So No Drama Theatre is in pre-rehearsal’s with our current production of Whose Life Is It Anyway? by Brian Clare. (Subject to performance license) The privilege of directing has fallen to me, and its something I’m excited to be doing once again. The production will hit the stage in May. Inspired by the blog of esteemed No Drama Theatre colleague, Dave McGowan, I have decided to follow in his footsteps and blog the journey from script to stage. You can read Dave’s original blog here.

Whose Life Is It Anyway? was written in the 70′s and focuses on the plight of Ken Harrison. A talented man who has been left a paraplegic following a horrific car accident. He has become physically helpless with no movement below his neck. Ken decides his life is already over, and embarks on a legal battle to take control of his life and thus, the choice to end it. The play was made into a film in 1981 which starred Richard Dreyfuss in the role of Harrison.

Today we kicked of the first day of auditions in our usual No Drama haunt, and as with all our productions, there were a mix of new and old faces showcasing their talents. Joining me in the crew is Brendan Dalton as Assistant Director and Christine Leonard as Production Manager. Brendan is no stranger to the stage, having performed in a number of No Drama Theatre productions as well as directing in our bi-annual Shindig. Christine was Production Manager on our previous production, Arthur Miller’s Resurrection Blues, and made it look easy! I’m looking forward to working with the team as the production goes on.

We have 13 roles to fill. All bringing challenges with each one. But its going to be exciting production as not only do we take on a topic that is regularly featured in the news and media, but we take on a play that is a hardcore drama. The play brings many challenges to the performers, in particular the role of Harrison where nearly all of his person will remain lifeless throughout the play! Lets hope he doesn’t get an itchy nose during the show!

I have a vision in my head for what I want to achieve with the production and while the play has not been cast, it would be unfair on those involved in the auditions if I was reveal that at this point. But I will reveal more in a future post.

So this is page 1. We have another day of auditions on Tuesday and from there we will go through call backs. I’ll update the blog regularly with the hashtag #whoselife?

Three years, feck me.

It seems like a not so distant memory when the post went up on boards.ie and a rendezvous in a pub to discuss all things drama commenced.

But this isn’t a post to dwell on the past, but to look to the future.

I’ve pretty much taken a step back from taking a major role with our latest major production, Irvine Welsh’s “Ecstasy” as I felt I needed some breathing space and more importantly, development space for the future of No Drama. Its given me time to develop my personal teaching skills, (I’m currently studying for Speech and Drama teaching diploma) and my improvisation skills.

But watching the ball that is Ecstasy roll into place is quite a proud thing to witness. I am witnessing a production take shape where I don’t need to be constantly sticking my finger in the pie to see how warm it is. The competency of No Drama speaks for itself and its nice to genuinely feel like the birds have flown from the nest, unaided.

That might sound a tad arrogant or indeed disrespectful, but if anything its complimentary. My passion for No Drama has never waned since its inception and as you may gather I’m a control freak. So while I obviously can’t and don’t do everything in the group, I’m always watching, listening, reading to make sure Im on top of everything. A bit like the nervous flyer who looks out the window at the wing throughout the flight to make sure it doesn’t fall off. (Because if you take your eye of the wing for just one minute, it will fall off!!) However being that control freak and taking that step back for others to take the lead on a project, is a compliment to my colleagues, peers and friends within the group. Their effort and committment is no less than mine and its a marvel to witness the comradory and teamwork in the group.

Evolution so to speak.

Of course if you don’t evolve you become extinct. The committee has grown and we have more volunteers helping out in whatever way they can. Our most recent committee recruit, Vonnie Durran, has been a long time No Drama member who felt like a natural addition to the committee team.

So while this term is far from over; its still a month to curtain on Ecstasy, a Shindig in June and a show at the Body And Soul Festival in the same month, there is still plenty to be thinking of before I even consider what next year will bring.

We’re re-examining our improv show and workshops, with a view to introducing a new type of improv show rarely seen in Ireland. We’re running structured courses and also considering having summer courses. We have a show at Electric Picnic in September, it just never ends really!

Actually, maybe I will take that holiday first!

So why do people join drama groups and what do they get out of it? With No Drama Theatre, we have found members have
joined for many reasons such as;

• A desire to act
• To improve performing skills
• To work behind the scenes
• A social outlet
• A combination of the above

However whether immediately realised or
not, members have given us feedback that being part of the group
has also given:

• Boosted confidence and self esteem in other aspects of life
• Great understanding of staging a production and
being involved in one
• Improved their communication skills including active listening
• Developed both teamwork skills and the
ability to work on initiative
• Introduced them to new and cool friends!

What many people have said is that all of this is achieved through a fun and welcoming environment and because we run workshops twice weekly, personal development is in constant focus.
So this brings us back to the why you might be thinking of joining
a drama group, be it No Drama Theatre or
another group. I often hear from people or read on messages boards,
people asking how they can get involved in drama groups and get to
act on stage. The most common reply is, “Do as many auditions with
as many groups as you can”. I personally believe that this is not
always the best of advice. Why is this? Well remember what I said
earlier about the key factors that contribute to a drama group’s
success? The importance of teamwork, trust and
commitment. Your first step should be to join a drama
group! Many groups are weary of people who only seem to appear
around audition periods as it raises a question mark over
commitment to the group. The director of a play will always want
the best performer for a role, but he/she also needs to consider
how the individual will mix with other performers and crew. Will an
actor be on time, flexible and committed to the role? No different
to a job interview, you can’t convey this in a short audition.
However by getting involved in a group, attending workshops,
helping out backstage when you are not cast in show, it all adds to
the teamwork and spirit of the group. One of No
Drama’s longest members, Tom, once said to me over a
pint, that when he was cast in his first play with the group, he
was blown away by the commitment and effort put in by the
production crew in bring the play to the stage. When it came to the
auditions for our next play, Tom wasn’t available to audition and
was due to be on holiday before the play would be staged. However
Tom felt that it was important to fly home in time for the
production to help out backstage when the play was running, to give
back to other people what he had received when he was on stage.
This kind of action captures the spirit of what No Drama
Theatre and many other drama groups around the country
are all about. It also helped boost Tom’s director’s and producer’s
knowledge of Tom’s abilities and capabilities.

What Can I Expect When I Walk In The Door?
Joining a drama group can be scary. Many people have experienced joining a
group only to find its very clicky or difficult to get accepted
into the core group. With No Drama Theatre we
strive to eliminate the “eliteness” often associated with drama
groups and offer a level playing field for everyone. However all
the positively affirming written words in the world doesn’t smash
those nerves of walking in the door for the first time! But that’s
all it takes, a first step. Remember everyone in the group had a
first class/workshop at some stage. Have a chat to members, new and
old. You’ll find that many people will have had similar reasons to
you for joining. And finally and most importantly enjoy it!
Workshops are very important to developing your performing skills.
If you aren’t doing formal training with a professional school,
acting in plays alone won’t develop your skills to the extent you
may think. I have had feedback from members who have said that the
confidence and skills learned in our workshops have helped them get
cast in plays/TV shows/films outside of No
Drama. One of our member commented on an audition
outside of No Drama, for a web series,
The Covies, where the majority of the audition
was to be improvised. He told me that had it not being for the
improvisation exercises and workshops he had attended with
No Drama, he would not have been prepared for
the audition. He got the part too. That’s just one simple example
of how beneficial workshops are if you want to develop your skills
further. So to close out, if you want to join a drama group?
Go for it!

Because we maintain an open door policy in our community, the size of our group is ever-changing. However, we do have a fixed group of around 15 adults and two children. At the time of writing we have six guests, some of whom will be staying for a longer time, while the rest are here temporarily.

Hippies?

Ok maybe not. But more of that later. Why am I talking about Osho?

A friend of No Drama, John Loftus of Choke Improv talked me into attending a Improvisation Comedy Festival in the UK, facilitated by John Cremer and the award winning Maydays. I had only heard good things about John Cremer but had never even seen a picture of the man.

I talked Brian Quinn of No Drama into coming along so John L. took care of the arrangements. It was after the arrangements were made, John fillled me in on the logistics of the weekend. Namely the “hippy” bit. A weekend in a caravan with no meat served in the restaurant lay in store. I had no sandals to bring with me.

We were due to fly to Bristol on Friday 24th on an afternoon flight with Ryanair. Things got off to a bad start when our flight was delayed for nearly 6 hours resulting in an arrival in Bristol of approx 1:10am rather than the scheduled 6:20pm. The fun didnt end then, we had a 90 minute drive ahead of us to the secluded countryside location in Gillingham. (No, not the one in Kent. The other one)

Sandals
It was cold. And the caravan was cosy thanks to John L. pre heating our rooms with the portable heaters. (John arrived earlier that day as he was flying from Knock). I always knew John was a mammy at heart.

Fortunately we didn’t miss any workshops with our late arrival. Friday evening was more a meet and greet occasion over dinner. The fun and games was scheduled to kick off at 8:30am with breakfast with workshops from 9:30am. I had a whopping 4 hours sleep to look forward to.

I’m not a morning person, and I never will be. I feel no shame for that. But some people just don’t get those of us who are not morning people. There is nothing wrong with me. I dont need a dose of sunshine stuck up my arse in the morning. I just need, space, time and tea.

So you can imagine my anxiety when at 9:30am we conjugate in the main hall and a DJ starts playing dance music while waiting for John Cremer to kick off the proceedings. I kid you not, lots of people started dancing. Some of the girls formed lines and danced in sync. Even John L. started dancing. It was surreal, at that hour of the morning. Taking in the sight, there was about 40-50 people there, a wide mix of ages and an even 50/50 split gender wise. Oh and we had to take off our shoes. But that was ok. My socks had no holes.

It was at this point I was first introduced to the talent of the Maydays. John Cremer took the stage and kicked things off. His first point was to officially welcome myself and Brian. He asked me to tell the group a bit about the ordeal of the journey we had. So I did. The second the story finished, the keyboard player kicked off and John C. informed the room that it sounded like we had the Aviation Blues.

The Maydays got stuck into 12 bar blues with some musical improv influenced by my story. There was no hesitation on their part, no confusion over who had to sing the next part. It all sounded rehearsed and scripted. It was amazing.

Improv Everywhere
For the duration of the day, there was a choice of between 3 and 4 workshops to chose from. It was a bit like being in college again with the class and room schedule handed to everyone. I decided to spend my morning in two Long Form workshops.

The long form exercises and games were lots of fun. Our improv shows as part of Laughalot focus on short form improv but in our workshops in Dublin, we would perform long form sketches and exercises. But we hadnt performed long form in front of an audience yet.

The long form workshops pulled a crowd. But the standard of improv was high. It was interesting and a challenge to work with competent performers that I had never met before. It didnt feel like a competitive environment. There was great support and encouragement from the tutors. After about 3 hours of long form it was time for lunch.

Organic Noms
The folk running Osho are quite the organic type. The lunch was home made, home grown. There was soup, delicious bread and salad on offer. And tea. Its very important to emphasise that there was an abundance of all sorts of teas and tea breaks throughout the weekend. I loved that about Osho. An appreciation of tea.

Mainland
Some lunchtime conversations ensued. I must point out before I go on, that I’m crap at remembering names. So if I talk about someone from here on and don’t mention his or her name, its because I cant remember it. And I was probably told it. More than once.

A lovely lady from England, joined myself, Brian, John L and John C at a picnic bench in the gardens. She asked us about No Drama and what we did in Dublin. Then this happened:

Nice Lady: “So why don’t you come put on a show on the mainland?”

She was oblivious to what she had said. Now, it didn’t offend anyone and we laughed. But it was amusing as to her bewilderment as to what the issue was. John C. explained what she had said. She still didn’t get it. So we called her a European. We knew she wouldn’t like that!

I got talking to one of the residents of Leela over lunch too. A very happy and joyous man. While he at first might come across a bit odd, I realised while talking to him that he was very much happy in his own skin. He was very happy in life but spoke of wanting to hear negativity in life so that he could bring balance to it. Still, I didnt bother him with my problems. I didn’t want to turn him into a broken man! My last memory of the conversation is him saying,

“I learnt so much from my mistakes, that I think I will make a few more.”

La la lalala la
I was determined to give it shot. It’s something that we know we need to introduce to the Laughalot shows. When done right, its a hilarious part of a show. When done wrong, its embarrassing, boring and yawn enducing….

Musical Improv! I was terrified. I mean, I have had two motorcycles accidents in recent years yet I was more terrified of doing some musical improv. However the tutors were very supportive and encouraging. But lets be honest, there was no denying that I was going to have to sing at some stage. Improvised singing. But I did. I was sweating buckets and in need of an AED by the end of the session but I did it. As did Brian. And the scary part? It was great fun and we wanted more!

After a break, I was in two minds what to do next. Brian went to a character development workshop but I decided that I couldnt let the weekend go by without doing some short form improv. I figured it would be a nice way to wind down the day.

Of course, I had forgotten that short form improv can be intense, laugh-a-minute and extremely draining. So after a fun packed 90 minutes, I was fit for bed!

The day’s workshops were over and the evening’s entertainment was due to begin. Dinner first (a tasty Indian vegetarian curry with naan.) followed by some shows.

Look into my eyes…
First up some stage hypnosis. Make what you will of that. Entertaining but surely you can’t hyponotise people that fast? Well she did, and thankfully didnt resort to hypnotising people into thinking chairs were sexy or anything like that.

Next up was the Osho Leela inhouse Improv troupe. A quick 20 minute set and some good short form improv demonstrated with some challenging games.

And the grand finale, The Maydays performing some long form improv – musical numbers and all! It was easy to see why The Maydays have won awards. It was like watching a scripted, rehearsed show. It was hilarious with a story told from start to finish. The songs had a rehearsed feel to them and really brought the scenes to a new level.

After the Maydays performed the room was converted into a nightclub setting and the bar opened. Myself and a few others had a peak into the “Theatre Costume Room” (how cool is that!) and picked out some appropriate outfits for the occasion.

Much banter and craic was had over the rest of the night. Most importantly, we introduced the words “gee” and “gawl” into the English folk’s vocabulary. While I can’t remember everyone’s name that I bent the ear off, interogated with questions and probed with deliberatly leading sexist enquiries, I will give special mention to Meg, Aine, Sam, “B”, Maureen, Gillis, Jason, Flora, Carrie, Andy (and the other folk whose names escape me!) who were good sport and craic for enduring my ramblings! After all that, it was time for bed!

Uh Oh…
The cold of the night tooks its toll and I was awoke Sunday morning, after a poor night’s rest with a sore throat and flu symptoms. I knew another music workshop wouldnt be a runner today but I did take part in a workshop on “Object and Environment”.

Unfortunately for myself and Brian, that is where our Osho adventure had to end as we had a flight home to catch. We had to sacrifice on another 2 workshops as a result but we still had a fantastic weekend of improv.

I was going to go into detail on some of things we learned and picked up over the weekend but I have decided to keep that under wraps and if you want to find out more, well you will just have to come to one of No Drama’s workshops! (Comedy Improvisation runs every Sunday at 5:30pm and the general workshop runs every Tuesday at 7pm. Both workshops take place in Synge Street Primary school.)

A MASSIVE thanks to John Cremer, The Maydays for putting together an excellent weekend. Also huge thanks to the good people at Leela for looking after us and getting involved in the improv! It was a great weekend with new friends made and awesome improv performed!

For more info on John Cremer and The Maydays see below.

http://www.johncremer.co.uk/

http://www.themaydays.co.uk/

For more info on Osho Leela, check out their website below.

http://www.osholeela.co.uk/

Want to try some improv or theatre with No Drama Theatre? Check out our website for more info:

http://nodramatheatre.com/

So you may have read a previous blog post about No Drama Theatre’s Improv shows (Previously called Improvlova) or perhaps you have attended one of our shows (and hopefully had a good time!). We recently rebranded the improv show to Laughalot Improv to coincide with the launch of our regular monthly show in The Duke pub in Dublin. Serious business then? So how did it come about and what the hell is a theatre group doing improv comedy for?

For those of you who have no idea what Im talking about, improv comedy is comedy improvisation. Its unrehearsed, unscripted and with many of the games peformed, influenced based on suggestions from the audience. The result, when done right, should be a performance of sharp wit with hilarious scenarios. If done wrong, tumbleweeds, boos and tuts from the audience. If done very well, be prepared for accusations of having rehearsed or prepared already! (Some of the episodes of “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” are so funny, they often look rehearsed!)

I’ve always loved improvised comedy. About 18 months ago, I thought it would be fun to organise a night of improv comedy as a fundraiser for the group. We were quite nervous on the night, a few drinks were consumsed for Dutch courage and the adrenalin was pumping. The first show was in Cassidy’s bar on Westmoreland St in Dublin. It was a massive success. I judge success based on the feedback of audience members present with no affiliation with the group. It proved to be quite inspiring! So we proceeded to organise some more shows, at random all of which were received well with a great turnout.

Earlier this year I figured that the improv show was something that could be turned from a fundraiser to a viable arm of No Drama Theatre. There was a demand among members for improv and for the chance to perform on stage. There are of course other improv comedy groups in Dublin but for new people wanting to get involved, it can prove very difficult as the improv groups are a tight knit unit.

I attended other improv shows this year to see how the competition faired. Choke Comedy Improv in Limerick and the Craic Pack group in Dublin. Both groups were excellent and each had their own slant with their improv shows. I chatted to one of the founders of Craic Pack after one show, the talented Peter O’Byrne.

Peter is no stranger to comedy. He has been performing with Craic Pack for many years since its founding and also frequents the stand up scene. When not on stage, he can also be found on the TV from time to time. Peter also runs Introductionary courses to Comedy Improv.

Knowing that it was time for us to invest seriously in our improv and up our game, I invited Peter to run some improv workshops for No Drama. They were a roaring success. He’s an excellent tutor and those of us who perform in the improv show benefited greatly from his tutorage.

Our improv shows in the Duke now have a more structured and confident edge. We ban performers taking alcohol before and during the show. We have call times and a 1 hour warm up before each show. We also have “rehearsals” the week of the show.

“Rehearsals” I hear you say? Well, its not a rehearsal as such but an improv fresher. We’ve learnt that being funny has very little to do with successful improv. It takes good teamwork and going with what you are presented with on stage. It is in fact, a mindset. Improv goes against the grain of how we were reared to live our lives. Therefore in our rehearsal class, we spend the time carrying out improv exercises that have little to do with humour and everything to do with getting in the mindset. It makes a massive difference to our performance on the night of a show.

I never tire of improv. Every show brings something different and there is always a few moments of comedy gold in each show. The buzz of hearing the audience laugh and the odd heckle is fantastic.

As the show has become more successful, we now have the additional challenge of ensuring that people dont view No Drama Theatre as a improvisation theatre group. The rebranding and handling of our improv shows and workshops is being kept seperate to our theatre workshops and shows to ensure we keep ourselves focussed. But it has to be said, its alot of fun! Hopefully you will catch one of our shows too!

You can click to the site here: www.nodramatheatre.com

So I’m just recovering from our sellout run of Wanted – One Body! that we staged in the excellent Teacher’s Club on Parnell Square in Dublin. It was an awesome run. Four nights, no empty seats and an a great response from the audience!

So how did it feel to direct my first full play. It was hard work. Don’t get me wrong, its not as if none of the other people involved didnt have their work cut out for them, but I doubt they sweated as much as both myself and my co-director, Noel Murphy, did during all four performances. But it was worth it. It was sad to wrap up on the last day, a set that took 3 days to build came down in 3 hours. The friendships that were struck up, the bond between actors and crew and the banter during rehearsals and backstage, it will all be missed.

I just wanted to put my thanks to people in writing and mention everyone! Please bare with me! This thanks list is in no particular order.

Co Director
Noel Murphy

Cast
Patrick O’Callaghan
Shane Robinson
Caelinn Largey
Tracey Diamond
Sarah Moloney
Laura McGovern
Tom Murphy
Alan Rogers
Dave McGowan

Crew
Brian “Silvio” Quinn
Rose Geoghegan
Sheila Dooley
Darragh Beirne
Cat O’Sullivan
Maria “Ladyhammer” Dillon
Louise Hall
Barry O’Donovan
Lisa McSharry
Louise Hall
Paul Bonner
Dearbhla Lawler
Damien Holmes
Jonathan Hughes
Kate Feeney
Vonnie Duran
Rachel Byrne
Ruairi De Burca
Angela Carlin
Grainne O’Sullivan

Everyone else:
Teacher’s Club – Tadhg, Dave and Stephen
Dav and Darragh from boards.ie
The Live Drive Team on Dublin City FM
James Power of Stagemad Theatre
Margaret Curran
Jason Gill of Athlone Little Theatre
Gavin Byrne
Members of No Drama Theatre who have supported us all along!

A big thanks also to those who came along to see us!

You can get your fix of No Drama merchanise by visiting:

As some of you remember, No Drama Theatre staged our first ‘major’ production back in May. It comprised of two One Acts, Tales From The Fairground, and the main event, Night At The Invasion. The latter of course being the piece where I played the character, Col. Hazelby. Our esteemed director of Invasion, Barry O’Donovan, had his work cut out for him. Given he had written the play, it put him under increased pressure as it was his work being staged afterall.

We had a cast member pull out half way through production, many re-writes and an enormous amount of rehearsal time (5 months), which was due to the lack of funds available to us in the early days to put us in a position to put the play on. While the end result was something to be proud of, no one will deny the struggle we had putting the whole thing together. Directing seemed like a role best left for the foolish.

I’m some fool it seems. No Drama is staging Charles Dyer’s excellent farcical murder mystery chiller, Wanted – One Body! in January and muggins here is directing. Why I’m directing instead of acting is a long story (I did set up the group because I wanted to direct) but when I took the reigns I decided that a major battle plan was needed. Afterall the play is 2 hours long. It seems we are doing another “first major” production and stage time is less than 8 weeks away…

Fortunately the passion and committment of the No Drama members has been fantastic. I have a co-director in Noel Murphy. And I have a Stage Manager and Production Manager in Darragh Beirne and Cat O’Sullivan. Most amateur drama groups struggle organising a backstage and production team. Working with Darragh and Cat we have a team of almost 12 people. Friends in the theatre world have commented on how lucky we are to have such a large committed team. It seems its something that only the professional world has the privilege of having. And I must add, that no one is getting any form of payment to be involved in the production.

I’m very impressed by my cast of 9 people. Some of them have never graced a stage before. All of them have shown massive dedication. Everyone learnt their lines for Act 1, as requested, before the first rehearsal. In the next few days, we are starting to do full run throughs of the play. It is being staged in The Teachers Club on Parnell Square from January 20th to 23rd.

My stress levels are 90. Yes, I admit it. Despite how organised things are, it impossible not to be anxious. During some rehearsals, it has taken us 30 minutes to get a snippet of a scene of 1 minute nailed. There is so much going on in the play be it dialogue, visual or General Comedy Business (as we have kindly christianed it!)

But despite my blood pressure, I’m very excited and privileged to be doing this. I don’t see myself wanted to direct again for some time (I prefer to be performing!) but I know I benefit greatly from this experience.

Big thanks though goes to James Power of Stagemad Theatre and Jason Gill of Athlone Little Theatre. While they probably don’t realise it, they have been acting as my mentors on occasion over the past weeks. Without it, I’d be a raging alcoholic by now!

The above poster is a draft and not the final product. Wanted – One Body! was written by Charles Dyer. This amateur production is performed by arrangement with Josef Weinberg Ltd