Turning Mammy: Breda Sweeney directs latest show in Tallaght Theatre
THE talented members of Tallaght Theatre Group are delighted to present their latest production, ‘Turning Mammy’, a “wonderful comedy” with “sadness and disappointment” at its heart that has won the approval of audiences all over Ireland with its clever mix of madness and melancholy, reports Ryan Butler.
The play tells the story of Ambrose, a love-hungry Leitrim farmer, and his neighbours, sisters Martha and Mary.
Follow their twists and turns as they seek love and contentment in all the wrong places.
Ambrose, who is tied to a bedridden and domineering mother, seems to be enthralled by his strange English neighbour, Dorothy.
Martha, meanwhile, is obsessed with Ambrose, and her sister Mary is searching for her long-lost baby given up for adoption.
‘Turning Mammy’ has a rich vein of humour running throughout, redolent of the earthy humour of rural Leitrim thanks to the witty writing of Leitrim-based John McDwyer.
It will make you laugh and cry, and it is an evening of joyous theatre that should not be missed.
This week, we sat down with director Breda Sweeney to discuss her life in Tallaght and the production, which will be performed in the Tallaght Theatre from April 8–13; tickets are on sale now.
What was it like to live in Tallaght? How has that affected where you are now?
Tallaght will always be very close to my heart! I taught in Old Bawn Community School for 35 years.
Even now, in the Tallaght Theatre, I am working with students I would have taught during my time at that school, and I would have seen them involved in the school musicals.
It’s mad to think about! They are all such lovely people, and I am so blessed to get the chance to work with them again.
How did this production come about?
Well, I grew up in North Leitrim, in the same area as John McDwyer! Therefore, my parents were close with John’s parents.
While I did not know John personally, we still had that connection. I had wanted to put on a show set in Leitrim and kind of go back to my roots that way.
I had heard about John’s play and reached out to him and asked about the possibility of staging it in Tallaght, which, thankfully, he accepted.
I remember being very impressed with the script because it was set in that area but in more modern times.
This, coupled with the fact that the play had already proven to be very popular with young people around the country, sealed the deal for me!
Were there any particular highlights or challenges involved with this production?
I am used to directing bigger plays with bigger casts, but this story just features 3 characters, so that was a bit difficult for me.
Trying to balance humour with the more dramatic and heavy-hitting moments was also a pleasant challenge.
Overall, though, I would say it has been a really easy process, thanks to the help of so many wonderful people.
What is next for Tallaght Theatre Group?
We always have new projects in the pipeline but our next gig is in April! It’s a new kind of thing; ‘Happen/Chance’ is not rehearsed.
It features four actors on stage asking the audience for four or five different themes, and then they have to try to create and act out a story from those prompts.
It may also be the case that they have to start or end the performance with a particular line.
I went to see a performance of it before; it was very interesting because they have no idea what’s coming.
There’s no preparation or rehearsal involved. They’re thrown into the deep end right from the get-go!
The concept of improvised theatre is fascinating to me. That will be performed on April 20.
I understand that the proceeds from the opening night of this show will go to charity!
That’s right! The proceeds from the opening night (April 8) will be donated to the cancer unit at Tallaght University Hospital.
This came about because we are an independent theatre; we are not funded by the arts council.
Therefore, we would need to negotiate with outside organisations and let our performances serve as fundraisers to help these charities.
For example, for one of our shows, proceeds from our opening night were donated to Barnados, a charity for vulnerable children
Who would you like to thank for helping with this production?
I would like to extend my sincerest gratitude to the organisation of Tallaght Theatre for giving me the space to rehearse and perform this story, and to my wonderful cast, who have worked tirelessly, literally day and night, to make this as easy an experience as possible for me, my assistant director and former student Ken Golding, and everybody who helped bring this production from page to stage, from the lighting, to the SFX, to the set design, to the costume design, to the stage management.
