Tina Kellegher is best known for her role as Niamh Quigley in BBC television series Ballykissangel. She is also a well-known voice on BBC Radio 4, having played policewoman Tina Mahon in the first four series of Baldi. She also starred opposite Colm Meaney as Sharon Curley in Stephen Frears’ 1993 film The Snapper as a young woman from a working-class Dublin family dealing with an unintended pregnancy.
We chatted to Tina in advance of her show, Hooked, coming to The Civic as part of the Dublin Theatre Festival.
Could you tell us a little about your journey into acting, and how it all happened for you?
I was very involved in amateur drama from a young age. I got my professional break with Druid Theatre in Galway where I did my acting and stage management apprenticeship.
What’s your favourite part of the process of acting?
I love the rehearsal period exploring the characters and text. Having said that, when you have a really good house in and the show goes well that’s a kind of magic.
How did you get involved in this production?
My brother-in-law Don Wycherley directs the show. He felt I was right for the part and asked me to read the script. I loved it so I was ‘hooked’.
Can you tell us a little about Hooked?
Hooked is a very funny play but it also addresses some very serious subjects. It has an excellent balance of both. Set in a small community in the southeast of Ireland, it explores how people can enable each others behaviour good, bad or indifferent. Introduce an attractive young stranger in to this apparently normal community and the cracks start to appear.
You are playing Mary in Hooked, tell us about this character and what excites you about this role?
Mary is a very complex character, certainly not the most endearing character on first encounter with a vicious tongue but a very funny country turn of phrase. I think as we get to know her through the play we come to understand how she became this angry woman. Lots of meat to get my teeth into in this role.
What do you hope audiences will take away from watching it?
I hope people leave the show having had a good laugh but also left pondering the complex nature of the relationships in the play. When we performed the show earlier in the year at the Viking Theatre audiences seemed to feel that they had a very satisfying evening because of the variety of light and dark in the piece.
Do you have any dream roles?
No dream roles as such. The dream is to do good work with good people and a worthwhile script…. and that`s what I have with Hooked so I am very happy.
What was the last TV show you binge-watched? How many episodes did you see in a sitting?
‘Ray Donovan’ TV drama. Three episodes.
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Hooked opens at The Civic on Tuesday, 29th September 2015 at The Civic. Tickets are €18 & €14 concession and are on sale from our box office – 01 4627477 or online here.
