The Shabby Theatre

I went to see a the Ryan Report show, The Darkest Corner in the Peacock Theatre the other day and I left with an encouraging feeling in my waters, that the Abbey company were starting to get their shit together. They are starting to remember why they were founded in the first place, starting to remember one of the main reasons why it exists, a theatre of the people, a theatre that discusses events involving Irish people and Irish society.

The Peacock is the smaller theatre attached the Abbey theatre. The Abbey would put on the bigger and more commercial productions when The Peacock has a smaller stage and smaller auditorium, put in place for more experimental productions, low budget, independent shows, sometimes involving dance or it is often used for live readings or children’s shows.

Leaving the theatre, even though the subject matter was deeply depressing, literally I reckon I couldn’t of seen a grimmer show if I tried, I left with a sense of optimism, that the Abbey was in good hands and that it was headed towards great things again, one of the most famous theatrical institutions in the world. A theatre that not only puts on shows about Irish society and people living in Ireland but plays from new Irish writers and directed by Irish directors that know what they are doing and that have a vision. The plays are acted by a troop of Irish actors and the productions are crewed and built by Irish hands. I don’t mean this in a kind of BNP fashion, if you are living in Ireland; you are Irish, in my opinion, no matter what country you were born in. But the theatre is about Ireland. ‘More of that’ I was singing to a few people involved in theatre over the next couple of days. Soon I found out a few things that were turning the sweet taste in mouth to sour though.

I can remember the Abbey Theatre being a central aspect in my life for as long as I can remember. My childhood memories consist of sitting, waiting in one of those cold, cream coloured dressing rooms playing with my dads fake moustaches, playing on the stairs in the foyer with other actor's kids while my folks and others actors had a drink after a show at the bar and being dragged kicking and screaming to opening night of plays like ‘A Woman of No Importance’, now, when your ten, you don’t give a fucking toss about Oscar Wilde. All I wanted to do was get home to play Streets of Rage 2 on the Mega Drive and finish it with that savage new black character who instead of just having his bare knuckles, he had a big fuck off chain to whip people with. Oscar Wilde, see you later.

My parents were members of the Abbey Theatre acting company for years, since they began acting in the early 70s, the company was a contracted troop of 25 actors and 25 actress' employed full-time at the theatre. They were the Abbey actors. They were in everything and they would open the books every couple of years to bring in younger actors. But as actors, of course, it had its upsides and its downside. The upside were that you had a full-time job as an actor, which to any actor now, is an absolute dream and also you got to put on top productions in one of the most famous theatres in the world. The down-side was that you showed allegiance to the Abbey, if you were needed in a show then that took priority, you did the show whether you were playing Hamlet or if you were some dude holding a spear at the back. You kind of had to ask permission to do something else, like in film or to work in other theatres.

But it wasn't just the acting department that was like this in the Abbey. The Abbey Theatre was a real theatrical institution, all aspects of the theatre were looked after in this fashion, everything was home grown. There was a contracted group of stage managers and stage crew that worked every show. The same group of carpenters had been making sets for the Abbey stage for 2 generations and it was the same with sound, lighting, wardrobe and props. A tight company. Everyone knew everyone.

I remember the first time, I worked in the Abbey. For years, I was John and Catharine’s young fella, half the time people called me Max, ye know, my brother’s name and I'm sure he got the same. I remember my first taste of the place though, it was when I did my transition year work experience in the sound department with the late Dave Nolan, me and Dave became mates on a tour of Dancing at Lughnasa that my Da brought me on and he said to give him a ring when we got back. He and Dave O'Brien kept me on after, as a kind of go-for for a few weeks and I got to see the whole workings of the sound and lighting department and the whole place, really, rehearsals and all, the whole process but what stood out to me was, the working relationships in the place, some of the slagging matches between Dave and Mick Doyle and the shit they used to talk about used to have me on the floor laughing. They were as tight as a drum and they would be shouting to people working down on the stage. Everyone knew each other and it worked, the work rate was so high and if it dropped, you fuckin knew about it, you got ripped out of it.

The second time, I was just out of college and I was crewing in the Gate and I was offered a position on the crew of Plough and the Stars in the Abbey by John Andrews, who was production manager at the time. The run was going for the duration of the summer so I jumped at it and, of course, to work in the Abbey would be exciting as motherfucker. My first day was the get out of the House of Bernarda Alba and the bringing in of the Plough set. Now, I have never in my life seen a set up like this, you had the carpenters, you had the crew and you had the lampies, all doing their own shit, like, 3 gangs slagging the shit out of each other throughout the day but you could tell they were all best mates and had worked with each other for years. I came from the Gate and Jim O'Connell always taught me,

'If you see something that needs to be done, Jacko, just do it.'

So I saw a screw gun, I picked it up and started to help unscrew the Bernarda Alba set. Everything stopped, all eyes were on me. 'Oh fuck!' I thought to myself, 'What did I do?' John Andrews runs over to me and grabs the screw gun off me. He turns to the carpenters, who don't know who I am, and are glaring at me, he shouts at them

'Ah, calm the fuck down, lads, it's his first day. Relax.'

The carpenters got back to work after Pete Rose, the head carpenter, says

‘Don’t worry; it’s just Johnny Olohan’s young fella.’

And Gerry Doyle strolls over to me and says,

'Don't be doing that again, Max, or there'll be fuckin murder on the red barn. If you have screw gun that means some cuntin carpenter hasn't. Right?'

'No worries! It won’t happen again' I say

'Don't worry; I have your back if they go near you. Watch out for your man with the ginger hair, he's fuckin dirty.'

I now, of course, know that the whole thing was a big fucking wined up and they were ripping it out of me, in a semi friendly manner but in a semi who the fuck is this little shit manner too. They were like this to each other all day, it was a tight working environment, these guys knew each other and the theatre they worked in so fucking well, it was unbelievable.

Sadly, since the early nineties the acting company was slowly dissolved, just through not renewing contracts. Now, I think, it is completely gone, in fact its been gone for quite a while and most recently, I heard that the other departments are currently under going liquidation aswell, that the new plan is to ship in the sets and wardrobe from Leeds, that it’s cheaper to get them made in England and then use casual labour to bring it in. I am really hoping that this isn’t true. I can’t believe that the Siptu union that all these guys had been talking about for so many years, that it wasn’t able to support and defend the technical department of the Abbey.

I also heard that there is talk about a move from the current location to the GPO. . . . . . .. . . .. . . . . . . What? . . . . . . . . . . . What a laugh? Is someone taking the piss? Please, is someone taking the piss? I don’t know about anyone else but, in my mind, The GPO is this iconic symbol of republican freedom, it is kind of like this centre point of the Irish taking there freedom from the British. What I love about the Abbey is, is it’s nationalism, it’s neutral nationalism; very different, its job was to discuss what was going on in the country. Look at all aspects of Irish society. To look at the argument in everything. If we bring the Abbey Theatre to the GPO it will dilute these two very different national symbols and make them one. To me it looks like some PR thing, it stinks of it. I can see some toffee nosed marketing bird that are amongst the Abbey administration thinking that this is a great idea, whilst they are nattering over tea and bickies on that top floor area.

‘You know what I reckon would be a savage idea?’

‘What’s that?’

‘Like, instead of, like, building a new theatre, why don’t just head to the old GPO.’

‘Oh my God, that is such a savage idea.’

‘They are both, like, massive symbols in Irish history, so . . . . . . Yeah, I think that’s what this place needs to bring it into the twenty first century.’

You lads want to make some cuts in the work force; I know where you can start. There are too many names in that administration list at the back of my program every time I go to a show, Actors 0, Stage Managers 2, Wardrobe 1, Props 1, Directors 3, Administration 20, well, it seemed that way the last time I bought a program, which are way too expensive, take a leaf out of the New York book and give me a free program every time I go to a show.

Please, stop loosing the run of yourselves, please, I don’t mind about the gay night in the Peacock, in fact, I can’t wait to see what happens there, I will be definitely checking that little venture out but, in terms, of running the theatre, remember that you are one of the most admired institutions in the world. There is a reason why you get such good funding every year. Don’t let the other departments in the Abbey share the same fate as the acting company. Getting sets made in England is a joke, surely you see that and if you find the time in all that, reinstate the acting company. Don’t give me fucking recession, the best work the Abbey ever did was in the midst of a recession.