We sat down with Dublin actor Jed Murray and discussed his upcoming play at the Civic – Close to the Sun!
Can you tell us a little bit about where you grew up?
I grew up very close to the city centre (Dublin), off Dorset st, on the banks of the Royal canal. A great place to grow up, I have 4 brothers and we used to fish for eels in the canal; there was also a sweet factory that we were known to raid for macaroon bars!
Tell us about your background in theatre?
I came to the world of theatre quite late, I was in my thirties and had spent some time working at sea and wanted to write about that. Through writing workshops I started to get an interest in performance and then started training as a performer. I was very fortunate to fall in with some incredibly talented creators who encouraged and enabled me to continue devoloping.
If you hadn’t been in ‘showbusiness’, what would you have done?
I love people and when I travelled, I worked in a lot of bars, I found that really satisfying and would happily work/manage a bar. But it would have to be the right bar!
What is your career highlight to date?
It’s tough to pick one, I have 3 that I’d have to mention. I had a very small role in ‘Game of Thrones’, and as I’m a huge fan of the show, that has to be there. I was lucky enough to get to direct and perform ‘Terminus’ by Mark O’Rowe, which is the most stunningly intricate and beautifully horrifying piece of writing. But, for pure, thrilling exhileration, working on the Monto cycle with Anu (particularily ‘The Boys from Foley st) can’t be beat. Exhausting and immersive. We lived that show!
Can you tell us a bit about your character in Close to the Sun?
My character in ‘Close to the Sun’ is Colin. The play centres around his relationship with his brother Rory and his fiance Sophie. Colin is a man who has created something for himself, recreated himself in a way, in a new land, only to be reminded by the arrival of his past, in the form of his brother, of all that was left behind.
What do you hope audiences will enjoy about the play?
We are an ensemble of actors and makers and so we hope audiences enjoy the whole package. We try to create an atmosphere of unity while we work and hope that that somehow communicates itself to the audience.
Tell us a random fact about yourself?
I once danced at the head of the San Francisco St. Patricks Day Parade, wearing a grass skirt and little else!
What is next for you?
I’ve just finished a Halloween show in Axis Theatre, Ballymun and I just completed a couple of days on ‘Vikings’ and am shooting a short film, so all is very busy! Still writing the ship script also!
Thanks a million Jed for your time and good luck for the future!
Close to the Sun
Tuesday 14th – Saturday 18th Nov., 8pm
Tickets €16/€14
