Media Reviews & Paper Clippings
Swimming on the tides of memory...
Reeling back the years...
During my time as an Actor I have played numerous theatre houses in Dublin and abroad, I toured France and Belgium performing as an Actor and Even self-devised a show at the Edinburg Fringe Festival, I directed a team of Actors to do an 8-month tour around France & Belgium for audiences of All ages with the Emerald Isle Theatre Company. It has been a roller coaster of a journey so far with many fond memories, and I am reminded by the late great Robin Williams's quote You're only given a little spark of madness. You mustn't lose it and in the end, Its the journey, not the end and I'm happy to share with you mine...
The Lir... The First 15
I was lucky to be chosen to be one of the first 15 Students of The Lir Academy the very first National Academy of Ireland in Association with RADA & Trinity College.
Here I worked with the most acclaimed theatre directors such as Louise Lowe, Conal Morrison, Annabelle Comyn, Hilary Wood and Wayne Jordan.I have worked in many different acting styles. I had the honour to meet the greatest actors of our generations such as John Hurt, Stanely Tucci, Saoirse Ronan, Ciaran Hinds, & Colin Farrell.
The Lir thought me to always believe there is a dragon behind the wardrobe no matter how old you get and to keep the imagination alive.
The Ginger Man....
Sebastian Balfe Dangerfield is a terrible man, a man whom no-one can trust and whom no one will employ - and he's running out of money and out of friends, too.. Thank my lucky stars this was not the case for me as I was only playing the lovable rogue and I had my dear friend Muirne Bloomer gave this wonderful opportunity for me to take part in another life-changing role. The Ginger man, This event was to mark at the National Library of Ireland (NLI) to celebrate the donation of the archive of Irish-American author JP Donleavy. Donleavy is best known for his novel The Ginger Man the manuscript incredibly had the writer Brendan Behan's edits. Donleavy is best known for his novel The Ginger Man. First published in 1955, it was banned in Ireland on the grounds of obscenity. It went on to be published in two dozen languages and has never been out of print, selling in the region of 50 million copies worldwide. The archive, donated to the NLI, is comprised of notebooks, manuscripts, play scripts, letters, theatrical posters and programmes, as well as first editions of the author's work. I was more than delighted to dye my hair red dust off the acting treads grab my favourite hip flask and perform to the wonderful audience in the Library with Muirne at the helm. It is to date one of my favourite acting moments.
Meet me in the Gardens
This was a beautiful production to be part of with Shiva Theatre productions it took place in the beautiful surrounds of the Botanic Gardens we played to full crowds. It was a series of four masterfully written plays by Sharon Mc Coy and superbly directed by Aoibhinn Marie Gilroy. I was blessed to play three parts in this stunning production In Ireland's most iconic and romantic landscape All the world is a stage and we played to packed crowds and received a lot of amazing reviews a theatrical experience that will echo through the timeline of history.
Isolation Series: The Stag
A film created in Covid Times...
A season of short films created by Joe O'Neil of Little Shadow Theatre Company during Lockdown all films were recorded through one zoom take
While the world is in lockdown, with the majority confined to the four walls around them, Joe thought he would make the best out of a bad situation and write something to keep cabin fever at bay he rallied some actors to be creative through the most difficult challenge to keep the creative spark alive through Covid times with the Isolation series the work shows unbelievable resilience against the odds and to keep art alive in Dublin Joe is a pioneer and an inspiration to work with I was delighted to take part in this project
I took part in the Third episode of the Isolation Series.
Cast: Rory Corcoran & Rory Dignam
Isolation: The Stag was recorded entirely in one shot on Zoom with no edits.
Joe is one of the most exciting writers and directors out there check out his work below in the button and subscribe to his youtube channel
Alight Cabaret.
This was one of the most magical moments of my acting career.
Directed by the wonderful Muirne Bloomer and reaching out to the community of ringsend and telling there unique stories through the magical bus tour, using dance spoken word and performance live show
Game of Thrones
My time on Game of Thrones was brief but so memorable They were the most professional group of Actors, Crew, and Directors from the whole team were the best, I worked with Alfie Allen and he was an absolute joy to be in the company of I learned so much from the GOT team. I also had the pleasure to be in the company of Kit Harrington, Emila Clarke, Jacob Anderson & Liam Cunningham. All I can say is it was quite possibly the best week of my life in Sunny Bilbao and the guys where like family. What the GOT team had was pure magic I look forward to the spin offs
Edinburgh Fringe.. End of the Line
This was a very special show for me as I found my voice as a writer as I wrote my own character and material and I opened up this play with a very personal monologue about how I was feeling about contemporary Dublin we created it together at The Gaiety School of Acting it was a self-devised theatre company course and we brought the show to the Edinburgh Fringe It was my turning point for me as an Actor and I learned a lot from all aspects of the creative process
The Scotsman Theater review:
End of the Line
By David Pollock
Published: 10/8/2011
"Trample on this Celtic tiger with steel toe-capped Dr Marten boots," is the invitation from the
an angry man in the Eire football strip, reflecting the timely air of kitchen-sink bitterness which
pervades this piece by Ireland's Gaiety Performance Theatre Company. Indeed, it starts off
with great promise as a motley crew of 12 characters line up diagonally across the stage, the
disparate voices of a Dublin dole queue.
Some stories, like that of the man above, are poignant; others are grim, like the man who
sells his partner to pay off a drug debt; the woman at the end who believes aliens are coming
to abduct her is wedged between amusing and disturbing. It's a patchy series of vignettes
overall but blessed with a few stand-out moments.
Review by Harriet Baker
The audience is seated before a queue of people across the stage, each person
shifting their feet, shuffling and muttering. It is a dole queue in present-day Ireland,
from which an individual steps forward and tells their story; a framing device for a set
of narratives. The stories that unwind recount failed business ventures, drug
addiction and redundancy from high-paid jobs. Everybody feels like a failure, justifies
their need and not their desire to be part of the queue, and asserts their power or
their hopes for the future. Nobody feels they ought to be there, yet, as Dodger
(played by Rory Dignam) addresses the audience at the beginning, ‘We’re all alike
here.’
The End of the Line is truly a fantastic piece of theatre. I was very impressed with the
standard of acting from All the cast members! they were able to hold the stage
and draw the audience in. It was a very eye-opening show which was relevant to
Ireland's economic circumstances and the actors were very successful in making
the audience empathise with the characters. this was a very intelligent
performance and the cast is to be commended for devising and writing it themselves...
Meeting on the Turret Stairs
This was one of the most magical moments of my acting career.
Directed by the wonderful Muirne Bloomer. This was to launch the Fredrick William burton, Exhibition in The National Gallery with Ireland's most iconic painting "Meeting on the Turret Stairs" we did performances all around Dublin and actually played in the National Gallery of Ireland to a packed house and did the performance in front of the actual painting a very truly unique experience.
Film & TV
This is a collection of some of my work through TV & Film.
Loachra
This was one of the most magical moments of my acting career.
Directed by the wonderful Muirne Bloomer & David Bolger of Cois Ceim. This was the halftime show created for the 1916 Centenary event in Croke Park Capturing all the magic and mystery of the history of Ireland. Loachra meaning Heroes of the Gaels, The entire operation was a phenomenal achievement it involved hours and hours of rehearsals and preparation it was truly a once-in-a-lifetime event. The LAOCHRA show was a celebration by the GAA to commemorate 1916, the Proclamation, the story of the Gaelic Games and the GAA’s Role in the embodiment of the vision and spirit of the Proclamation. Featuring a cast of hundreds of dancers and performers and thousands of volunteers, this spectacular live show aired to mass audiences on TG4 and the internet proving a huge hit with audiences of all ages across the world.
"Running with Dinosaurs"
Running with Dinosaurs written by one of the most inspiring imerging writers Dublin has to offer Nadine Flynn has the finger on the pulse of what makes us Irish and is directed by the incredible Lee Wilson. This project started as a humble read-through in the four walls of the Lir Academy while we were still students, Next Nadine took it to the Scene and Heard Festival in Smock Alley for a read-through performance to an audience, It was received so well and with a lot of grit and determination, The Team decided to put it on for a two week run in the New Theatre in Dublin to full houses every night. It received many positive reviews and it was a great production to be part of working alongside a great ensemble and amazing team of people. It was pure alchemy and a thrill from start to finish.
Running with Dinosaurs examines the transition of a boy to a man, as he tries to find his purpose outside the walls of an inner-city Dublin flat.
As narratives of family and crime collide, we see the colossal effects they have on one another, and we are forced to ask ourselves; are we merely a product of our environment?
Written phonetically, ‘Running With Dinosaurs’ is ingrained with a Dublin Dialect. The play offers us an honest portrayal of a working-class Dublin family, a voice which is often excluded from our cultural narrative, yet is extremely present in our society
Corn Exchange Commedia Workshop
This was a dream come true working with in my eyes one of Ireland's very best and truly unique directors Annie Ryan of the Corn Exchange. Annie works a very unique style of Commedia Dell Arte and instead non-traditional mask we play the stereotypes with bold contrasting make-up. It was the greatest challenge of my acting skills but I loved every moment at times I felt like a deer in headlights and I soared and then I fell flat out. the beauty of acting you learn most when you fail. It was a great learning curve and it was a pure joy working with the wonderful Annie Ryan
NINE - Dublin Fringe Directed by Hilary Woods
Nine was one of those rare moments you get a chance to perform in and create pure Art I played the character, King, it was almost dream-like and I think fondly back on this performance,
Winner of The Fringe Wild Card Best Performance 2017 and nominated for best-supporting Actor
“They refused to go away... by night, they’d rejoice in my
lack of sleep.
Padding up the stairs with dread .. There they’d
be, peering down through the bannisters from the
landing above...
poking holes in my day,
squabbling, bickering, sniggering, making a racket.
These voices were relentless
Searching for an escape, I’d go into the park...an open space,
get some fresh air into me, pour all this busy-ness out of my
head and into my boots.
Past the gatekeeper, the Arás, and the Zoo tracing the deer, I
swear they pricked up their antlers when I passed by.
Maybe
they could see my two pathetic little stubs growing from my
forehead.
Pretending to be an inadequate stag – little
movements
On I went.. hauling myself uphill, wading through the wasted
wishing and dreaming and longing ..to be anyone other than
who I was. And there they were.. in all their magnificence.
Black and cawing, swooping, soaring, gliding...... and calling,
Calling me to life”
Bull Alley Theatre Training
My very first venture into Acting came about when I was lost about what I wanted to do when I left school, I didn't want to fall down the same road many my other friends too, I felt there was more to life for me, I always felt routine is the killer and ones to keep challenging that and find more to what life is. That is why I took the plunge into acting to see what it is about and I haven't looked back since, Bull Alley took me in with open arms with little to no experience. I remember my audition piece was a carbon copy of Marlon Brando as Terry Molloy in On The Waterfront, If I look back on it now it probably was a train wreck of an audition and I remember it as clear as day Nevile Styles saw something special in me and gave me the opportunity to join the Bull Alley Theatre Company Bull Alley was truly a unique place, I gained so much stage experience and knowledge of lots of Acting styles. In 3rd year I performed on stage for a six-hour production of Angels in America Part1 & Part back to back. It was a master's class in acting and it's where I gained the most experience in my career. I look very fondly of my days in Bull Alley and met many wonderful friends a long the way
