It’s wonderful to be back in Cork, Ireland, working with Gaitkrash Theatre on Kaite O’Reilly’s ‘Cosy’—with the Irish premiere set for 18-22 June as part of this year’s Cork Midsummer Festival.
We’ve got a fantastic cast of six women creating (Irish & Welsh) life into O’Reilly’s equally hilarious and moving play in/around issues of ageing and facing our mortality. I’ve had the pleasure of working with four members of the cast before: (paint-roller) Bernie who is playing Camille; (tea-cup-and-saucer) Maureen who is playing Rose; (Ganesh sculpture) Regina who is playing Gloria; and (Welsh flag) Sara who is playing (the character) Maureen). These four wonderful performers are joined by (bookish) Chrissie who is playing Camille’s daughter, Isabella, and (tea-pot with tea-cosy) Pauline who is playing Pauline.
What a joy to be in the rehearsal space with these six dynamic women who are bringing all their experience, craft, and imagination into our daily work together.
I first worked with Bernie, Regina, and Maureen in 2004—fifteen years ago now !!!—on THE BECKETT PROJECT with performances at the Granary Theatre in Cork. It was a splendid set of performances of Beckett’s later/shorter plays. I also worked with Bernie, Regina, and Mick O’Shea (sound artist with Gaitkrash) on the 2014-15 previews and performances of ‘playing “the maids”’. I was fortunate to work with Sara Beer in 2018 on both Kaite O’Reilly’s AND SUDDENLY I DISAPPEAR as well as on our co-created ‘richard III redux’.
All this means that there is a rich mix of experience that is in the rehearsal room each day!