As we are ending our two weeks in Ireland, I will post two blogs. This first one is of our time in Dublin, and the next blog will cover Galway and the acting showcase at The Gaiety School of Acting where the students have been studying. We arrived in Dublin on November 16th; we all met at the airport and took the 747 Air Link Bus to Eden Quay across from the Abbey Court Hostel where we are staying.
We had the first weekend to explore Dublin and finish the Global Issues paper if it was not done before we left London. On Monday, the 18th, we met at the Gaiety School at 9:00 am for a Meet and Greet after which the students went on a walking tour of Dublin. That afternoon they had a Welcome Workshop with Clare Maguire who is one of the acting tutors.
This past Tuesday the students experienced their first Panto! We studied Panto in Theatre in London class. Tuesday afternoon we went to an exhibit on the history of Panto. The Gaiety Theatre (not associated with The Gaiety School of Acting) is doing Aladdin.
The students really enjoyed the performance. As I mentioned above we went to an exhibit on Panto that was put on in one of the libraries. The woman below put the exhibit together.
On Wednesday during the first week of classes, we had a guided tour at the Museum of Literature. Very informative and well put together.
There was a special exhibit featuring Kate O'Brien.
There was a section on the Revolution for Independence and Censorship.
One of the first two copies of Joyce's Ulysses that were delivered to him on his birthday.
Notice the rough cut edged pages.
Henri Matisse did some drawings for Joyce.
This was hanging from the ceiling which I thought was really cool.
Joyce's works have been translated into many languages. This wall contains many of those.
Joyce's The Cat and the Devil translated into Greek.
Yeat's "Easter, 1916"
This past Monday after we returned from Galway, the students went to EPIC. A self-guided tour on Immigration.
Across the street from EPIC is a bronze installation of refugees. Very moving.
The bridge we crossed to get to the Panto exhibit
The Samuel Beckett Bridge. Shaped like an Irish harp. Strings and all...
This boat is stationary and is used for events. Dinners on board, etc.
A Beckett Escape Room? Nothing happens....
Christmas decorations in the Saint Stephen's Mall.
Grafton Street.
The second play we saw was A Christmas Carol at the Gate Theatre. The audience was on two sides of the stage. Some seating, where we sat, was on the actual stage. Very different production.
On of the first things we did when we arrived in Dublin was to go to the cafe a couple of doors down from the hostel that serves the best hot chocolate! These are Bailey's Hot Chocolates. I had a Guinness Hot Chocolate. They became addicting, and the students keep going back for more! Yummy!
Bailey's hot chocolate wasn't strong enough for Julia, Ahnika and Ryan so they went on a tour of the Jameson Distillery.
The first show student's saw was a condensed version of Hamlet in The Smock Alley Theatre, the oldest theatre in Dublin. This was a performance that the Gaiety School does for High School Students as part of the schools' curriculum.
Last week the students toured Kilmainham Gaol which has been featured in many movies including In the Name of the Father starring Daniel Day Lewis.
The Ha'Penny Bridge
THANKSGIVING IN THE HOSTEL....
Today I cooked Thanksgiving Dinner for all of us. I pretty much took over the kitchen in the hostel yesterday and today. Our guests were Patrick Sutton, Executive Director of the Gaiety School of Acting who not only is a great friend but has been to Saint Mary's where he directed Playboy of the Western World. Our other guest was Billy who returned to Dublin after travelling throughout Ireland for the past two weeks. We ran into him our first night in Galway. We had turkey, sausage stuffing (with pork sausage with apples, bread crumbs, chicken stock, apples, walnuts, apricots, onions, celery, sage, thyme, parsley, white raisins), corn, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, gravy, Honey glazed carrots, apple tart and rhubarb tart. A good time was had by all. The students took all the leftovers and brought them to the homeless around the temple bar area!!! Their idea! Nothing went to waste.
The one and only Mr. Patrick Sutton!!!
Even though she is blurry, Marlee has been eating in most blogs I have posted. So I had to include her eating again!!!!
Billy approved of the meal!!!
This week we attended a preview performance of Drama at Inish, a play written in the 1930's. Updated to the 60's. Very funny!
Yesterday, James Hickson gave us a backstage tour of the Abbey Theatre, Ireland's National Theatre. This is the Christmas tree in the Lobby. The original theatre was built in 1904 and burned down in the 50's. The current structure was built in the 60's. See picture above. Today James taught a seminar on Beckett to our students at the Gaiety.
This is one of two mirrors that hung in the original Abbey Theatre. It is a great example of Irish craftmanship. Fisherman who did metal work when they were not fishing in the off-season.
James pointing out another piece of art from Galway.
This plaque honors people who worked in the Abbey Theatre that were killed in the 1916 revolution.
We not only sat in the theatre but got to go on stage and see the set for Drama at Inish
A prop table
There is a scene when tea cups and plates get smashed. The Belick pottery factory gave the theatre a ton of unglazed china with imperfections. Because they are unglazed, they can break a lot easier.
The designer hung a painting of the playwright on the set.
Nick must be getting bored....
We were not able to go into the dressing rooms for privacy reasons but were able to go into the make-up room. The designer also makes his own wigs. Sometimes yak hair is used like the white hair on the styrofoam head.
Last night we saw Donal Courtney's one-man show, God Has No Country about Monsignor Hugh O'Flaherty war-time exploits. Excellent production. Learned a lot! Donal is the other acting tutor working with our students on their showcase.
A great park in Dublin is St. Stephen's Green. It contains a great statue of Oscar Wilde on a rock. See below!
Stay tuned for the next Blog which will feature Galway and tomorrow's showcase! I tell them to open their mouths for the picture, and they do!!!!
THAT'S ALL FOLKS!!!
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