Seamus O’Rourke, a Civic audience favourite who staged ‘Dig’, ‘Ride On’, ‘The Sand Park’ and ‘Padraig Pott’s Guide to Walking’, returns on 5th June with ‘From Under the Bed’.
Seamus O’Rourke teams up with actor Arthur Riordan in this beautiful glance at rural Irish life in 1979. Two aging, bachelor brothers arrive at a point in their lives, where decisions have to be made about certain things… It’s funny and pathetic and heart wrenchingly sad. We had a chat with Seamus in advance of the play.
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and where you are from?
I’m a Leitrim man… my family had a farm, so I grew up working on that… I didn’t like school, so I left when I was 15 and became an apprentice carpenter… I worked as a carpenter for nearly 30 years.
How did you get into the arts?
I always wanted to join the local amateur drama group, but was too shy to put my name forward… when I was 24 I was asked to help build a set and play a very small part… I did and the magic began.
You are a writer, director, performer and more recently an online star! Which do you prefer?
I suppose I’d have to say a performer… I love connecting with an audience… I started to write, because I wanted something to perform… but I do enjoy all aspects of the theatre… and that includes making the odd set…
Tell us a bit about your work and what inspires you?
Because I want to connect… I write about what I know… the place and time I grew up in, becomes a backdrop to my stories… I’m fascinated with what makes people tick… and why humour and sadness are such buddies…
What is ‘From Under the Bed’ about?
It’s based on two old neighbours of mine back at the end of the seventies… around the time the pope was coming to Ireland… they were brothers that lived in a very small house, but didn’t talk to each other… the play brings them together into a situation where they have to talk…
What can Tallaght audiences expect from the show?
They can expect to see two very strange auld fellas talking out loud… about stuff that auld fellas don’t talk about… They can expect to laugh a lot and not once, wonder what time is it…
What’s next for you?
I’ve just written a one-man-play called ‘And thank you…’. I’m going straight into rehearsals for that… It opens in July…
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From Under the Bed
Tuesday June 5th
BOOK HERE
