1. What is your role in this production? I play the part of Finbar Mack, a real estate agent, hotel owner and opportunistic entrepreneur. Although raised in the same rural area in which the play is set, Finbar left for the town under the auspices of seeking his fortune, his departure however may have been underpinned by a more haunting disturbance. For a return visit to this small community that should provide him the opportunity to affirm his carefully cultivated status, he is met by an evening that takes on some unexpected turns.
2. What is your background in theatre? I began my actor training in the school classroom, with a dedication to entertaining teachers and students rather than tending to the daily activities presented on any blackboard. It took a decade from there before giving actor training any serious consideration. Between the Gaiety School of Acting and Bull Alley Theatre Training Company in Dublin, I spent three years tinkering with the calling. Before coming to Canada in 2004 I played roles as Shakepeare's Romeo, Wagner in Doctor Faustus and Paddy Maguire in one of Irelands longest running plays, Goodbye to the Hill. This will be my first full length production in Canada and Walterdale.
3. Do you have a favourite ghost story you can relate? Having the karma to be born with an older brother who saw his siblings as real life test dummies for his wildly creative, but macabre, sense of humour; most of the ghostly occurrences/stories that have lasted, were enacted pranks executed by him close to bedtime. Gore-ified mannequins were placed behind curtains and set to topple from windowsills to our beds, hand made monsters attached to string slowly emerged from under our beds, made mobile through a deft-hand stationed on the landing. Tape recorders were slid under beds with time delay periods before heavy breathing and eerie sounds would begin to rise up from under our mattresses. Ghostly Stories and movies have had to take second place to a childhood impacted by these temporarily-real moments of true terror!
4. Why do you think audiences should come and see The Weir? If you have an appreciation for the art of storytelling and enjoy seeing the craft of a master weave the lines between the natural and supernatural, this tale is a standard by which others can be measured. The elements are all in place at Walterdale for ten chilling nights of soul penetrating mischief.
Headshot from 2006 - supplied
Before going onstage to play Isaac Tallentire in The Hired Man by Melvyn Bragg - supplied
Every one appreciation for the art of storytelling.
ReplyDeleteKia Miami Lakes