Tom Crean - Antartic Explorer
Date: 18 March 2026
Venue: The Playhouse, 5-7 Artillery St, Derry-Londonderry, Derry, BT48 6RG
Tom Crean (1877-1938) the intrepid Antarctic explorer and one of Ireland's unsung heroes is brought to life in this dramatic and humorous solo performance by Aidan Dooley.
Winner of the Best Solo Performance Award at the New York International Fringe Festival, with major nominations from the Dublin Fringe Festival and the Elliot Norton Awards in Boston, Tom Crean – Antarctic Explorer is a powerful, gripping and unexpectedly funny solo show that has captivated audiences around the world.
This extraordinary piece of theatre tells the true story of Tom Crean (1877–1938), one of Ireland's greatest yet most overlooked heroes. Brought vividly to life by actor Aidan Dooley, the show charts Crean's astonishing journeys to the most hostile place on earth: Antarctica. Through storytelling, physical performance and razor-sharp character work, Dooley immerses the audience in Crean's experiences as one of the few men to serve on expeditions with both Captain Robert Scott and Sir Ernest Shackleton.
Crean survived three of the most famous Antarctic expeditions in history – Discovery, Terra Nova and Endurance. Among the feats explored is his legendary 36-mile solo march across the frozen wilderness to save his comrades, an act historians have described as "the finest feat of individual heroism from the entire age of exploration." The play also recounts the epic survival story of Shackleton's crew after the Endurance was crushed by ice, including their perilous lifeboat journey and the desperate crossing of the uncharted glaciers of South Georgia.
What sets this show apart is its balance of scale and intimacy: moments of epic endurance sit alongside warmth, humour and humanity, revealing the modest man behind the myth. Audiences do not just witness history, they feel it.
Since its premiere, the show has toured internationally to sell-out houses, earning critical acclaim for its emotional impact and masterful solo performance. As the Sunday Independent praised:
"A remarkable and uplifting piece of theatre, gives everything and asks nothing."