cork midsummer festival

A Matter of Record

Posted on by Youth Theatre Ireland Young Critics

Record

Dylan Tighe
Half Moon Theatre
Reviewed 23 June 2012

by Sadhbh Keating,Amaka Attoh,Kim Molloy,Eimear Deery

Record by Dylan Tighe is an extremely difficult performance to critique as it is an autobiographical, emotional play about Tighe’s struggle with bipolar disorder. Also, we must note that we saw only the second preview and the production may change, and grow.

The setting is, for the most part, drab. The pre-set is very intimate; it feels like Tighe’s personal space. Guitars, a drum set, a large writing desk and a leather chair all dressed in dark colours reflect the melancholic mood of the show.

Tighe uses music from his debut album Record, his own medical records, and multimedia to portray the concept of mental illness. Tighe takes on the role of himself which provides authenticity and real raw human emotion. This also highlights the isolating and internalised nature of this disease. Keeping with the intimate nature of the performance, the supporting cast of musicians and actors is very small. Aofie Duffin takes on the role of Tighe’s nurse and love interest but, unfortunately, her performance lacks credibility. A more positive point of Duffin’s performance is her singing voice. Her hauntingly beautiful voice captures the turmoil of emotions her acting didn’t. Daniel Reardon takes on the role of the austere doctor and gives a satisfactory performance.  Despite the small cast of supporting actors and their inability to effectively portray the story, powerful messages still come through, one being that medication may not always be effective to treat mental illness.

Elements such as Tighe’s own music also reinforced these messages and provided clarity to some of the more obscure images. Custom-made films about Tighe’s life and his ideas show his confusion and loneliness when in a depressed state, which gives the show a sense of reality. Tighe must be commended for this fearless production as he puts everything on the table.

Although the production deals with dark matters, humour and live music give it an uplift. We recommend it, although during parts of the show fantasy and reality collide, leading to confusion and ambiguity. This mirrors Tighe’s state of mind at the particular point in his life, and leaves the audience with much to contemplate.

 

Cork Midsummer Festival – From a Young Critic

Posted on by Youth Theatre Ireland Young Critics

I can honestly say that the weekend I spent with Young Critics at the
Cork Midsummer Festival was one the best of my young life so far. I was challenged by all four of the productions we attended to go outside my comfort zone physically and mentally. I was left thinking deeply about things such as mental health, what is means to be Irish, the materialistic values of today and lives that dwell behind closed doors.


My weekend began with a bus trip for me to ponder over what was ahead. I was excited and glad to be meeting my fellow young critics again. Together again for the first time in two months, we headed with Alan,Diane and Mirjana to our accommodation Victoria Lodge at UCC. Waiting for us there were welcome packages from the kind people of Cork Midsummer Festival, as well as complimentary food!

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After being fed and watered, we trundled along to the Camden Palace Hotel, a quirky arts centre where we met up with Karen Fricker and took part in a workshop about the piece we were to see that night –Fabulous Beast’s Rian. This workshop was substantially more physical than previous ones; we explored the idea of abstract expression through movement. We discussed what Irish music meant to us all, our concepts of dance and watched an introductory film about Rian. We were truly pepped up at this point for a spectacular performance – and that it was.

Rian was one of the best performances I have ever witnessed. There was such a natural energy onstage, and the performers showed nothing but absolute joy in every single movement they made. Traditional Irish music and contemporary dance are not two things I have ever shown much interest in, nor did I ever think they could have meshed so well together! Liam Ó Maonlaí did Séan Ó Riada proud, amalgamating music of all cultures with traditional Irish. I was struck with a great sense of beauty at this magical performance, and the simplicity of human movement. To make a wonderful night even more so, the audience was invited onstage to share in the fabulous art of dance and we were joined by the director Michael Keegan-Dolan. It was a night that will stay in my memory for a long time.

Home we came to Victoria Lodge, still buzzing but in desperate need of sleep, some of us being up since as early as 06:00am. The next morning was an early one, and we trekked to Cork School of Music for the second workshop of the weekend to discuss our thoughts about Rian. We then turned our focus to the Parallel Cities project and to Dylan Tighe’s production of Record, and created some ideas as to what we were expecting.

Parallel Cities was a new experience for us all – Shopping Centre was an immersive performance, in which we took a set of headphones and a pocket radio and were instructed on how to act in a particular shopping centre in Cork (location top secret). It was great fun acting as an agent of the underground, but there was also a clear message in this piece: that consumerism and materialism has taken a hold of modern life, and that we are becoming slaves to our relationships with items rather than with people.

The other Parallel Cities piece we ‘saw’ was House, which gave a look into true life stories of various people living in Cork at the moment. I enjoyed the simplicity of this piece; we stood with headphones outside a house and observed the lives inside. The piece took me out of my own mind and reminded me of the importance of everyone’s story.

Between these two pieces we went to see a preview of Dylan Tighe’s Record. This play really struck a chord with me, if you will excuse the pun. The truth of Tighe’s life is literally laid bare for the audience to see in this piece, as he delves into his struggle with mental illness and the Irish health system. There was a complete connection made between man and audience through his heartfelt music and lyrics. Record made me think a lot about the complexity (and often the torture) of life, and this was succeeded through satirical humour as well as tragedy. Despite the pain and suffering, hope was the last note sounded in the play. The necessity of the ability to love dominates the message board of Record’ and I know will never listen to Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Need Your Love So Bad’ without thinking of Dylan Tighe.

The morning of the 24th was another early one in Cork School of Music again for our final workshop. We split off into smaller groups and were given the challenge of composing a review of one of the four pieces in just 40 minutes. It was such a thrill getting our reviews in on our first real deadline, and we were sixteen happy young critics that afternoon! We travelled to the bus and train stations and said our goodbyes, promising to keep in contact and keep critiquing.

As great as I thought the first weekend in Dublin was, Cork was twice that. It is really such a beautiful city, and the artistic opportunities available are enough to tempt me to move there! I loved the raw honesty I found in every one of the productions we went to see, and I cannot thank NAYD and Cork Midsummer Festival for giving me this invaluable experience. I feel myself coming away from Young Critics enriched with different tastes of theatre, and with an unending appetite for more.

Madi O’ Carroll, County Wexford Youth Theatre

Welcome to the Desert of the Real

Posted on by Youth Theatre Ireland Young Critics

Parallel Cities:Shopping Centre: The First International of Shopping Malls

Linga (Hamburg/Berlin)Image

Undisclosed mall location, Cork

Reviewed on 23 June 2012 by Caroline Allen, Robert Galvin, Art Kellegher, Aoife Lanigan, and Madi O’Carroll

Parallel Cities:Shopping Centre: The First International of Shopping Malls was like drawing your head out of the Matrix and taking a real look at the world around you. In the past, the production company Ligna have put together a number of immersive performances. The audience listen through headphones and are directed by a pre-recorded set of instructions.

It would be a shame to live in Cork and not experience this show. Whether you consider yourself an extravert or an introvert, this treasure hunt (for a treasure you’re not supposed to want) will challenge you to step outside your comfort zone. It’s likely everyone will experience something different – from your first reaction to the shopping centre to your final impression as you walk out the shopping centre door.

From the word go, we’re invited to observe the shopping centre from the position of an outside agent, and see the world of commodities for what it really is. The instructions initially seemed to have no meaning, but as the performance progressed the anti-consumerist message became clearer, as we were invited to become seceret agents in an underground movement. As the shopping centre speaks, both metaphorically and literally, we finally become aware of the monontony of consumer culture.

The experience was somewhat bizarre, as it challenges our perception of everyday life, as well as asking what can be considered performance. It asks questions about the choices we make and are made for us.

The question that this piece leaves us with: is this really theatre? We found the line between reality and drama blurred, joining the audience and the performance as one. Without this division, it is somewhat unclear as to what we felt leaving the shopping centre.

A thought-provoking, captivating and sometimes uncomfortable production, this piece from the Parallel Cities project was quite unforgettable. An extraordinary vision of ordinary life was presented to us all, challenging us to reconsider modern life as we know it.

Parallel Cities is presented as part of Cork Midsummer Festival

http://www.corkmidsummer.com/

In the Middle of Our Street

Posted on by Youth Theatre Ireland Young Critics

Parallel Cities: House

St. Patrick’s Hill, Cork

Reviewed on 23 July 2012 by Luke Casserly and Aoife Marie O’Donnell

Parallel Cities: House is a contemporary and dynamic piece of site-specific theatre. It entails a street-bound audience spectating a series of real life stories from outside the windows of two apartments on St. Patrick’s Hill in Cork city. House is one-eighth of the Ciudades Paralelas project, a series of theatre pieces that make audience member part of the performance. Parallel Cities has visited many cities worldwide including Warsaw, Buenos Aires and Berlin and invites audiences to view their cities from eight different perspectives.

Equipped with a set of earphones and a transmission device, we took our places on the lofty terrain of St. Patrick’s Hill and thus were drawn into the lives of a diverse group of both national and international residents.

This was far from the most riveting piece of theatre we have both ever experienced, but it certainly was an interesting and warm concept. Whilst we respect the artists’ idea of offering a real-life account of a group of people, it failed to produce much entertainment value. Poor sound quality was also a problem. However, we appreciated the innovative attempt to push the boundaries of theatre; we were transported from the conventional theatre experience of sitting in an auditorium, to an outdoor location, viewing the performance through the windows of the apartment, looking inwards. Parallel Cities: House had the potential to be engaging, had it supplied the audience with a more interesting and fruitful stories in terms of specific content.

To conclude, we found this piece rather bland. In a manner of speaking, it failed to produce a punch line. We both understand the stories of Parallel Cities: House as real and genuine but are left wondering: how interesting can a real life truly be? Not very, judging by the real-life accounts conveyed in this piece.

Parallel Cities: House is presented as part of CorkMidsummer Festival

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The Young Critics Are Coming

Posted on by Youth Theatre Ireland Young Critics

 

 

We are Young Critics 2012- that is, sixteen teenagers involved in youth theatres from all corners of the country, from Donegal to Cork city itself. We are brought together for one purpose: to appreciate and critique theatre.
The young critics programme is now in its eighth year, and I am delighted to be a part of it. What’s more is that this year I am lucky enough to be invited to attend three weekends of exciting theatre-going and workshops, not just one.

The National Association for Youth Drama is not of the opinion that young people should be seen and not heard- quite the opposite. There is a strong sense of freedom of thought and of expression engrained in NAYD. The voices of young people are valued and respected. Although our first weekend together in Dublin was just a little over 48 hours, we all definitely connected with one another. There is nothing like sharing in joy, and there is no doubt that drama is a joy of each and every one of us!

I am thrilled to be attending Cork Midsummer Festival, and the line-up Alan King (NAYD’s youth theatre officer) has prepared for us looks superb. From Rian on Friday night, dazzling dance with music by Liam Ó Maonlaí, to a Saturday afternoon performance of the mysterious Parallel Cities, a site specific piece presenting different perspectives on a city and on life. This is followed by Dylan Tighe’s Record and yet another late night visit to Parallel Cities: House.

What I love about my experience so far in the Young Critics programme is that it contrasts with and contributes to my experience with youth theatre beautifully, a place where I am so used to being and creating the performance, not the audience. Dr. Karen Fricker enlightened me greatly on how to truly watch theatre, to absorb every single element of the production; sound, lighting, acting, direction, etc., to ask questions of the production and of myself; why did that actor just do that? Why did that scene appear so rushed to me? I learned to research a production before going to see it, and to take notes no matter how dark the theatre may be!

The weekend in Dublin broadened my mind to a world of critical thinking; something that I find lacking a bit in the Irish educational system and something that makes society grow and improve. I very much look forward to the Cork Midsummer Festival where I will no doubt be blown away by the talent we possess in this little island. I relish in once again meeting with my fellow theatre lovers and enter a world of magic, of emotion, of captivating performance- of art.

Keep an eye on the twittersphere where we will be giving our opinion over the weekend. #Corkmidsummer #youngcritics

Madi O’ Carroll, County Wexford Youth Theatre