Jay Sefton was a teenager growing up in a Catholic suburb of Philadelphia when he was cast as Jesus in a school play. Its director was a priest, who abused him.

Decades later, Jay was involved in a campaign to bring his abuser and the Catholic Church in Philadelphia to justice. And, as in Ireland, the church did not cover itself in glory when it came to reparation for victims and acknowledging what its clergy had done to children.

But through the process, Jay had reclaimed his voice. And he connected with other survivors and their stories, via an article he wrote for  a local newspaper.

Ultimately, with co-author Mark Basquill, Jay distilled his experiences into Unreconciled, which premiered at the Chester Theatre Company, Massachusetts, last year and then toured, winning a slew of awards along the way.

The 80-minute piece was inspired by Belfast Blues, a 2003 one-woman show, written and performed by Belfast woman Geraldine Hughes, which had documented her life growing up during the Troubles.

“We were friends years ago in LA, when we were part of a theatre group together,” says Jay. “Then we went off living our own lives and became reacquainted a couple of years ago thanks to this show.”

Geraldine directs Unreconciled and it’s clear, as they discuss the show, that they are good friends as well as work colleagues. They stress that while Unreconciled deals with abuse and trauma, it’s a life-affirming piece with lots of humour.

“It’s beautiful and moving and funny,” says Geraldine.

Jay’s background was working-class Irish and she praises his recreation of that world, “especially working class parents”, as well as his depiction of teenagers dressing like Jesus and his disciples.

Jay chips in to explain Geraldine’s role in inspiring the piece.

“Belfast Blues made me realise the possibility of having all these characters pop up in a show performed by one person.”

That gives an audience variety as it moves the story along, explains Geraldine, who came on board with Unreconciled when the script was fully formed.

“At that time, all Jay needed was a different person in the room, helping him move differently, giving him different options that he can pull out of his hat, depending on the night.”

And every night is different, adds Jay, “because every audience is different”.

He performed Unreconciled last year at Féile an Phobail in Belfast and was invited back for this year’s theatre festival in the city. That’s where he and Geraldine are as they chat to the Tribune ahead of visiting Galway, with the show having got a great response there.

Although Jay hadn’t expected it, “the reactions from the Irish and the US audiences have been pretty similar”.

Geraldine feels this shared response is understandable, given the working-class nature of Belfast and Philadelphia, and the “unfortunately universal nature of the subject”.

After his Belfast performance last year, Jay and his wife holidayed in the West of Ireland, and he called to Druid when they were in Galway.

“I dropped off material and we stayed in touch, and the timing was good,” he says of his upcoming performances here.

They’re delighted to be coming west and although Jay’s roots are elsewhere in Ireland, Geraldine has connections with Galway through marriage. She mentions that the late Páraic (Tanty) Mac Donnacha, a well-known figure in Conamara, and a key figure in education locally, was an uncle of her husband.

As in other places, there will be an after-show talk in Galway where audience input will be welcome.

Jay recalls how, at previous talk, one audience member spoke for the first time about being abused, and how other people have also spoken about what was done to them.

“The play is a safe space for vulnerability and can act as a jumping-off point for people to discuss their experiences.”

For Geraldine, that makes sense.

“Arts are about sharing stories and keeping us connected.”

Unreconciled will be in Druid’s Mick Lally Theatre this Friday and Saturday, October 31 and November 1. It’s at 8pm nightly and tickets are €16/18 from druid.ie.

Pictured: US actor Jay Sefton brings his one-man show to Druid Theatre this weekend.