kilkenny Category

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May 9, 2012 • devious theatre, kilkenny

A Very Devious Birthday

Devious Theatre. On The Run For 6 Years.

It’s been 6 years since we sat outside the Marble City Tea Rooms on Kieran Street, Kilkenny of a sunny Sunday morning in May and decided that we were going to make a load of theatre that we weren’t seeing anywhere else.

This time last year we were rehearsing Smitten

And then we did it for 6 years. Last year hitting the big 5 was a milestone. Especially at a time when young theatre companies were finding it harder and harder to receive opportunities and funding. Luckily, we’ve had a lot of opportunities. Funding, not so much. I guess I’m just happy that we never got used to having it in the first place! It’s been an absolute pleasure to collaborate with so many great people on so much theatre. I’m proud of the work we’ve done in that time. Here’s what we’ve made since May 9th 2006!

We’re currently making our 14th and 15th productions, the Irish stage premiere of Night Of The Living Dead and Phantasm by John Kennedy. Both of them hit the stage this summer and as of today, I’ll be working in our offices in The Maltings on both of them. It’s a great pleasure to have our own permanent space to work in. It’s an even greater pleasure to still be making these plays with Devious Theatre.

We’ve got a production meeting at 11am. Better go. There will be cake.

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April 26, 2010 • film production, kilkenny, mycrofilms

Spring

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February 12, 2010 • can't pay? won't pay dario fo season, devious theatre, kilkenny, set theatre

Can Poster Will Poster

We’re just about 4 weeks off the opening night of Devious Theatre’s production of Dario Fo’s Can’t Pay? Won’t Pay! and business is really starting to pick up.

I’ve been working on the play for the last couple of months in terms of development and rewriting the script. Since January I’ve had the good fortune to be directing the show. It’s the second part of our Dario Fo Season and so far it’s the biggest project we’ve undertaken as Devious Theatre. It’s pretty much been a non stop Dario Fo fest since we launched the project back in August 2009.

This week we unveiled the final poster for the play, as designed by the wizard that is Paddy Dunne and it features the first reveal of the cast of Can’t Pay? Won’t Pay!

Here you see the shoplifting duo Antonia and Margherita (Angela Barrett and Hazel Fahy), their husbands Giovanni and Luigi (Ken McGuire and Ross Costigan) and the hapless Inspector (David Thompson)

I’ve just posted a new rehearsal blog over on www.DeviousTheatre.com. You can check it out here. Keep and eye on that there sight for all other info and bits and pieces on the production.

It runs 10th – 14th March in the Set Theatre, John Street, Kilkenny.

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January 12, 2010 • can't pay? won't pay, dario fo, devious theatre, drio fo season, john street, kilkenny, march 2010, set theatre

Can’t Pay? Won’t Pay!

Rocking into my first big theatrical project for 2010 and it’s the second part of Devious Theatre’s Dario Fo Season. This time it’s his 1974 comedy Can’t Pay? Won’t Pay!

A wild farce about shoplifting, unemployment and standing up for yourself against government forces, it’s my second crack of the whip at directing a Dario Fo play after Accidental Death Of An Anarchist back in December. I was delighted with how that play was received, the audiences were more than healthy and we got some really lovely notices. So I’m hoping this one can trump it.

We’ve assembled another fantastic cast and crew and I couldn’t be happier with them unless they could do the get in in 10 minutes or had their lines off tomorrow. This time out the cast will consist of Angela Barrett, Ross Costigan, Hazel Fahy, Ken McGuire and Paul Young. They’ve already sat in for our first cast reading and recording which were followed by the start of rehearsals this week.

I’ll be blogging the rehearsal process over on Devioustheatre.com so if you’re interested in the progression of the play, that’s where I’ll be documenting it. As will the rest of the team in what we hope will be a good sustained campaign of bloggination.

Can’t Pay? Won’t Pay! by Dario Fo will hit the Set Theatre, John Street, Kilkenny from 10th – 14th March 2010 at 8pm nightly. You can grab your tickets over on the website and the printed versions should be hitting Rollercoaster Records in the next week.

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November 13, 2009 • accidental death of an anarchist, dario fo, dario fo sason, devious theatre, kilkenny, set theatre

Accidental Death Of An Anarchist Revs Up

Time has flown like a motherfucker and I’ve barely had time to catch my breath and get together a few words about Devious Theatre’s upcoming Accidental Death Of An Anarchist. The first play in our upcoming Dario Fo Season.

It’s been a tremendously exciting process so far and I still haven’t got over the giddy excitement of the fact that I’m directing a Dario Fo play and generally getting to immerse myself in the world and work of the great man for 6 months. Well, 4 months now because once we close up shop on this one, I’ll be directing the next production in the Dario Fo Season, Can’t Pay? Won’t Pay!

Ahhhh, too much excitement, too little time to write coherently.

Anyway, I’ll be blogging about the show from this Monday on Devioustheatre.com so I’ll be able to give a bit more insight into how the production is running. So do keep an eye out for that. And it won’t be just me, all our cast and crew will be giving their own insights into the play and we’ll have a fine selection of bits and pieces to show off.

The show itself hits the Set Theatre, John Street Kilkenny from December 2nd – 6th.

All information on the production can be found over on Devioustheatre.com

These two wonderful Saul Bass tinted posters are again, the work of Mr. Paddy Dunne.

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October 5, 2009 • detectives, episode 7, irish sitcom, kilkenny, the long goodbye, v.p.i., vultures, webcom

The Long Goodbye

With a teary eye, the final episode of Vultures has just gone online.

‘The Long Goodbye’ is the concluding part of our comic detective serial and follows on from the events of ‘Attack Of The Pinkertons’

The episode is synopsised as thus:

‘With Isabelle Vultour captured and the Pinkertons establishing their firm grip on the town, the gentlemen detectives of V.P.I. must concoct a plan to get Isabelle back, stick it to the Pinkertons and for Vultour and McGrain… avoid a threesome with Natalie Blaise? But in order to do so they must rally the troops. And the actions of the bullying Pinkertons has ensure that there’s plenty of volunteers. This is it. The final battle. The detective apocalypse. Who will reign supreme? Who will prove to the best detective force in town? Or will it all descend into a terrible mess? This is the long goodbye, where the goodbyes are long and the farewells are hard.’

Thanks so much to all the cast and crew who worked on Vultures over the past 2 years, without you we wouldn’t have a low budget webcom!

Also, a big thanks to the people who have watched it and have supported the show since we first shot and screened that first episode in Christmas week back in December 2007. We’re glad to have reached the end of the road with it, it’s been a hell of a journey and this is a rather fitting goodbye. A long one.

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September 25, 2009 • enid blyton, episode 7, irish sitcom, kilkenny, the terrific three, vultures

Running, Laughing, Solving…

Here’s our Vultures flashback picture that was first glimpsed at the end of ‘Attack Of The Pinkertons‘.

It shows our happy, smiling, group of teen detectives before things went very wrong.

L-R: Isabelle Vultour, Jim Vultour, Natalie Blaise (with Marlowe), Dan McGrain.


You’ll see more from these Enid Blyton inspired scamps when the trailer for Vultures Episode 7 ‘The Long Goodbye’ goes online this Sunday, September 27th.

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September 22, 2009 • attack of the pinkertons, episode 6, episode 7, finale, irish sitcom, kilkenny, vultures

The Pinkertons Have Attacked!

The penultimate episode of Vultures ‘Attack Of The Pinkertons‘ has just gone online. And here it is!

This is the first of our two part finale that will conclude with ‘The Long Goodbye’ on October 4th.

We had the screening for cast and crew on Saturday night and it was lovely to bring the series to a close with everyone who worked on it. People who we are enternally indebted to. The sheer exhaustion of finishing has been helped by the nice feeling of accomplishment in completing the series and telling the story we wanted to tell. It was a tough, long haul and we learnt many lessons, and indeed probably would do it completely differently but it was worth it. Which is really all that counts.Align Center

If you believe in the Pinkertons then you’ve probably seen their campaign popping up around the place and their website has been spruced up too. Here’s some photos from the campaign as taken by Ross Costigan, who has provided fine acting, photography and directing throughout the project. Enjoy!

Oh, and keep an eye out for the Episode 7 teaser trailer which will go online this Sunda

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September 11, 2009 • attack of the pinkertons, detectives, finale, irish sitcom, kilkenny, mycrofilms, the long goobye, vultures

Vultures 6 & 7 Title Cards

We’ve just got our hands on the title cards for the upcoming Vultures finale. As is usually the case, Paddy Dunne has done another sterling job in representing the episodes in a fine display of design and fancy lettering.

Our idea for the Attack Of The Pinkertons title card was to go a little Manga on the look. And of course, pink. Which is quite befitting of the storyline in which the Pinkertons finally open shop and start their campaign to take over our little unnamed town. Our remit for this episode was to load up on the action and of course, we’re suckers for Manga so we thought it’d be a nice look for what’s shaping up to be our most violently cartoonish episode.

The title card for The Long Goodbye is a little more noirish and does a good job of evoking the sense that this is the final hooray for Vultures. We went a little 40’s noir on this as the episode itself has plenty of smoky bars, subterfuge, femme fatales and indeed, goodbyes.

Attack Of The Pinkertons goes online on Sunday September 20th.
The Long Goodbye will follow 2 weeks later when it brings all matters to an end on Sunday October 4th.

I’ll be posting a few bits and pieces here in the run up but as usuall, all things Vultures can be found over on www.VulturesPI.com

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August 24, 2009 • alan slattery mycrofilms, attack of the pinkertons, dragnet, episode 6, irish sitcom, kilkenny, pinkertons, pinkertons ireland, the long goodbye, vultures, webcom

The Pinkertons Are Coming…

We’ve just launched the trailer for the penultimate episode of Vultures ‘Attack Of The Pinkertons’.

We’ve kept up the idea of using the trailers to bridge the gaps (and there have been long, long gaps) between episodes. But this one is kinda short and sweet. Which after the last few talk heavy trailers is a nice change. Although the Dragnet thing is very overdone at this stage, it was something we really wanted to indulge ourselves with. So here it is!

‘Attack Of The Pinkertons’ is just abouts finished and we’re still beavering away on its sister episode ‘The Long Goodbye’ which will be taking a bow 2 weeks later on October 4th. And that’ll be us done. But instead of me going on about it, here’s the synopsis from the website:

“Entitled Attack Of The Pinkertons, the episode sees the newly unemployed gentlemen detectives of V.P.I. reacting badly to the Pinkertons opening for business. Unemployed and underground (well, in Tennyson’s house), Vultour and McGrain are intent on eluding the clutches of their old friend Natalie Blaise. Tennyson however is looking for a peaceable resolution, no doubt with a strong mug of scald and a chat involved. However, Natalie Blaise doesn’t seem to be open to dialogue. The Pinkertons are making their presence felt. And people are getting hurt. Can V.P.I. regroup and fight back? Will Natalie Blaise emerge from the shadows to explain herself in a long winded villainous fashion? Or is she merely just misunderstood? And what will Tennyson do to fill in the unemployed hours?

All these questions and more will be answered when the action packed denouement of the Vultures series goes online on the 20th of September.

All will be finally resolved two weeks later when our final instalment The Long Goodbye brings the series to a close on October 4th.”

This episode is probably the one we’re least complainy about. The first couple of episodes have suffered from all pratfalls associated with doing something as a part time project but with the last 3 episodes we’ve had a chance to refine it and get closer to what we want to achieve.

We’ll be ramping up the promo campaign for the two final Vultures episodes in the coming weeks. Ideally, we’d have Pinkertons attacking people on the street but we’re not too sure what the legalities of that just yet.

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