There it sat on the bottom left hand corner of my computer screen, pulsating. Whispering my name, urging me to click on the link and to open it. In a reedy, wavering voice it whimpered ‘Open me, my precioussssssssss, read all about yourself’.

I am talking about the review of my play ‘An unexpected party’ which was featured on a website called The Outmost. This is the website for the monthly magazine GCN – which is Ireland’s largest (perhaps only) gay magazine. Anything that happens in the LGBT world in Dublin, will be reported on in this publication. Continue reading An actual review! Written by a stranger! →

I knew that the first day of the performance run – the bank holiday Monday – would be exhausting because of the sustained concentration and the adrenaline. Therefore I had cunningly booked the Tuesday off from work. Just for a day of rest and relaxation before the second evening’s show. Continue reading Tuesday’s PPPP (protest, picture, podcast, play) →

Monday was quite the day. It was the world premiere of ‘An Unexpected Party’ (some might say that it was the Dublin premiere or my own personal premiere, but I am feeling grandiose). Continue reading Two shows in one day →

The play that I wrote – ‘An unexpected party’ – begins tomorrow. It’s part of the 14th International Dublin Gay Theatre Festival.
It’s a dark comedy about the impact of a tragic event on the survivors of that event. Continue reading The play begins tomorrow. →

I read the blurb of the play with trepidation. Set in an inner city Dublin flat, this drama was the story of a working class young man who gets caught up in the gangland culture of his deprived home area. Ominously the flyer and programme stated that this was about a community whose story rarely gets told. The play was ‘Running with dinosaurs’ by Nadine Flynn, staged by Gladeye Productions and it was held in the New Theatre in Temple Bar. Continue reading Theatre times: ‘Running with dinosaurs’ →

By this point next Wednesday we will be three shows into the run, and we’ll have a better idea if the play is the hit of the season or the flop of the millennium. The former hopefully – enough work has gone into this at this point to ensure that at the very least we will give it a very good go. I am starting to panic at random moments for no apparent reason. Continue reading Come see the play. I’m not joking now. I mean it. →

Ireland’s politicians have an awkward and infuriating habit of not doing their job. When it comes to socially divisive issues they have found the perfect solution – a Citizen’s Assembly which convenes to discuss topics and advise the government how it needs to act on certain issues. The subject of gay marriage for example. This really was quite simple  – the government should have introduced legislation to introduce marriage equality. Simple.  That might have proved unpopular in the land of the twitching curtains however. So successive governments made the unproven claim that gay marriage was not permissible under the Irish Constitution as it stood. A referendum would be needed to introduce this. Instead of calling a referendum they created a Citizen’s Assembly (made up of Irish citizens appointed by politicians) to advise them to do what everyone knew was going to happen – hold a referendum.  Continue reading A night in the key of 8 →

On Thursday evening I had no appointments visible in my imaginary diary (imaginary in the sense that my personal calendar is in my head – I will probably get a text later, telling me how I have disappointed someone for not showing up for something I had agreed to). An evening of televisual entertainment stretched out before me. Continue reading Melodramatic times: ‘The killing of Sister George →

The journey to work went by in a haze. I was an hour earlier than usual. This was by choice. The alarm had been set an hour in advance before I hit the hay last night. There was method in my madness. I am not hovering on the edge of a breakdown – which is one of the only reasons I can contemplate that would inspire me to peel myself from my pit even one minute earlier than would be absolutely necessary. Continue reading ‘I am a good team player, but work well on my own.’ →

Rehearsals for the play are continuing apace. It still seems like the performance is way out into the future. But that’s only because I am residing in my mental safe space. Every now and then – and with increasing frequency – I jolt into reality and realise that in less than a fortnight, we will be treading the boards with the lovely play – ‘An unexpected party’. Continue reading A heavenly choir during rehearsal →