk composed by Carl Orff |
Gassenhauer nach Hans Neusiedler (1536) is a short piece from Orff Schulwerk; Orff Schulwerk is also known as the Orff Approach, a developmental approach in music education that combines music, movement, drama, and speech developed by German composer Carl Orff; it has been used several times in various media (Wikipedia) |
(Connemara Marble.com; European Commision) 
Scotch whiskey (Argonaut Liquor) 
Box jellyfish primarily live off the coast of Northern Australia; they can be up to 10 feet long and are known for having some of the deadliest venom in the world; they are carnivorous (National Geographic)
Bushtail possum (not to be confused with the American possum); native to Australia, Tasmania, and New Zealand (A-Z Animals)
A large flightless bird; second heaviest bird in the world and deemed the most dangerous; they can run up to 30 mph and jump as high as 7 feet in the air (San Diego Zoo)
The Playwright and the Real-Life Origins of the Play
Sonya Kelly is a playwright and writer for film and television. Her plays include The Wheelchair on My Face, a look back at a myopic childhood, (Scotsman Fringe First Award 2012, New York Times Critic's Pick) and How to Keep an Alien (Best Production, Dublin Fringe). Sonya's work for the acclaimed Druid Theatre Company includes Furniture (Stewart Parker Award, ZEBBIE Award), Once Upon A Bridge (Writers' Guild of Great Britain, Best New Play nominee) and The Last Return (Scotsman Fringe First Award 2022). She is currently working on a number of TV projects with BBC, Treasure Entertainment and Avalon Television, including Smother for BBC and RTE and Series 4 of Breeders for Sky and FX.
(Bio Courtesy of the Curtis Brown Group)
How to Keep an Alien is based on the true story of Sonya Kelly and her now-wife Kate. Through her autobiographical works, Sonya seeks to “reflect the experiences of the audiences through [her] own narrative to make the personally specific universal.”1 This particular story represents a moment in which “the personal and the political meet.”2 What happens when a brand new relationship is tested for legitimacy by the government? What happens when simply breaking up can mean deportation?
Though Sonya recognizes that just ten years prior Irish policies on same-sex de facto relationships were different (Sonya and Kate met in 20083), and her story with Kate might not have been possible at all, this story focuses on the universal experience of love as opposed to fixating on the queerness of Sonya and Kate’s story. The struggle the couple faces arises from having to involve the government in their relationship, as opposed to their sexuality. More importantly, How to Keep an Alien presents a refreshingly successful and joyful addition to a trauma-filled canon of LGBTQ+ stories.
The Dossier: Getting the Visa
I didn’t know falling in love requires paperwork.
In How to Keep an Alien, Kate is originally in Ireland on a temporary work visa. In order for Kate to come to Ireland permanently, the two must apply for a de facto partner visa. This variety of visa is specifically for couples who are not married or in a civil partnership, in which a non-EEA (European Economic Area) individual will join their Irish partner. However, their relationship must essentially be “like a marriage or civil partnership in practice,” even if they are not yet legally bound.4 Furthermore, the requirements for this visa include that the couple have been living together for two years. This is a factor that presents a particular barrier for Sonya and Kate.
Let me get this right. To get the visa for here we have to live together here but we can’t live together here because she can’t get the visa. Ah here!
The process that Sonya and Kate are then forced to go through in order to prove the validity of their relationship to the Irish government is a lengthy and complicated one. Along with the process explained below comes the dossier full of proof of their relationship. According to the Citizens Information website, an extremely condensed version of the visa process is as follows:
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The non-EEA partner must apply from the country in which they are legally resident, and “must remain outside of Ireland while their application is processed.”
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Then the non-EEA partner will apply for their visa.
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Then they must print and sign the application, and send in the physical form, the application fee, and all supporting documents (including a passport, details of all previous visas they’ve had, and a travel itinerary).
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Once their application is processed and approved, they are granted permission to travel to Ireland, but not permission to enter or stay there.
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The partner must then travel to Ireland and finalize their permission once they’ve entered the country. They are given a landing stamp, valid for up to 3 months.
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Both partners must go to an immigration office to apply for residency permission, again, bringing with them a long list of documents and another fee. The non-EEA partner will be given another stamp, valid for only 1 year.
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Finally, the non-EEA partner can get their Irish Residence Permit card.
And off it goes into a room where it’s placed at the bottom of a pile of hundreds just like it where it will wait its turn for up to two months for someone to open it and decide our fate
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The USA Version How does this process compare to the United States? For starters, there isn’t an equivalent unmarried partners visa in the United States.5 Currently, Americans can only bring their partners from abroad on a permanent basis if their intention is to get married. This process involves the K-1 visa (a concept popularized by the TLC show 90 Day Fiance!). The primary stipulation of this visa is that the couple must be married within 90 days of the non-US partner entering the country. A process, arguably just as complicated as the Irish de facto partner visa, as seen on the U.S. Department of State—Bureau of Consular Affairs Website, is summarized below:
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Direct Provision—The Other Side of the Irish Immigration System
Count your blessings you’re only in the state you’re in, not like half the people sitting there behind you!
Through the process of bringing Kate to Ireland, Sonya became aware of just how difficult immigration systems are to navigate. Sonya recognizes her privilege as a white, Irish-native navigating the immigration system for the sake of her relationship and not out of grave urgency as an asylum seeker. She also learned more about the policies and practices surrounding seeking asylum in Ireland, to which she was previously “blithely ignorant of”—the asylum seekers around Sonya and Kate throughout this process are referenced in the How to Keep an Alien script.7
“We have a dreadful thing called Direct Provision. This holds asylum seekers sometimes for years in facilities with very little money, limited rights to work, no cooking facilities. It’s inhumane and it needs to stop.” —Sonya Kelly in a DC Theater Arts interview.
One facet of the Irish immigration system that Sonya calls attention to in particular is the system of Direct Provision. In Ireland, Direct Provision refers to a “system of ‘accommodation centers’ that are run by for-profit hospitality and catering companies under contract with the Irish government.”8 Asylum seekers live in these designated accommodation centers, away from the rest of society, as they wait for their applications to be processed and approved. Food is only available at specifically designated times throughout the day, management and staff can enter individuals’ rooms at any time, and only recently have individuals in these centers been granted the right to work to earn more than their terribly insufficient allowances from the system. This vulnerable population is isolated to these specific centers, hindering their successful transition to their new country, and making them easier targets for violence. Though asylum-seekers in Direct Provision are granted legal representation—notably, unlike the United States—“some solicitors are very kind and helpful, but everyone’s solicitor is very busy.”9 The amount of refugees seeking protection in Ireland, among other countries, continues to increase. Though some far-right protest against helping these asylum-seekers—boasting mantras such as “#IrelandIsFull”—the housing and healthcare crises that the country faces cannot be explained only by the increase in immigrants, and were present before the increase in immigration.10 11
A great article from The New Yorker on the cruel reality of living in the Direct Provision system.
An article from The Guardian about anti-immigration protests in Ireland.
Seeking Asylum in the United States
Similar to the system of Direct Provision in Ireland, asylum-seekers in the United States are faced with a plethora of obstacles and barriers to entry. Many individuals are detained in immigration detention centers, “violating their rights to liberty and protection” and “often exacerbating the trauma asylum seekers face.”12 If they are granted release, individuals might be monitored by GPS ankle bracelets.13 Asylum-seekers are not given legal representation, unlike the Direct Provision system in Ireland. They must either hire their own representation or seek out individuals who offer representation pro bono. This is a significant factor as, “chances of obtaining asylum are statistically five times higher if the applicant has an attorney.”14 The system is “extremely backlogged,” which means it can take up to several years for applications for asylum to be processed.15 Only after 150 days of waiting (note, the Trump administration tried to extend the requirement to only after a full 365 days) can individuals apply for the right to work in the United States.16 This only scratches the surface of the injustices that individuals seeking asylum in the United States face, especially with ever-present anti-immigration sentiments, particularly from the far-right.
HIAS and How You Can Help
The Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS) was established in New York City in 1902 to “support Jews fleeing persecution and poverty in Eastern Europe.”17 Today, HIAS supports refugees of “diverse faiths, ethnicities, and backgrounds.”18 HIAS works to support asylum-seekers in navigating the legal process of seeking asylum, and helping them to settle in the United States. Their key action areas include helping to resettle refugees, provide legal support, promoting economic inclusion and supporting individuals in finding employment opportunities, and advocating for refugee rights.16 The HIAS Pennsylvania chapter offers these systems of support to individuals in PA, serving as “one of the three federally designated refugee resettlement organizations for Philadelphia.”17 HIAS PA helps to organize donations and volunteer efforts to help asylum-seekers transition to life in the United States. Here in Philadelphia, volunteers can donate clothes and furniture, offer rides to appointments, and participate in airport and bus welcomes. In addition, there is the Philly Neighbor program in which individuals can support a specific family for 6-12 months, helping them navigate the application process, learn English if needed, and find stability in their new life.
This article from The Philadelphia Citizen offers great information on how you can help refugees in Philadelphia at various levels.
The Soundscape of How to Keep an Alien
The How to Keep an Alien script contains over 75 sound cues. Among those sound cues, creating the soundscape of the play, are a handful of songs. These songs are compiled into a Spotify playlist here.