Directors Notes Issue 13

To the outside world, it may seem as though the play is just 2 hours long. Those of us on the inside know it’s a much longer process. The “Play within the Play” commenced back in August and will finish sometime on Sunday afternoon when the set is taken down.

Along the way, it has been mainly a comedy, but drama and mystery have also crept in. We have had the search for a coffin, the soap opera leading to the first screen kiss between Mary and Mike and the high queen hissy fits when it came to taking publicity photos. As things developed, I’ve become less certain as to whether Craig our stage manager has taken on this role for fun, or whether it’s all one big project for his Sociology studies in Trinity. He could write a paper on why people who are keen to step out on stage in front of 200 paying customers are shy about having their picture taken. We actors are either very vain or we descend from some nomadic red Indian tribe. You take my picture, you steal my soul.

We put the stage up this weekend, and magnificent it looks too. Big thank you to all involved. The spirit of community still lives on, despite the Celtic Tiger’s best efforts to strangle it.

Tonight we get on stage for the first dress rehearsal. If this is not a complete disaster, I’ll be shocked. Normally they run to about 3 hours! We’ll see if we can beat that (leaving out a few pages should help). But the real stuff starts here. This is what the last three months have been about. The chance to step into the lights, breathe in the oxygen and allow yourself to be carried off on the magic carpet of theatre. Destiny awaits for those brave enough to grasp it!