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kilkennyobserver.ie
The Kilkenny Observer Friday 21 February 2020
News – KEEPING IT LOCAL
Wolf is a play for our times
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ARNSTORM Theatre Company is continuing rehearsals for its beguiling new production Alice and the Wolf, which runs at The Watergate Theatre from March 4 to 9. Set in the often-compulsive world of online video gaming, this re-telling of the Little Red Riding Hood story is a digital fairy tale that’s funny and full of dangerous dark twists. Commissioned by Barnstorm and written by Tom Swift (Performance Corporation), it is for children aged 9 to 13 and their families. Twelve year old Alice spends virtually all her time in Wolf Wood. You know the world’s deepest, darkest online game. WHY NOT? Her dad isn’t around, her mother’s gone to Canada to meet a lumberjack and her best friend’s dumped her for a YouTube star. BIG BAD WOLF But what happens when the people you meet online come looking for you in real life? Who can you trust, and who is the Big Bad Wolf? Tom Swift captures the zeitgeist of a young people’s world as the opportunities and challenges thrown-up by internet access and all-pervasive social media are navigated. Conveying an online world on stage presents real challenges, says Director Philip Hardy. Characters switch back and forth between their lives in the real world and their avatar selves in the virtual world. “We can’t reproduce the CGI world of the game screen so we are inventing our own way with the collaboration of a dynamic
creative team: Ella Clarke Movement Director, Jack Cawley Sound, Mark Galione Lighting, Sarah Foley Costumes and Andrew Clancy Set. KILKENNY DEBUTS Local actor Aoibhín Murphy returns to Kilkenny for the show. She has previously performed with Devious Theatre as well as Barnstorm/Watergate productions and will be remembered for fine performances as Nora in The Plough and the Stars, and Annie in All My Sons at the Watergate. She is joined by Julie Sharkey, previously seen by Kilkenny audiences in Barnstorm’s Barney Carey Gets His Wings. The talented Manus Halligan, Aoife O’Sullivan and Cormac O’Broin make their Kilkenny debuts. This is a play for our times, says producer Vincent Dempsey, a digital fairy tale as deliciously dark and cautionary in 2020 as the traditional fairy tale was to past generations. Many of the matinee performances for schools are already sold out. There are tickets still available for the Gala Family Performance on March 7 at 7.30pm. Tickets: 056-7761674/www. watergatetheatre.ie MANUS HALLIGAN TALKS TO THE OBSERVER Bio, Short version: Originally from Bailieborough, County Cavan, attended Trinity College until 2011 and now lives in Dublin until the current renting market pushes him out of the county altogether. WHERE DO YOU LIVE NOW? Rathmines, County Dublin. What was the first play you ever saw (and your impression
of it)? I honestly can’t remember. So I imagine it was brutal. Probably a panto in The Gaiety. HAVE YOU PERFORMED IN KILKENNY BEFORE? Yes in 2016 in a new play called The Poor Little Boy With No Arms in the Watergate Theatre. I played a very creepy town mayor. WAS YOUR ENGLISH TEACHER INSPIRING? My Leaving Certificate English teacher was not exactly inspiring. DID YOU ATTEND THEATRE WHILE IN PRIMARY SCHOOL? I don’t think so. TELL US ABOUT YOUR CHARACTER IN ALICE AND THE WOLF I play the infamous wolf. He goes through many transformations throughout, much like the big, bad wolf in Little Red Riding Hood. But no spoilers. WHAT SORT OF PERSON IS GOING TO LOVE THE PLAY? Hopefully anyone who enjoys playing video games. The main character, Red, is addicted to a video game in the play (Wolf Wood) and hopefully there’ll be plenty for those people to laugh at. WHAT WILL THE AUDIENCE BE
THINKING ABOUT AS THEY HEAD HOME? Our job is to try to have the children reflect on their online activity and profiles and see the effects of having their personality and image being online for all to see. Privacy online has never been great and continues to be a major issue, especially for children. WHAT’S GOING TO SURPRISE PEOPLE ABOUT THIS PLAY? We get to play video game characters and move like them at certain points, which is a lot of craic! WHO WILL HAVE THE BEST COSTUME? Probably Cormac who plays Bruce the cat. Although Aoife who plays Red may have an amazing costume thatlights up. It’s all still to play for in that department. WHAT’S CHALLENGING ABOUT BRINGING THIS SCRIPT TO LIFE? Physicalising a video game avatar can be very tricky as they don’t move as fluid and natural as human beings do. So we’re trying to invent our own body language based on video games we play/ played ourselves. Very difficult. WHY DID YOU WANT TO BE INVOLVED IN THIS PRODUCTION? I love Kilkenny City and I heard Barnstorm was a great company to work for. IF YOU COULD CHOOSE A CHARACTER TO PLAY, WHAT WOULD YOUR DREAM ROLE BE ON STAGE/FILM? I’ve always wanted to play Vladimir from Samuel Beckett’s Waiting For Godot. I read it in 2006 and still think it’s my favourite comedy. But I guess a bit dark too.
German radio here during WW2
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R DAVID O’Donoghue recently spoke to South Kilkenny Historical Society on Hitler’s Irish Voices, detailing the story of German radio’s wartime Irish service. He began by linking the IRA’s 1939 bombing campaign in England to Nazi Germany and gave accounts of links between the IRA and Berlin. He also detailed over 30 Nazi party members in Ireland and gave a chronological account of broadcasts to Ireland by German Radio’s Irish service (IrlandRedaktion) from December 1939 to May 1945. In the beginning the broadcasts were in Irish and the studio location moved as the war progressed. Initially the broadcasts were from Berlin and the final broadcast, on May 2, 1945, was from Apen.
WEALTH OF INFORMATION While researching the topic, David interviewed a big number of people in Ireland and Germany, including Mr Hans Hartmann in Germany. The quality of research and
At the South Kilkenny Historical Society January 2020 lecture were Michael Power, Mary O’Shea, Dr David O’Donoghue, Eddie Synnott and Danny Lynch
presentation was evident and was reflected in a Q&A session. The society chairman thanked Dr O’Donoghue for the lecture and reflecting on the quality of the lecture quoted from Dr Joseph Lee’s foreword in the speaker’s book on the topic: ‘What has been lacking hitherto has been a detailed reconstruction of the history of Ireland-Redaktion. ‘This is what David O’Donoghue now provides, with such a wealth of information that it is unlikely
the work will ever need to be done again.’ IRISH BORDER The next society lecture is on February 27 when Cormac Moore will speak on the Irish border – Birth of the Border: The Impact of Partition in Ireland. The Irish border, created in 1921 by the Government of Ireland Act 1920, has been a political issue since its creation. At the moment it is in focus due to Brexit and many suggest that
this could lead to its demise after almost 100 years in existence. Mr Moore will examine the run up to the creation of the border and its impact on politics, security, law, business and trade, religion, education, the trade union movement, infrastructure and sport. This lecture is in Mullinavat Parish Hall (opposite the church), at 8pm. Admission is €5 (society members free) and all are welcome.
Turning on the Blue Light
Committee at the launch of the Blue Light Ball which will be on February 29
Nicky Power passes away T
HE DEATH has occurred of Nicky Power, Hazel Grove, Archers Street, Kilkenny City. He passed away at St Luke’s General Hospital surrounded by his loving family. Originally from Fatima Place in the city, Nicky was a quiet and friendly man who was very popular. He worked in the taxi business in the city for many years. He had been ill for some time. Remains were removed to St Fiacre’s Church, Loughboy and
burial was at Foulkstown Cemetery following Requiem Mass. Nicky is survived by his wife Renee, sons Nicky Jnr and Erik, daughter Maura, brother Seanie, sisters Breda, Kathleen, Lily, Joan and Emily, daughterin-law Carol, grandchildren Nadine, Anna, Robyn and Rossi, brothers-in-in-law, sisters-in-law, nephews and nieces. He was predeceased by his brother Matty. Nicky was son of the late Hannie and Matty Power of Fatima Place.