Mean city streets with a writer called Emmet
By Aura McMenamin
Critically acclaimed stage drama Dublin Oldschool, by Emmet Kirwan, is being filmed on the streets of Dublin this summer with a cast of talented Tallaght actors.
Coming off the back of his IFTA win for short film Heartbreak, the spoken word artist and actor Emmet joins two other immensely talented actors from Tallaght – Tymon native Seána Kerslake (A Date for Mad Mary/ Can’t Cope, Won’t Cope) and Glenview’s Stephen Jones (Love/Hate, 100 More Like These).
Dublin Oldschool will take the audience down the streets of Dublin and follow the chemically enhanced journey of Kirwan’s character Jason, an aimless DJ whose sole ambition is to play in nightclubs.
The 2014 play and upcoming film centres around Jason’s misadventures, including seeing his estranged brother Daniel, a homeless drug addict. Daniel is played by Ian Lloyd Anderson, who also originated the role onstage.
The film also stars Mark O’Halloran (Adam and Paul) and Sarah Greene (Penny Dreadful)
Kirwan has previously spoken about his real-life brother’s issues with drug addiction and a chance encounter with him in London, where he discovered his brother was sleeping rough. He subsequently brought him home to Dublin.
The Springfield native is teaming up with director Dave Tynan, who co-wrote the screenplay for Dublin Oldschool. Tynan also directed Heartbreak, which became a crux for Ireland’s gender equality and reproductive rights movement in 2016.
Dublin Oldschool has been filming in a number of locations around the city centre and Wicklow. The principal photography began earlier this month and Kirwan put out an open casting call for extras in the film’s pivotal rave scene.
Dublin Oldschool is being filmed on a modest €1m budget, courtesy of the Irish Film Board and Windmill Lane Studios and is expected to be released in 2018.
