Kasia Lech stars in Bubble Revolution.
Women to the fore of Westport Arts Festival theatre programme
Preview
Ciara Moynihan
It’s interesting to note that less than a year after the Abbey Theatre found itself floundering on the wrong side of the gender divide over its ‘Waking the Nation’ 1916 commemorative programme, this year’s Westport Arts Festival is proudly, if unintentionally, flying the flag for women in theatre.
When the Abbey’s line-up was first announced, one aspect drew more attention—and ire—than any other: it was mostly, ‘maddeningly’, male. Only one of the ten plays programmed was written by a woman, and just three out of the ten were directed by women.
The outcry that this imbalance sparked gave birth to a new social-media movement: #WakingTheFeminists. This movement, headed by a small group of theatre professionals, has since gone on to establish itself as a strong force in the fight against gender bias and sexism in multiple aspects of the theatre sector specifically, and the arts sector in general.
Against such a backdrop, ‘Foxy Jack – Giolla Éireann’, a newly written play about Westport-born Major John MacBride—one of the 16 executed leaders of the Easter Rising—jumps off the multi-paged Westport Arts Festival programme. However, no sleeping feminists here: the play’s genesis is found in the minds of women, and the remainder of the festival’s theatrical offerings are written and performed solely by women.
The initial concept for ‘Foxy Jack’ was the brainchild of Freda Nic Giolla Chatháin of Irish-language promotor Gnó Mhaigh Eo, who received funding from the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, to stage a commemorative show as part of their ‘An Teanga Bheo’ 1916-2016 Programme.
Simultaneously, Westport native Úna Uí Chuinn of Muintir Chathair na Mart had an idea of staging a show for the centenary celebrations. The two decided to collaborate and pool resources, and have since become the driving force behind this major new production, performances of which will top and tail the five-day festival, Wednesday, September 28, and Sunday, October 2, with both shows starting at 8pm in Westport Town Hall Theatre.
‘Foxy Jack’ uses bilingual drama and poetry, along with music and songs of the time, to tell the story MacBride’s central role in the Irish Brigade in the Second Boer War, his marriage to Maud Gonne and the couple’s complicated separation after the birth of their only son, Seán—and of course, his part in the Rising.
The play is co-written by actor Seán Ó Tarpaigh of Kilkelly, and actor, director and former writer-in-residence with Mayo County Council Diarmuid de Faoite. Both star in the play alongside Mags Gallen (Fermanagh native living in Westport), Joan King (Kiltimagh), Séamas Mac Eachmharcaigh (Partry), Paul Mekitarian (Ballintubber), Darren Ó Riagáin (from Sligo, living in Castlebar) and Barra Ó Ceallaigh (Castlebar). Two local Westport children are also taking part – Rebecca Staunton and Tim Carty. Rebecca, a direct descendant of Honoria Gill, John MacBride’s mother, will play the part of Maud Gonne’s daughter, Iseult, and Tim, Úna Uí Chuinn’s grandson, will play the part of young Seán MacBride.
The voices of three members of Coda—Declan Askin, Brian Lennon and Conall Ó Domhnaill—will feature, while musical accompaniment will be performed by Des Cafferkey, Julie Langan, Jackie Small, Bartholomew de Boer and Jack Carney.
While another play in the festival, ‘Bubble Revolution’, also looks at political upheaval, that is where its similarities with ‘Foxy Jack’ end.
A Polish Theatre Ireland production, written by Julia Holewiska and performed by Dr Kasia Lech, ‘Bubble Revolution’ tells the story of Wiktoria, or ‘Vica’, and her journey through a magical land filled with the colours, scents and sounds of the past. Using multimedia and some interactivity, it examines the promises of capitalism through a post-communist lens.
“This is a story of a girl wishing for an unlimited source of Nutella, wanting to be Michael Jackson, an adolescent experiencing cheap wine and bad sex, and a story of a woman dreaming about love,” the blurb explains. The play will be staged twice at the Westport Town Hall Theatre—in English on 6.30pm on Friday, September 30, and in Polish at 1pm on Saturday, October 1.
Theatre buffs’ interest will also be piqued—and coiffed—by ‘In Good Hands’, an exploration of the unique relationship between hairdresser and customer. Written and performed by Catherine Ireton and Grace Kiely, it will be performed at 12.45pm and 3.30pm on Sunday, October 2, in the fitting surroundings of Front Page Hair Salon on The Mall. Expect original songs and stories celebrating ‘everyday intimacy, loneliness and our human need to connect’.
‘Fried Eggs’, is a 50-minute one-woman theatre performance by Karen O’Connell, written by Lindsay J Sedgwick. The play is billed as ‘a bizarre love story about two unusual sisters and one very understanding man’.
Touching on the theme of mental health, the ‘funny, lyrical and quirky’ production aims to take its audiences on a love-and-life roller coaster, while sending out a positive message about self acceptance. ‘Fried Eggs’ will be performed on Saturday, October 1, and Sunday, October 2, at the Park Terrace of The Wyatt Hotel at 3pm.
If the discerning Westport Arts Festival committee had consciously made an effort to promote the contribution of women to the Irish theatre sector, it would be laudable, albeit perhaps a little contrived. That the line-up’s gender balance mattered not a whit but naturally evolved to take the form it does, well it only serves to underscore the abundance of female theatrical talent at play in Ireland today. Westport, it seems, is streets ahead of the capital in this realisation.
The Westport Arts Festival also includes much more in the way of music, comedy, visual art, film, literary events and family fun. For the full festival line-up and to book tickets, visit
www.westportartsfestival.com.
