Directors Notes Final Issue

So that was the play that was. I remember having a tired and emotional conversation on Saturday night with somebody (although I may have been talking to a pot plant, as I was very, very tired and emotional) on the subject of theatre as Art. Many Art forms are permanent, like sculpture, writing or painting. But theatre belongs to that group of Art forms that exist only in the moment. We can record a show (and hopefully Dee’s gentleman friend has managed this). But it’s no substitute for being there on the night and feeling the electricity pulse through the audience as they suspend their belief and get carried away on the wave of emotion coming from the stage.

I am extremely proud today to be identified with this play. It has been described by many seasoned theatre goers as the best play they’ve seen in Leeson Park. It has been universally praised by all who watched it and I believe that everyone involved from the cast to the back stage people enjoyed the process. And that’s what it’s all about. We do this for fun after all.

And yet it is gone. Three months work gone in three nights, like some monumental bonfire. We took the set down yesterday and we all felt that tinge of sadness that something that had been so important in our lives in the last three months is now over. In years to come, all that will be left is a line in a program that “The Memory of Water” was LPP’s November play for 2006 and perhaps the odd story in the Leeson Lounge after future rehearsals. I can picture a 26 year old Andrew in 2010, nursing his first pint of Guinness and telling the story about how his table lamp caused a electro magnetic short circuit on the Friday causing all the stage lights to fail. Nobody will be around to say that actually his elbow slipped and he hit the off button. In 2015, Craig will be telling people in the Abbey (as he prepares to Stage Manage the debut production of Charles Richard’s “Emergency Landing on Mars”, which followed the Broadway success of his play “Sprouts and Ladders and other foods we used to eat before GM ruined everything”) that his first outing was on a little known play back in 2006 that involved chucking handfuls of fake snow onto the stage. During rehearsals for the 2015 production of “McFly, the Musical”, Noeleen will regale the cast with memories of her first stage kiss and the night Alan forgot where he was.

It’s kind of appropriate for this play, that all we have now are memories.

I tried to thank everyone on Saturday, but if I didn’t, I’ll extend a general one now. We had fantastic support for this play from LPP members and others. From people who helped put the stage up, to those who did front of house, to the cast and their hard work and dedication and to Team Rankin. I want to say a particular thanks to some new people and some who have been around a bit longer. Roger mentioned that this was the first program in approx. 40 years that he wasn’t listed in and Maud mentioned that they couldn’t make the party on Saturday because of other commitments and that this was the first in a long time that they would miss. I want to say a special thank you to both of them as they continue to be the backbone of Leeson Park and I know that Team Rankin in particular are grateful for the help and support they received.

I also want to mention some new members who have joined the group during the life of the play. Sarah Jane came on board as prompt and also threw herself into the general work. She did a great job and hopefully we can see her on stage soon. Noeleen will testify that doing prompt is a great apprenticeship. Inge and Lindsay (the latest addition to Team Rankin) also made their debut with us in helping out back stage and front of house. We hope to see more of them in the future.

All of the above just proves that fantastic community spirit still exists in this country (despite the best efforts of the Fianna Fail/PD government to destroy it, but that’s the story for a different blog).

All that remains to be said is that this play is over and for three nights magic existed in a church hall in Leeson Park. But you had to be there! The good news is that we’ll do it all again in April.

As Teresa said, “That’s the end of the story. The end. Full stop. Finito. La Fin. I’ve had far too much to drink”.