A wild and heartfelt stage adapation of the The Quiet Man

A WILD, heartfelt new stage adaptation inspired by the story that sparked the film classic. ‘The Quiet Man’ is based on the original short story by Maurice Walsh, first published in 1933 in the Saturday Evening Post.

While the tale famously inspired the 1952 film starring John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara, this stage production goes back to the source.

It captures the grit, humour and emotional undercurrent of Walsh’s writing, rather than recreating the Hollywood version.

This riotous new Irish production is written and directed by John Breen and Mikel Murfi and stars Art Campion and Margaret McAuliffe.

This week, we sat down to interview Margaret McAuliffe about ‘The Quiet Man’, which has its world premiere at the Civic Theatre on September 27 and runs until October 12.

Check the Civic Theatre website for more details and booking information.

Hi Margaret! It’s lovely to meet you! Can you tell us a bit about what made you want to become an actress?

Ah, sure, the pleasure is all mine; I’m delighted to get the chance to talk about this wonderful show.

What made me want to become an actress? I think I always had the grá for the stage. though acting professionally came later.

My mother took me to Irish Dancing lessons when I was 5 and came to collect me an hour later, and I wouldn’t budge.

‘The big girls are on the STAGE!’ I just knew I wanted to get up there.

So, I did Irish Dancing, Tap Dancing, Modern Dancing, Hip Hop, Jazz, Musical Theatre, hell I even took Line Dancing classes in the summer of 1994 (‘Cotton Eyed Joe’ topped the charts) – but it was when I was cast in one of the principal parts of the Belvedere Opera (They called it an Opera and not a musical because…Belvedere College was posh) that I took the notion of acting seriously.

We opened the O’Reilly Theatre in 2000 with

Leonard Bernstein’s ‘Candide’, and I played the Old Lady. I walked onstage, became the role and lost myself entirely. It remains one of the most exhilarating experiences I’ve had onstage to date.

What inspired you to take on the role of Mary Kate Danagher? Were you already familiar with ‘The Quiet Man’?

Yes, I was familiar with ‘The Quiet Man’ – it’s an Irish TV Christmas classic, and having grown up with red hair, I had heard about its gorgeous leading lady, Maureen O’Hara, long before I saw the film!

Sharing the role of Mary Kate Danagher with such an Irish icon is a real honour.

Mary Kate was written in such a way as to hold what we would see as contemporary views of women in society; it was written in 1932, so she was way ahead of her time.

She sees a relationship as something that both parties need to nurture; she encourages communication above all else. She demands the respect of her husband and her family and so desperately wants to reject the more traditional and patriarchal aspects of marriage that seem to dominate in the small rural community she’s a part of.

I think she sees in Paddy Bán, an alternative way of living as a woman and a wife in Irish society, of being truly heard and respected, and that is the thing that she sees as most attractive in him.

Well, that and the fact that he’s wealthy and absolutely gorgeous, but ha ha no, mostly the fact that he is what we could call an early feminist.

How do you usually prepare for a performance like this? Are there any specific processes you go through?

I feel like I’ve been preparing to play Mary Kate for the past 15 years – since I left drama school, really.

I sort of think that every role I’ve had to date has informed my practice in such a way as to have me ready to audition for ‘The Quiet Man’.

It came at the right time for me. Of course I did all my usual things; I kept my voice strong, I looked after my body, so I went running/did Pilates etc., I took my supplements to ward off any sickness, I read the script over and over, interrogated the character, and read the short stories upon which this play is based, and I arrived on day one with enthusiasm, passion and an intense curiosity to see what such a fantastic company would create with such a kind and ferociously talented team at the helm.

I’m actually having the time of my creative life doing this show; it’s all been a dream so far.

Do you still get nervous or encounter any other challenges or struggles before performing, and if so, how do you cope with them?

The most nervous I’ve ever felt preshow was before I went onstage to perform my own writing. I wrote, produced and performed in my first full-length play – ‘The Humours of Bandon’ – for the Dublin Fringe Festival in 2016.

I think it made me so nervous because I reckoned if I acted in a play that the audience wasn’t feeling, I could hang my hat on the fact that I performed the part adequately, absolving me from any responsibility towards the audience actually liking the play.

But when you write the thing and you’re the only one standing there, delivering it, you feel a level of vulnerability that I was certainly not prepared for.

What if they hate it, would that mean that they hate me?!

So, what else could I do? I took a big deep breath, crossed the threshold between backstage and onstage and didn’t look back.

My director at the time, Stefanie Preissner, told me I’d never be the same actor again after doing a one-woman show, and she was right.

I feel bulletproof out there now.

What has been your favourite part of this production so far, and why?

There are so many aspects of this production that I’ve enjoyed; we’re laughing to the point of crying nearly every day.

It’s such a wild, raucous and live production.

But for me, getting to play with passionate, talented, generous and HILARIOUS people will always win out.

We’re working with people in their early 20s to late 60s, and every last one of them is a gem.

There are no egos in the room, and everyone is rowing in the same direction. It’s pure joy!

What is next for you after this? Have you got any other projects lined up for the rest of this year?

I got a bursary from the Arts Council to develop my playwriting, which was granted in August this year, so I’ve got that on hiatus until after this show finishes on October 12.

I’ve also got two TV projects I’m working on from a screenwriting perspective, so after this is over, it’ll be back to writing until the end of ’25.

Who would you like to thank for helping you with this production?

Aw, that’s a nice touch.

Well firstly I’d like to thank Mikel Murfi and John Breen for hatching this plan, writing and directing this play and guiding this exhilarating rehearsal period.

Kerry, our line producer; the cast for making me laugh every damn day, and Susannah, Sophie, Rosie, both Sinéads, Iina, Sabine, Eugenia, Eoin and Jack.

Who am I forgetting? Oh! My wonderful agents at Sovran Carey, Holly Carey and Iain Mullins.