Oh what an Irish debut that was for Fair Dinkum Theatre! We:
Played to 650 people
Sold out twice
Gained 3 standing ovations.
And all this in the non-theatre going month of July! Watch here the enthusiastic response from the audience:
When: Monday 4 July - Saturday 16 July 2022
The Boys School at Smock Alley Theatre:
Synopsis
€16,150 per man, woman and child to bail out the banks. What did we do? Could it get any more absurd than that? Apparently yes! This new absurdist play looks at the complexity of being a true Northsider when there are major social and economic factors at work during the Irish Banking Crisis.
Join Seamus and Boxer - employees of the catering company present at every significant event of the crisis - on their paid-for holiday in the tropics … until their island starts to feel a bit deserted and rather dangerous. Meanwhile over in the Chairman’s office of an investment bank, Fitzsimons is feeling the heat and seeking to pass the buck, in this fast-moving comedy of the blame game and financial collapse.
With an existentially Irish humour I Poured the Tea focuses on the camaraderie, relationships, resilience and depth of friendship of ordinary people as they struggle to survive extraordinary events not of their making. At times dark, always funny but ultimately optimistic. True friendship will win through – no matter the odds!
cast
Jason Gilroy as Seamus
Jason Gilroy (Seamus) graduated from the Gaiety School of Acting and trained in Stanislavsky in Focus Theatre. Jason’s theatre credits include: Cyrano de Bergerac (Gate), As You Like It (Druid), The Plough and the Stars (Gaiety), Of Mice and Men (New Theatre), On Such As We (Peacock), Studs (Gaiety), Sweet Bird of Youth (Liberty Hall), Paper Tigers (Pleasance Edinburgh), Orphans (New Theatre), In Arabia We’d All Be Kings (Players at Trinity). Jason’s film and TV credits include: Fair City, Easy Way Out (short), Randomer (feature), The Crooked Path (short), Best (feature), The Ambassador (TV series), Ballykissangel (TV series), Trojan Eddie (feature) and What Lies Behind the Mask (short).
Matthew O’Donnell as Boxer
Matthew O’Donnell (Boxer) is a young actor from County Sligo. O'Donnell is a graduate from both the Lir Academy (2017) and Bow Street (2019). Some of his previous roles include, Claudio (Much Ado About Nothing), Ernst (Cabaret) and a supporting role in RTE Drama Dead Still (2019). This is Matthew's first production since the COVID-19 pandemic and he's looking forward to getting started.
Eoin O’Sullivan as the Chairman
Eoin O’Sullivan is a Dublin-based actor working in theatre and film. His theatre credits include Barney Carey Gets his Wings with Barnstorm Theatre, Dolly at Edinburgh Fringe, and Tuesdays with Morrie at Smock Alley. He most recently appeared in The New Theatre Dublin in Intercession (HALO Productions) and in Orson Welles ‘A Christmas Carol’ (AboutFACE Theatre). Eoin also directed It Beats for the Short+Sweet Theatre Festival 2019. Screen credits include the award-winning short-film Pernicio
Rory Knox as Fitzsimmons
Rory is a Writer/Performer/Director/Producer/Designer which ranks only slightly below his childhood ambition of Cowboy/Samurai/Archaeologist. He hails from North County Dublin and obtained a BA in Theatre Studies from Queens University Belfast
Gerry Cannon as Judge O’Driscoll
Gerry was born in Dublin. His primary focus has been on screen acting and filmmaking. The highlight of 2021 for Gerry was winning the Best Actor Award at the Dublin International Short Film and Music Festival for his role in the short film Acheron. Gerry makes a point of doing one stage show a year.
Production Team
Casey Hallahan – Director & Sound
Casey Hallahan is a freelance drama facilitator, director and theatremaker. They have more than a decade of training and experience, and have worked with actors of all ages in Ireland, France, Belgium and the Czech Republic. They studied with TU Dublin (Drama), NUI Maynooth (Directing for Theatre) and Youth Theatre Ireland (ArtsTrain Drama Facilitation). From 2018 until 2020, they were part of Prague Youth Theatre’s core drama teaching team, for which they directed or co-directed 11 shows. This included Inheritance, a devised show that premiered in the Prague Fringe Festival in 2019.
Set and Costume Designer - Rory Knox
Rory Knox is a Writer/Performer/Director/Producer/Designer which ranks only slightly below his childhood ambition of Cowboy/Samurai/Archaeologist. He hails from North County Dublin and obtained a BA in Theatre Studies from Queens University Belfast. When not making theatre he works in the public health sector and enjoys tabletop roleplaying games and cycling.
Lighting Designer and Operator - Éinne Ó Connachtáin
A Connacht native and a mechanical engineer in a previous life, Einne has been pursuing a career in the arts since 2012. He is a trained actor, has performed in many theatre productions and has several TV and film credits built up over the years. He has also directed, produced and Stage Managed theatre and directed short film. He began learning about the technical side of theatre production in 2013 so as to be useful to companies for which he was acting. He received training in lighting and since then has worked on over 200 shows; from impassioned amateur, to drama college, to The Gate and Abbey Theatre, to touring productions, to outdoor and site-specific theatre. He considers himself a ”theatre-maker” and enjoys bringing vigorous life and clarity in the transformation of the written dramatic word to the stage.
Stage Manager - Noelle Killius
Originally from New York, Noelle received her Bachelors from Le Moyne College and focused on many aspects of theatre, including acting, costume design and construction, technical production and stage management. Moving to Dublin in 2019, Noelle is attending University College Dublin and The Gaiety School of Acting for her Masters in Theatre Practice. Her previous Stage management experiences include By The Bog of Cats, (Major Arcana - 2017), EPOCH, (Le Moyne College - 2018) and the Scene and Heard Festival 2020: Almost 40 & Single. Working with audience-integration based practitioners, Noelle is directing and producing a new show to premiere in June 2020.
Nicholas (Nick) Makin – Producer
Nick trained originally in Dramatic Art at the University of Tasmania Australia. This included producing a number of student and community productions.
Nick’s subsequent professional life outside theatre has included substantial project management experience. Nick has a reputation for running projects extremely tightly and efficiently. These skills sets are equally applicable to theatre.