We want to hear about your reactions to the Stageplay The Country Girls.
Please feel free to comment and react to the latest World Preimere of The Country Girls by Edna O'Brien, directed by Mikel Murfi.
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This wonderful, wild, funny and moving story that shocked the nation on its publication in 1960 has now been written for the stage by the author. Directed by Mikel Murfi - this is a truly contemporary, highly theatrical, dramatic and free flowing telling of this classic coming of age story.
Monday 17 October 2011
Radio Interview with Pat Kenny & Edna O'Brien
Part 1 of 2 Edna O'Brien on Today with Pat Kenny 17/10/11
Part 2 of 2 Edna O'Brien on Today with Pat Kenny 17/10/11
Thursday 13 October 2011
The Country Girls Cast Profile 9 - Michael Power in Multiple roles
Waterford native Michael Power worked in the financial sector for seventeen years and turned to acting “in order to avert a possible mid-life crisis and created an ongoing crisis”.
Michael completed a year-long post graduate drama course at Drama Studio London in 2010 and has recently played Billy in Eden by Eugene O Brien and Pato in Beauty Queen of Leenane, both with Theatre Royal Waterford and directed by Ben Barnes.
Previous work with Red Kettle includes Boy Soldier, Romeo and Juliet and The Pilferer.
As a director Michael’s work includes two plays by Patsy Daly: GTI and Urbs Intacta Manet.
Michael is a founder member of Bowler Hat Theatre Company.
Wednesday 12 October 2011
The Country Girls Cast Profile 8 - Aileen Mythen in Multiple roles
Aileen Mythen, a native of Co. Wexford, is a graduate of the Gaiety School of Acting. She made her professional debut as Carmel in The Desert Lullaby (Druid). Other theatre credits include: Borrowed Robes (Island Theatre Co.), Playboy of the Western World (Yew Tree Theatre Co.), Alone It Stands (Lane Productions), Little Red & Skater Jack (The Civic & Guna Nua), Silly Bits of Sky (Barnstorm), Red Hot Runaways (Storytellers) The Desert Lullaby (Galloglass), Misappropriated (a one woman show written by Derek O’ Connor). Aileen performed the leading role in Eoin Colfer’s world première production of Lords of Love (Wexford Opera House / Theatre Royal Waterford). Most recently Aileen founded ‘Black Stair Productions’ and co-produced and acted in Eoin Colfer’s first play Holy Mary, which opened to critical acclaim and which will tour to Garter Lane and the Conary Community Hall, Avoca in December 2011.
Television and film credits include The Ugly Duckling and Me, Niko and The Way to The Stars I and II (Magma Films), Grabby Bag, Teenology, Crap Rap (Brown Bag Films), Ballybraddan (Monster Animation). She is currently working on Jo & Jack, an animation series for Dancing Girl Productions and Man and Ink.
As a singer Aileen has performed in a range of different styles, and is a founder member of the roots / rock band B & The Honeyboy, currently working on their second album.
Tuesday 11 October 2011
The Country Girls Cast Profile 7 - Georgina Miller in Multiple roles
Television work includes: The Clinic (Parallel Films), Pure Mule (Eden Films), Trouble in Paradise (Great Western Films). Radio drama credits for RTE include Jumping for Joy (Bernard Farrell), Danny’s Girl (Rebecca Bartlett), Infidel (Roger Gregg), The Strange Case of the Great Crested Canary (Pat Mc Cabe) and also a number of series with Crazydog Audio Theatre for RTE radio.
Georgina is delighted to be making her Red Kettle debut with The Country Girls.
Monday 10 October 2011
The Country Girls Crew Profile 6 - Conleth White Lighting Designer
Conleth has toured to Belgrade, Taiwan, Denmark and the UK with Big Telly's swimming-pool production of The Little Mermaid and lit, among others, their recent production of Puckoon which played in the Leicester Square Theare in 2011. For Green Shoot / GBL productions he lit The Chronicles Of Long Kesh (Waterfront Studio & Tricycle Theatre, London), The Interrogation of Ambrose Fogarty, HRT and Lay Up Your Ends in Grand Opera House Belfast and A Night In November in the Olympia, Dublin and Trafalgar Studio One, London. For Axis-Ballymun has designed lighting for five plays by Dermot Bolger: From These Green Heights, The Townlands of Brazil (also in Teatr Polksi, Wroclaw), The Consequences of Lightning, Walking the Road (also in Ieper, Belgium), and The Parting Glass. He also lit their production When Jolie Met Christy currently on tour.
Recent site-specific credits include This is What We Sang (Kabosh); Macbeth in Crumlin Road Gaol (Replay) and War of the Roses III, Spartacus: Highway to Hell, Danse Macabre & Red Line:Deadline (Whiplashfights).
Other recent theatre includes Sweeney Todd (Mossley Mill); Rock Doves (Rathmore Productions) and The Miser (Lyric, Belfast).
Conleth co-produced and designed Four Last Things for Lisa Tierney-Keogh in Dublin Fringe 2009 at Smock Alley. For Garret Keogh he has lit Dogshow in the Galway and Kilkenny Arts Festivals in 2006 and designed set & lighting for both Fido (Dublin Fringe ‘07) & Setanta Murphy (New Theatre & tour 2009 - 10, Gap Arts Festival 2011).
Recent dance work includes: lighting and co-production of, with Anne Gilpin and Ian Wilson (Triptych) Tundra for Dublin Fringe ‘08 in The Empty Space, Dublin. He lit The Nutcracker Suite in the Helix for RTE’s Ballet Chancers and The Four Quartets for Maiden Voyage.
Previously for Red Kettle, Conleth has designed the lighting for: On The Razzle, Talbot's Box, The Glass Menagerie, Equus, What The Butler Saw, Observe The Sons Of Ulster Marching Towards The Somme, Man Beast And Virtue, Bent, Deathtrap, Boy Soldier, Riddley Walt, Climb, and Happy Like A Fool.
The Country Girls Cast Profile 6 - Rachael Dowling in Multiple roles
Rachael trained at The Great Lakes Shakespeare Festival, Ohio, USA, and began her acting career with Jim Sheridan in New York’s Irish Arts Centre. She studied film at Hunter College NYC, and completed the MA in Film and Television Studies at Dublin City University (DCU).
Rachael has worked in theatre and film in Ireland, the USA and the UK. She played Lily in John Huston’s classic film adaptation of James Joyce’s The Dead. Favorite film roles include Mary-Anne in David Yates’ The Tichbourne Claimant , the leading role Maureen in Tom Collins’ Bogwoman, and Mary in PJ Dillon’s recently released Rewind (2011). She wrote and directed her internationally screened short film, Stealth, and directed Peter McKenna’s award winning play Missing Football for the Dublin Fringe Festival (2004).
Rachael has lectured in film at The National College of Art and Design (NCAD). She has recently been part of a collaborative research and performance project In These Troubled Times with digital video artist Jesse Jones. She is editing and performing writer Sue Hassett’s novel in progress Acquittances 123, and is also developing a new work with playwright Helen Adams. She has recently worked on The Trees on The Quays architectural project with her husband Paschal Mahoney.
Rachael is delighted to be working with Red Kettle again.
Friday 7 October 2011
The Country Girls Crew Profile 5 - Ben Hennessey Set Designer
Ben is a Founder Member and Artistic Director of Red Kettle. He works as a director, designer, writer and painter.
Most recently, Ben directed and designed Martin Sherman’s Rose which played at the Grahamstown Arts Festival in South Africa, wrote and designed The Girl That Turned into a Deer for Little Red Kettle and worked as a painter on Animated State Dance Theatre’s production of Crossing, all in 2011.
Other recent work directing and designing includes A Midsummer Night’s Dream in a circus tent, Romeo and Juliet at Garter Lane, Climb (with Eoin Lynch), and Riddley Walker by Russell Hoban, also in a Big Top. Ben directed Happy like a Fool by Paul O Brien (in 2010) and Boy Soldier (touring production) in 2008.
Ben has designed over fifty shows for Red Kettle including the world première of Catalpa by Donal O Kelly, Kings of the Kilburn Highroad and The Castlecomer Jukebox, both by Jimmy Murphy, The Salvage Shop and Moonshine, both by Jim Nolan, Happy Birthday Dear Alice and Forty Four Sycamore, both by Bernard Farrell and The Stomping Ground and The Queen and Peacock, both by Loughlin Deegan.
Ben has also designed shows for Siamsa Tíre, Corca Dorca, Meridian, Archlainn de Hide, Team and many Musical Theatre companies, including Sweeney Todd for Bowler Hat. Recent designs include Tearmann for Siamsa Tíre, I, Keano for Lane Productions and Rag and Bone Shop of the Heart for Animated State Dance Theatre Company.
He has written thirteen plays for children, many of them with Liam Meagher including The Four Euclids of Squid and the Festival of Imagination and Wild Fancy which represented Ireland at the World Festival of Children’s Theatre in Toyama, Japan. Other recent children’s plays include Time Quest, There Might be Zombies, A Big Loada Stuff and The Alizar Tree.
Ben also wrote and designed Boy Soldier for Red Kettle which toured Ireland in 2008 and, also in 2008, co-wrote Climb with Eoin Lynch.
Ben also wrote the book and Libretto of Lily’s Labyrinth (an opera for children) with composer Marion Ingoldsby, performed in Garter Lane and at the National Concert Hall.
Ben also continues to work as a painter and his work is included in many private and public collections. He has exhibited throughout Ireland and in London, New York and San Francisco.
The Country Girls Cast Profile 5 - Simon Boyle in Multiple roles
Film and television credits include : La Femme Tranquille (France 3), King Guillaume (Canal +/ France 3 Cinéma), Les Femmes de l’Ombre / Female Agents (TF1), Fields of Honour (Casus Filmi) and The English Method (Stellaire Productions). He trained at the Samuel Beckett Centre, Trinity College Dublin and continued in Paris with Zygmunt Molik from Jerzy Grotowski’s Theatre Laboratory and Nicolaï Karpov from GITIS, Moscow.
Thursday 6 October 2011
The Country Girls Crew Profile 4 - Leonore McDonagh Costume Designer
She has designed costumes for over a hundred shows including theatre, dance, opera, pantomime and street theatre both here in Ireland, the West End and UK, Belgium, Luxembourg, Denmark and Poland.
Design work includes Emma, Esther Waters, Wuthering Heights, The Mayor of Casterbridge (Storytellers Theatre Company) for which she was awarded the Irish Times / ESB Award for Best Costume Designer, The Ash Fire, Jack Ketch, The Flesh Addict, Buffalo Bill, The Y2K Festival, The Buddhist of Castleknock, Pilgrims in the Park, Handel’s Crossing (Pigsback/Fishamble Theatre Company); D’Unbelivevables “I Doubt it” says Pauline, One Hell of a Do (Jon Kenny and Pat Shortt); Sam an Fado, Clann Lir, Oisin, Oilean (Siamsa Tire) Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk, Aladdin (Gaiety Theatre); Goldfish in the Sun, Dublin Carol, Stone Mad, Rita Dunne (Everyman Palace), The School for Scandal (Abbey Theatre) which was nominated for Best Costume Design, Buck Jones and the Body Snatchers (Joan Sheehy Productions), Boss Grady’s Boys (Woodpecker Productions), two productions of Hamlet, King Lear, Othello, Romeo and Julie,; three productions of both The Merchant of Venice and Macbeth, A Doll’s House, and Dancing at Lughnasa (Second Age), The Deep Blue Sea, American Buffalo; Ohio Impromptu, Rockaby, Come and Go (nominated for Best Costume Design), Footfalls, Catastrophe, Play and Eh Joe for the Beckett Centenary Festival in Dublin and London. A View From The Bridge, Many Happy Returns, and Alan Stanford’s adaptation of The Old Curiosity Shop and Jane Eyre in 2003 and 2010 (Gate Theatre).
The Country Girls Cast Profile 4 - Charlie Bonner in Multiple roles
Other credits include: Macbeth, The Comedy Of Errors, The Shaughraun, Living Quarters, Observatory, Toupees & Snare Drums, Portia Coughlan, Good Evening Mr Collins, Monkey and Philadelphia Here I Come for the Abbey and Peacock theatres, A View From The Bridge and The London Assurance in the Gate; and most recently Dancing At Lughnasa with Second Age and Someone Who'll Watch Over Me with Blackwater.
Television and film work includes: The Crush (Nominated for Best Short Film at this year's Academy Awards), The Race, Joyriders, Ulysses, Omagh, Badly Drawn Roy, This Is Nightlive, The Tudors, Proof, Fair City and Starfish.
Wednesday 5 October 2011
The Country Girls Crew Profile 3 - Trevor Knight Sound Composer
Trevor was keyboard player in the early 1970’s with various Irish bands, including jazz-rockers Naima and Metropolis. In 1980 in Holland he formed Auto da Fe with singer Gay Woods and between 1981 and 1990 they wrote and recorded three albums: Tatitum, Five Singles and One Smoked Cod, and Gazett;, and toured Ireland and the UK extensively. In 2001 a live BBC session Songs for Echo was released. He has also recorded and performed with many artists such as Paul Brady, Philip Lynott, Mary Coughlan, Fleadh Cowboys, Luka Bloom, Leo O’Kelly, Juliet Turner, Camille O 'Sullivan, The Mighty Stef, Roger Doyle and Donovan.
Trevor has written more than 60 scores for theatre, including, for Red Kettle, Catalpa by Donal O’Kelly, which won a Fringe First at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and has toured the world; The Crucible, Juno and the Paycock for The Abbey, and Circus for Barabbas (touring to USA).
As director and composer, shows include: Bleeding Poets by Daniel Reardon, The Remarkable Rocket by Oscar Wilde and two shows in which the poems of Dorothy Parker were set to music: Just a Little One –A Dorothy Parker Cocktail for Kilkenny Arts Festival and The Whistling Girl for Dublin Fringe.
He composed the music, conceived and directed Slat featuring Japanese Butoh dancer Maki Watanabe for the Galway Arts Festival, Dublin Theatre Festival and Centre Culturel Irlandais in Paris. In 2009, The Music of Things, a filmed-drawing collaboration with artist Alice Maher took place at the Green on Red Gallery in Dublin, and then opened in 2010 at Kinsale Arts Week. In 2010 a further collaboration with Alice Maher, Godchildren of Enantios opened at the Galway Arts Centre as part of the Arts Festival, then travelling on to London and New York in early 2011.
Film soundtracks include Double Carpet (Channel 4) and What am I Doing here, a documentary by Trish MacAdam.
Most recently Trevor directed and composed music for a new multi-disciplinary work, The Devil’s Spine Band, performed at Galway Arts Festival 2011.
The Country Girls Cast Profile 3 - Mr. Gentleman aka Peter Hanly
Peter has previously worked with Red Kettle on Translations and Bent.
He was a member of Dublin Youth Theatre before joining Theatre Unlimited where he worked as a company member for two years. Other theatre credits include: Molly Sweeney, Hedda Gabler, The Seagull, The Breadman (Gate Theatre); The Passing, Arragh na Pogue, The Plough and the Stars, Christ Deliver Us, Marble, The Burial at Thebes, The Recruiting Officer, The Crucible, Julius Caesar, A Month in the Country, The Bacchae of Baghdad, Aristocrats, Communion, Big Maggie and Sive (Abbey Theatre); Benefactors (b*spoke); A Doll’s House (Second Age); Improbable Frequency, Shiver, Three Days of Rain, The School for Scandal, Down Onto Blue, The Way of the World, Digging for Fire (Rough Magic); Dinner with Friends, Taste (Gúna Nua); Kvetch (Kilkenny Arts Festival); The Promise, The Lonesome West (Liverpool Everyman); Making Noise Quietly (Oxford Stage); Love Me?!/Car Show (The Corn Exchange); The Gay Detective (Project Arts Centre, Tricycle, London); Lovechild (Project Arts Centre); The Ash Fire (Pigsback); The Conquest of the South Pole (Theatre Demo); A Life (Olympia Theatre) and Saint Oscar (Field Day).
Film and television work includes Primeval, My Boy Jack (ITV); The Clinic, Black Day at Blackrock; The Truth about Claire (RTE); Betrayal of Trust, Roy, Ballykissangel, First Communion Day, Jumpers (BBC); Guiltrip (Temple Films) and Braveheart (Icon Productions).
Peter has also recorded many radio plays with RTE and BBC.
Tuesday 4 October 2011
The Country Girls Crew Profile 2 - Mikel Murfi Director
The Country Girls Cast Profile 2 - Baba aka Caoimhe O'Malley
A graduate in Drama Studies from UCD, Caoimhe is from Dublin, graduated from the Gaiety School of Acting in June 2011 and was awarded the Gaiety School Theatre Bursary in 2010.
While at the Gaiety School she appeared in Macbeth, Twelfth Night, directed by Liam Halligan, and Little Gem directed by Paul Brennan.
On screen, Caoimhe has appeared in Whatever Turns You On and most recently in Rent a Friend for Kite Entertainment as part of RTE’s Storyland competition.
Monday 3 October 2011
The Country Girls Crew Profile 1 - Edna O'Brien Author & Scriptwriter
The Country Girls Cast Profile 1 - Kate aka Holly Browne
Holly is very pleased to be working with Red Kettle again.
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