In a nation that can be positively acidic towards new talent, is it any wonder that those not in-like-Flynn often skedaddle across the pond in search of love and affection? Thankfully some come back to the tribe to show what they have learned. Donnacadh O’Brian is one such director. Through his bi-national company, Natural Shocks, O’Brian brings Leo Butler’s The Early Bird to the Project Arts Centre. Feauting real-life husband and wife Catherine Cuasack and Alex Palmer, The Early Bird depicts a couple at perhaps the darkest moment of their relationship; breaking point, a state provoked by the disappearance of their child. “It really shows how in moments like this we are really two individuals,” O Briain says. ” As much as they are in a relationship, even though this child was shared, the actual trauma is a private one.”
Did the fact that Alex and Catherine were married in real life play any role in your decision to cast them?
When I found this script I thought it was an incredibly challenging play. The two actors in it must have this incredibly intimate relationship on stage; it’s not easy to conjure that from two people who have never met before, in the space of two or three weeks of rehearsals. Not only is it not easy to summon, but you’re not sure whether it’s even going to work.
So yes, it was absolutely part of the decision. I was very interested in working as a team. It helps my work immensely when there is a speedy shortcut. I worked at the RSC for three years with one group of actors. We did eight shows together and by show five, show six, show seven the work was becoming richer and deeper.
What role does the aesthetic, that is, the set, play in this production?
It is essential. It is the first thing people encounter when they penetrate the space. I placed the actors in the centre of the space inside a solid Perspex box, a metaphor for the way in which they are trapped within the suffering. Not only can they not break free of this invisible box, but they are also unable to escape each other.
Does the opportunity to make something truly original play a big part in your selection of a project?
For me, a play is by definition a very original piece of work, and if you respond to its originality you will come up with something unusual. What I try to do is think very specifically about what the play requires. If you can be open-minded about that then you will inevitably come up with something unique.
Do you feel you were forced abroad by the lack of training and employment opportunities in this country?
I’m sure I could have continued working here. It was a choice. I am ambitious and I was looking into the future and thinking of how I could get to where I wanted to be. In Dublin I just didn’t see enough progressive possibilities.
If, right now, I went back to where I was six years ago, then I would be more willing to stay in Ireland. The company structure is changing and there is more funding available for independent artists now. The funding used to be tied up in a certain amount of companies and there was no freelance work to be got. You either had to force your way into being one of those companies or leave.
What do you get in London that you don’t get here?
In terms of learning what it is to direct major productions, I don’t think I could get in Ireland what I got working for the RSC. Also the experience of being around theatres like the National, the Barbican and the West End was unique. To see the work of major professional directors from all over the world, it pushes you and makes you better and there is nothing like the challenge of seeing what a real master of their craft is capable of to push you to raise your game.
You’ve recently said that you draw in people’s attention “by what you put on stage”. What in particular about your work has made you someone important to watch?
The only way you can hope to move forward with your career is through the quality of your work. The only way that that can happen is by putting your work on public display and making sure that it is as good as it can be.
I feel that with The Early Bird I have found the way of telling this story that is original, that is striking and that is affecting people. It’s amazing to watch people leave the auditorium. You really see in their eyes that they have had an experience. It’s what going to the theatre is about.
You’ve been described as someone to watch. Is there anything here that you have been keeping an eye on? Who in this country inspires you?
Fabulous Beast is quite special. What I mean is that I don’t make work like they do. But as a punter I find them absolutely…
When I arrived in Dublin, aged 17 and studying drama at DIT, one of the first things I ever saw was Fragile, their first ever show which I’ll never forget it. It was totally striking and unforgettable. It think they are a very special company and I find them inspiring.
Even when your work does not resemble that of the people who inspire you, there is something in their soul, in their imagination and their rigorousness and their bravery that I do think translates. I hope that even thought they are aesthetically different, some of the fundamental approaches are similar.
Natural Shocks present The Early Bird, by Leo Butler at The Cube, 8.15PM, 8 – 26 JUN 2010, Tickets €20/16
Words Caomhan Keane
