Not a single leg was broken on Saturday I am very happy to report despite the many wishes of
Break a Leg!
but I would say there were one or two sore heads on Sunday morning!
The Hons and Rissoles Showcase in The Wexford Arts Centre was a huge success and all four plays got a great reception from both the matinee and the evening audiences. Here’s a look at the programme for the night. A wonderful keepsake for everyone involved.
I’m just going to share a quick story about programmes. After my maternal grandmother died, my Nana (Corinne Grace), I will always remember one evening as my mother and sister Fiona sorted through her belongings, we came across a number of programmes for the theatre. Curious we investigated and discovered that when my grandmother was a young woman in the Royal Airforce, she was an actress and had acted in a number of plays, receiving amazing reviews.
It was a revelation to us and quite exciting to get a glimpse into the life she once had as a young woman.
So when I looked through this programme I remembered that moment and thought to myself, if I do nothing else in this life, maybe my grandchildren will one day find it, and have a Wowsers moment like I did. A nice thought I think.
Anyhow back to Saturday again – Imelda Carroll, Colum Kavanagh and Dominic Palmer, the other writers involved in the showcase – must be very proud today as their plays were all so excellent. I’ll remember lines from each of them for a long time. I loved the fact that each were so diverse.
As for A Dunganstown Romance? Well I am so happy to report that everybody laughed at the right places and a few even cried once or twice (again thank God at the right place!)
It was incredibly nerve wrecking waiting for the first line to be spoken, but once the actors began I relaxed and enjoyed every second. The sound and lighting genius’s Pat and Daniel added so much to each play and the team for the set and stage Emily, Carol and Catriona really made the stage look exactly like Maggie’s bedroom looked like in my mind when I wrote the play.
I have to admit that after the matinee performance ended, I got quite emotional at the end as the lights dimmed on the actors following their final lines. And Mr H was the same. I think we were both quite grateful for the dimmed lights as we gathered ourselves.
The actors – Mary O’Connor, Tina Kehoe, Justin John Carroll and Dominic Palmer – all breathed wonderful life into the words I had written with such depth, integrity, flair, skill, poignancy and comedic timing. I’ll always remember their performances and A Dunganstown Romance will hold a special place in my heart forever.
My lovely husband, aka Mr H, surprised me with a cake he had made for me. I’m a lucky gal. I’ve often said it, but it’s true. Isn’t it cool?
And he wasn’t the only one spoiling me, I had such lovely support from my family and friends. Cards, flowers, gifts and lots of bubbles. Tough auld station I have eh? 😉
Here’s a pic of the much mentioned Mr H and myself before we headed out to the evening show. I couldn’t do any of this without him. In fact I’m not sure I would be writing if it weren’t for his faith and encouragement. Now you know who to blame!
Lastly I would like to say a special thank you to Alison Martin, the director and driving force behind this showcase. Without her call out for submissions I’m not sure I would have gotten around to try playwriting quite so quickly. And now that I’ve experienced what it’s like to write a play and then see the finished product on stage, I’m quite hooked.
Thanks for stopping by as always, chat soon.
Carmel x
