Lights Out On Red Kettle Theatre Co

The appointment of liquidators to the Waterford's Red Kettle Theatre Co. has been a cause for dismay when announced last month .  Established in the mid 80's it has generated  civic pride and a source of quality entertainment over the last three decades and many times featured in these posts.

Best known for the  association  with playwright Jim Nolan,,  Red Kettle premiered many of his plays in Waterford beginning with The Gods are Angry, Miss Kerr. It was encouraging to the whole scene that while other writers left for the groves of academia, Nolan chose to stay and write and produce in his native city. Together  he and Red Kettle made Waterford a beacon for what could be achieved by a regional theatre company on relatively low subsidies. At the same time the Waterford International Festival of Light Opera attracted many overseas visitors and the Theatre Royal was packed for a fortnight of musical theatre and operetta. Quite how that festival  slipped away in 2012 without any gloomy pronouncement, I can't fathom given that every small town has an active musical society.

Nial Tobín in Red Kettle The Salvage Shop 

'The magic is gone' said Liam Murphy, arts and theatre critic of Thye Munster Express  on Morning Ireland when the news broke  and the tone was mournful, not quite on the scale of the announcement of the closure of the Glass Factory but no less symbolic.   Coming in the same year as the death of Bryan Flynn, extraordinary man of theatre,  whose original musical Pentimenti was premiered by the company it has been a grim time  for Waterford arts.

1999 poster Light Opera Fest

Red Kettle along with other regional theatre companies  had it's  Arts Council funding slashed in recent years. Spraoi Festival,  which has to be the most accessible arts experience in the country and  which  reaches the largest proportion of Waterford citizens not to mention the many visitors it attracts has also had its funding slashed to ribbons.  Cllr Mary Roche who was on the first Red Kettle board, has done a trawl through the funding stream for the urban centres outside Dublin and Cork and  the results make for depressing  and infuriating reading. Her report posted on her blog  puts flesh on some misgivings I felt as I attended events this year.  While I love opera and have travelled to see many productions, I don't see how the Arts Council can justify spending almost  €600,000 on a single production of an avant garde opera production which at best will appeal to a niche audience. The BGE Energy Theatre was half empty on the one of three night when I visited, Wide Open Opera's producton of Nixon in China. . Arts practitioners around the country must read about it and weep. Nick Bankes Chairman of the Imagine Arts Festival which runs in October in Waterford had this to say on the funding level of the Imagine Arts Festival

' it seems disproportionate that the arts council can put 1/4 million into 5/6 nights and only 11k into ten days of 80 events including some original events at the Imagine Festival.
The most bitter commentry is in this week's Phoenix column in the News &Star which gives a sense of the alienation felt by those involved in Waterford arts scene ''We can but look (again) and marvel at the success (and €3 million support for Galway and it's notion of being a centre for the arts. pause for a while and consider the €6 million thrown without demur at Limerick City of Culture and suggest for the umpteenth time that WE ARE NOT BEING HEARD'

On a positive note, the Waterford Youth Arts under artistic director Ollie Breslin,  mounted an impressive production of Arthur Miller's The Crucible at Garter Lane Arts Centre.  There were some remarkable performances particularly from the male cast and a terrific set from Dermot Quinn. The launch of a new musical society augurs well for the future.

Not A Game For Boys -Phoenix and Red Kettle at Central Hall Waterford

The  great unwritten rule in sport is  'what happens in the dressing room stays in the dressing room'. Those fine people at Red Kettle have teamed up with the new Phoenix Productions to deliver the Simon Block play, NOT A GAME FOR BOYS and it breaks that rule. And that rarest of props the support jockstrap features.

The play is a comedy drama based in London. It's a three-hander and is set in the dressing room of a table tennis match. The characters are a group of taxi drivers, members of a team, who compete in the local leagues. We observe an evening when a crucial relegation battle is about to commence in the Premier league. There's a nice nod to Waterford audience as the team is called the London Deise Cabs.

It's a very funny work as the characters interact as alternative  duos whilst the 3rd member competes. There's plenty of dressing room male banter as they prepare for the game.

 Kieran Doyle gave a masterclass as Eric the heart of the team who is obsessed with maintaining his team's status whilst juggling domestic issues with his wife and mother at home. He brought a great intensity to the role and his comic timing was excellent. Trevor Somers as Oscar was the  mysterious one of the trio, Stephen Forristal fresh from a backseat  romantic joust with 'a fare up the Aldwych' is further bothered by a demanding partner from home. The cast has a fine body of theatrical experience and it shows.

Do not miss a great night out at Not A Game For Boys with Kieran Doyle in smashing form in a glorious laughter Fest up Andy Jordan's Lane.
— LIAM MURPHY (@liammunster) April 3, 2014

Ben Hennessey directs  and does a fine job balancing the comedy and drama. The sound featured music from the mid 90's. I felt some off-screen sound from the competitive tables might have enhanced the atmosphere.

Great to see the Central Hall used again for live theatre and supporting Phoenix. The chance to carry a beverage from Jordan's is another draw.

Not just for boys, this is a  very funny play with  good acting. Recommended.

The play runs till 12th April.


By John Hartery

Katakana Debut: Red Kettle Sessions

In this twilight zone of twixtmass, the Red Kettle Sessions offered two bands to tempt Waterford music lovers away from their couches for an evening of live music, both with rather exotic names veiling their local provenance - Earlier this week, El Hígado No Existe played two nights at the Central Hall.                                     Last night, a capacity house gathered for the debut of a new string band Katakana, featuring the doyen of Waterford songsmiths, Liam Merriman. There was a house party atmosphere at the Red Kettle HQ with an easy rapport between the players and a familiar audience with complimentary dram of local hooch, Muldoons whiskey liquer served on entry.

Liam Merriman avec chapeau

                                                                                                              Merriman was on form mixing self deprecating stage patter with a set list of sweet and gentle yet potent songs. It is more usual to see this troubadour, ploughing a more lonely furrow as a solo artist and Merriman clearly relished the luxury of the support of Nick Bankes on double bass and backing vocals, Dave Prim on Spanish guitar and Eoin Maher on mandolin and whistle. Merriman's voice is soft and mellifluous, never overstated in a set drawn from his collection of four albums, the latest recorded in Nashville.

Clodagh Power

The generous set of sixteen songs opened with a couple of road songs. The lyrics are well crafted with intelligent arrangements skillfully evoking the mood. Eoin Maher's whistle line cut through the string base and together with echo like backing vocals created a spooky mood in Wandering Road and I liked the arpeggiated string effects in the plethora of water related lyrics in songs like Rain Rain and Flow Gentle River. The Boys with the Radio evoked memories of that not often lauded species, the corner boys. The only cover was Mark Knopflers Why Worry The set closed with a gentle beguiling love song, The Love in Your Eyes.

Clodagh Power, home for the holiday from London played a charming short set of songs to her own guitar accompaniment opening with a very effective solo version of Winter Fire and Snow and closing with Stephen Foster's Hard Times. Perhaps most memorable was her acapella version of a Declan O Rourke song, Marrying the Sea

Katakana on stage at Central Hall photo courtesy of www.chanbling.com

Incidentally we learn that 'Katakana' is some form of Japanese alphabet chosen for it's rarity value as opposed to any reference to local slang ( To say something is 'cat' in Waterford is not a compliment) . We liked the eccentric props of stuffed animals and motor bike helmet perched on top of speakers.  It is great to hear these musicians in a conducive setting, rather than straining to hear them over the noise of pub chatter and premier league commentary The Red Kettle Sessions continue on January 11th with another local treasure released from his usual performing space of next door pub Jordan's, the inimitable Francie White.*

*The singer scheduled for Jan 11th was Francis White Junior and not Francie as stated above . Post amended Jan 11th

Related articles Francie White at Imagine

More high quality  images from this event can be viewed on this photoblog www.chanbling.com

Xmas Shorts: A Night of New Plays in Waterford

Just in from an interesting and entertaining evening of new theatrical writing . Titled Xmas Shorts, Trapdoor Theatre Company in association with Red Kettle TC presented five short plays by writers, Anna Jordan, Tom O Brien, Patrick Kelly and Dayna Killian.  at Central Hall Waterford. There was a relaxed collegial atmosphere in the small theatre with an audience of local thespians and friends in. Set design was simple but effective and a different projected image introduced prefaced each piece and acted as a backdrop for several.   I particularly liked the impressionist pub secene image for the Brendan Behan Standup, in which Damien McDonnell brought the curmudgeonly spirit of the playwright to life on stage through a text by Tom O Brien. The device of a penitential confessional scene was used to good effect here  and also in Dangers of Ignorance. Brian Coady had the audience in stitches in this comedy monologue by Anna Jordan. The evening     opened and closed with an ensemble piece. Emma was a dark Medea like tale featuring a real life mother and daughter. Isobel and Dayna Killian in the cast and the finale featured a set of siblings in contemplative mood as they packed up their childhood home.  Making up the set  was a two hander ghost story Marianne There was a resonating plot device with these two dramas also in the dramatic placing of a watch for characters  beyond the grave .
  With revivals and classics being the staple fare of the big professional companies, new writing has become the preserve of smaller companies and the am-dram scene and it was great to hear so much good writing delivered in a Waterford accent.

Quibbles . It is hard to read programme notes that are both in CAPITALS and in BOLD. I couldn't find any information on the event on line either on the Red Kettle Theatre Company website  or Trapdoors Blogspot. Surely the event merited a paragraph or two on the company website.

Xmas Shorts continues nightly at 8pm at the Central Hall, The Quay, Waterford

Emma Written and directed by Dayna Killian  Cast Ben Quinlan, Grainne Kavanagh Isabel Killian, Margaret Ryan and Dayna
Marianne by Patrick Kelly Director Clare Smith Cast Conor Halpin Jr Garreth Drohan 
Dangers of Ignorance by Anna Jordan director Shauna Farrell starring Brian Coady
Brendan Behan Standup by Tom O Brien  Director Robert Doherty Starring Damien McDonnell
Carpe Diem by Anna Jordan director Shauna Farrell Cast Kieran Doyle, Anita O Keeffe, Dean Sullicvan, Ciara Dower, and Jacqui Kelleher

Little John Nee brings Sparkplug to Imagine Waterford

Little John Nee 'Sparkplug'

Waterford is a hive of activity  in October during the Imagine Festival. The impressive range of events take place in venues around the  in the smaller spaces of the South Eastern capital. The was an invasion of  eminent trad folk from Clare with  members of the Cotter clan , virtuoso fidlder Maeve Donnelly and scholarly concertina player Tim Collins  all in town as part of the John Dwyer Trad weekend. On Saturday night Little John Nee brought his latest theatrical invention to the bijou theatrical space of the Central Hall Waterford. The set was an intriguing  cornucopia of bric a brac , pallets and the accoutrements of a vintage car mechanic. To the forefront were a consort of ukuleles and various other musical instruments. This is the third of Little John's shows that I have seen.  His collaboration with Raymond Keane of Barabas in Johnny Patterson, The Singing Irish Clown produced a memorable theatrical experience that had a particular resonance to audiences in Ennis where I saw it. The Derry Boat mined the experience of  Northern migration to Scotland . Yet again the the versatile and unusual artist drew us in to the beguiling world of a character on the margins of society inviting us to empathise with a skillful blend of humour,  pathos and melody. Before loading up his van and heading West, Little John spoke  to me about his latest creation, Sparkplug,  You can hear that interview here

Little John Nee at Red Kettle HQ

listen to ‘Little John Nee’ on Audioboo

On the night he performed all the parts himself using the eclectic range of instruments  and loop pedals to set up an inventive aural backdrop of ostinatos adding to the melodramatic effect. You can here a version of the show with other actors playing some of the parts in this RTE Drama podcast  http://www.rte.ie/drama/radio/genres-comedy-sparkplug.html

To paraphrase the author,  there is no better way to spend a Saturday night than in the company of a Rockabilly Conceptual Artist . Have a listen and see what you think.

Related posts http://cathydesmond.blogspot.ie/2013/02/the-happy-prince-donegal-oscar.html

Powerful Perfidia in Waterford

At some point in the last decade I realised that although once an avid fan, I could no longer describe myself as a theatre goer. Revivals of plays I had seen first time round didn't interest me, One Man shows made me wary, I had had enough Playboys of the Western variety to do me for life and with the quality of TV drama improving all the time, going to a play seemed more like being strapped into your seat for hours without the remote control. However I saw a play today that restored my faith in the medium of live drama unadorned by any musical component. With a modest set and a formidable duo of actresses, Jimmy Murphy's play Perfidia plugs right into the zeitgeist of the times. The snapshot of the impact of Celtic Tiger collapse has resonances in real life tragedies prevailing in this weeks media stories around the unfortunate Priory Hall fiasco.

The acting is accomplished, both ringing true to their respective sides of the class divide. The writing is perceptive and well observed. I particularly liked the verbal jousting when Niamh goaded from her default politeness makes cutting remarks about Ciara's entitlement mentality. There is an odd raport between the characters but there is nothing saccharine about it. There are some elegant touches such as the allusion  to Rapunzul in her tower in Ciara's situation hemmed in  her high rise abode both seeking a rescuer. While I identified with Sharon Clancy's Niamh, the stressed mortgage defaulter, Jenny Clooney's feisty Ciara wins your empathy with a degree of self awareness and a good dollop of humour.  Niamh's story wasn't my story but it could so easily have been. I was more moved by the denouement than I can remember being in the theatre for a long time. The show is well paced and at a little under an hour isn't going to make that remote control thumb too fidgety.

This is a great venue, a small venue seating 50 or so conveniently located next to Jordan's pub which serves  as a convivial post show gathering placeand where  audience and cast repaired to recover after the lunchtime presentation. At a tenner for a play and a pint, this is one of the best value theatrical experience you are likely to have.The production moves to Dublin to open a brand new theatre space in Chancery Lane Dublin where director Frieda Ryan tells me Michael D  Higgins will be add presidentail gravitas to the first night audience. How about that!  Bravo Red Kettle on a thought provoking presentation.

We hear on the grapevine that director Frieda Ryan's next project will be directing the renowned Denise Quinn in Bag Lady by Frank Mc Guinness in December. Even with my reservations about single handers, in this case I will have to make an exception.

Cathy's Reviews On the Razzle 
Cathy's Reviews Beyond the Brooklyn Sky

Beyond The Brooklyn Sky a Red Kettle World Premiere

By guest blogger John Hartery

The world premiere of a new play is a notable thing and there was a sense of occasion in Garter Lane, Waterford last weekend for Beyond The Brooklyn Sky the latest production by the Red Kettle production company. The play is poised to participate in the forthcoming Dublin Theatre Festval and to tour around  a range of venues.

The company  drafted in Peter Sheridan to direct the new piece and backed this up with a strong cast of seven actors. The play is  by Michael Hilliard Mulcahy an award winning playwright from Listowel Writers’ week.

 

The initial star of the show is the set designed by Waterford native Ben Hennessy which realistically captures a coastal community hall complete with lobster pots and a deconstructed currach. We know were we are. The next star is the sound which uses Neil Young, Springsteen and that  half-forgotten theme from the Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence movie to pitch the genesis  of the story  in  the 80’s. All this is supported by a bunch of iconic LP covers and a turntable.

Red Kettle Premiere

 

The plotline concerns a bunch of fortysomethings who meet again in the small Kerry fishing village and recall how their lives crossed in the eponymous New York borough. One was reminded of the movie The Big Chill. The narrative covers a 24 hour period. Hints of what happened  to direct their  lives in the Big Apple many years ago are plentiful and gradually uncovered. The story pivots on he return of Greg a journeyman musician, who does a mean rendition of Young’s Helpless, and how his fleeting visit revives memories and provokes decisions.

There are  some cliches of the Irish theatre in  the play; the returned emigrant, the drunk, and the secrets revealed under inebriation. The works of Billy Roche come to mind.  There was a overly heightened  sense of melodrama  in the the second act.

 

But the play has some interesting dimensions with the men all  coming close     to mortality  ranging  from a foolhardy sea voyage to a possible terminal illness. The women characters were the bedrock of the story  and each was memorable:  Catherine Walsh as Josie with  her fling with the Dutchman and  Liz Fitzgibbon as Shannon with her precocious view of relationships and   Sorcha Fox a veteran of Ros na Rún   the standout actress in the key role of  Mags.

 

It was an excellent night of live theatre that deals with Irish emigration, and love through a modern lens – Skype gets a few mentions.  Red Kettle deserves  a good run for this ambitious project. I’ll be looking out for further work by Hilliard Mulcahy. The  Saturday night afficionados at Garter Lane, who  know their theatre, were impressed.

 

The play runs  intermittingly in Garter Lane till Saturday 22^nd and then on tour.