Theatre company Fishamble is at the heart of new writing for theatre in Ireland and Silent, written and acted by Pat Kinevane, is a perfect example of some the groundbreaking work they are producing to national and international acclaim.
The play, which won the Olivier Award in 2016, is the third in a trilogy of one-man performances. It tells the story of homeless Tino McGoldrig’s search for peace and silence. Tino once had splendid things but has lost it all – including his mind. He now looks back at his past through the romantic world of Rudolph Valentino, after whom he is named – we discover that Tino learned about the actor from his long-dead father.
Pat Kinevane explains what inspired him to write the play in the first place: “Tino is homeless and isolated on the streets of Dublin and has nothing but his imagination to keep him sane,” he says. “When I first went to New York City in 2008 I was shocked by the amount of homeless and forsaken souls living on the pavement and in shop doorways. The same is now the norm in Ireland unfortunately.”
A mixture of dance and monologue, Silent is a highly physical play, full of touches of black humour, it bravely explores mental health issues. So does Pat believe it’s finally time to break the taboo of mental illness?
“It was time to break this taboo decades ago,” he asserts. “The conservative idea of respectability and social class have added to the taboo in an epidemic way.
“It is a pleasure to challenge the subject matter head on and the audiences all over the world have been wonderful and shared the journey of Tino with joy and shared pain,” he continues.
Director Jim Culleton enjoys working with Pat: “He is bursting with ideas and energy,” he smiles. “It doesn’t feel like his plays are one-man shows, in a way, as they are so full of characters, and humanity and ideas, so audiences really feel like they have been brought into a unique view of the world.”
Pat and Jim are both looking forward to coming back to Dundee: “I cannot wait. I am so excited,” Pat enthuses. “It will be my second time and I love the city and its location and people.”
Jim has happy memories of directing in the early days of the Dundee Rep Ensemble.
“It is a beautiful theatre with great audiences and a fantastic team that creates great productions,” he says.
And they both admit they’re looking forward to “loads of walks by the river and lots of wee drams!”
Pat hopes that Silent will leave the audience realising how lucky they are. “The play’s message is: There but for the grace of God go I,” he says.
www.dundeerep.co.uk and www.fishamble.com
