Just under a year since she was announced as the successor to Ian Grieve, Perth Theatre’s new creative director Rachel O’Riordan has begun rehearsals for the first play of the new season William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. Here she speaks about her vision to create an exciting new era for theatre in the Fair City.
It’s clear to see why Horsecross Arts which runs Perth’s theatre and concert hall was keen to have someone as energetic and visionary as Rachel on board. Born in Cork and with strong family ties to Northern Ireland, she has had an impressive rise as a director.
She comes straight from being artistic director of Ransom Productions in Belfast an independent theatre company she founded in 2003 with a series of critically-acclaimed productions under her belt, including work in London, Manchester and Bath.
Originally trained as a ballet dancer, Rachel found her way to a career as a theatre director by first becoming a choreographer. She says the stage had a profound influence on her at an early age, following an outing to see a Shakespeare play.
“My dad took me to see Macbeth in Leeds at the West Yorkshire Playhouse and I was really young and it was a special night. I can specifically remember seeing the guy who played the lead in the bar afterwards, out of costume, and I couldn’t believe it was the same person.
“It was the art of transformation and also the suspension of disbelief and how the audience willingly go on a journey with a cast no matter how outlandish it might be. It fascinated me, even at the age of seven.”
It didn’t take Rachel long to realise that choreography wasn’t the key to achieving her vision on stage. While she was still working, she studied for a PhD in Shakespeare at the University of Ulster, juxtaposing working with her body and her mind.
In 2003, her break came when she directed one-man show Hurricane written by and starring her Belfast-born husband Richard Dormer which charted the life and times of snooker legend Alex Higgins. The show was a hit at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and it propelled Rachel’s career to new levels.
“It was a massive success and it was really the first thing I had directed. It was a huge boost a real surprise. It was a very physical piece of theatre. It drew on my dance training. It was quite unusual for a one-man show to be presented that way, so we did really well and because of that we transferred down to London.”
It could be argued Rachel’s career began in Belfast and Scotland, a theme she’s continuing with her journey to Perth. Although she didn’t become a director via the conventional path of serving as an assistant, she understands how difficult it can be for up-and-coming directors to get into theatre. For this reason, Perth Theatre has started a project allowing new talent to be able to assist on this season’s productions.
“Something I really wanted to introduce was giving people opportunities,” Rachel explains. “It’s getting harder and harder to get a foot in the door and my heart really goes out to them. So, if there is anything we can do to give them a leg up, then I’m more than happy to do that.”
Another thing Rachel is bringing to Perth is partnerships with other theatre companies. Having come from a small, independent organisation where co-productions were common and very necessary, she has a wealth of experience in that department.
On September 6, a production of The Absence of Women which Rachel directed at the Lyric Theatre in Belfast before starting her new role will make a three-night stop-off in Perth en route to a run at the Tricycle Theatre in London. Then, in November, the National Theatre of Scotland will bring Men Should Weep for a run in Perth.
“I am over the moon NTS is coming in a significant part of our season which is the first time that has happened so that’s something I’m really proud of achieving so far,” Rachel says.
“We are opening up the audience’s options all the time and the season is so mixed and so strong. This is an audience that needs to be given high-quality exciting work and that’s what I’m here to do.”
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The Absence of Women should also allow theatre-goers to get a little taster of Rachel’s work before the season opens properly at the end of September.
“Directing The Absence of Women was interesting to me because it’s by Owen McCafferty, currently Belfast’s most high-profile and exciting playwright. His work is extraordinary, so it was brilliant to be working on a new play of his which really has its heart and soul in Belfast. It’s about immigrant workers, it’s about alcoholism and it sounds so bleak, but it’s actually very funny. I’m delighted that I was able to bring that here for three nights.”
Her ambitions for partnering other producing casts extend both inside and outside of Scotland.
“I’d love to make work with the Tron and the Citizens in Glasgow and the Lyceum in Edinburgh. We are already planning a major co-production for 2013 with the Lyric Theatre in Belfast.
“I’m about opening the door and saying ‘come and try stuff out here’. The more people that want to come and work with us, the happier I am. You have to be open and responsive to be a good artistic director of a building. I am an outward-looking person and I hope that’s something people will recognise in my work.”
She will direct Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, which opens on September 30, then Frank McGuinness’s powerful 1980s play Someone Who’ll Watch Over Me, which runs in February 2012, followed by Ron Hutchinson’s Moonlight and Magnolias based on the true story of the filming of Gone With the Wind.
Rachel promises Twelfth Night will be a big play with a big cast and big production. She has live music composed by Conor Mitchell, who is fresh from this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe. The set designer is London-based Catalan Diego Pitarch.
“Shakespeare hasn’t been done in the theatre for a really long time and I am so delighted about that one. I think it’s one of the best plays ever written. I’ve got an extraordinary cast, loads of Scottish actors some expats, some living here.
“Scotland has extraordinary talent and I would be mad not to use it. It’s always the right actor for the part, but at the same time we are a Scottish building and I do feel we have a responsibility to encourage Scottish artists and I am very committed to doing that.”
Rachel’s passion and enthusiasm is infectious and her vision for the future is clear. She has every reason to be excited about her first season at Perth, and theatre-goers should be, too.
“The message to our community and the arts community is to come in. I want people to know things are changing, but I don’t want them to feel pushed out. That’s not what I’m about and it shouldn’t be about that. I value the audience we have – I just want to add to it.”The Absence of Women runs at Perth Theatre from September 6-8 and Twelfth Night runs from September 30 to October 15. For further information visit www.horsecross.co.ukRachel O’Riordan is already on her third cup of coffee when I arrive for our morning meeting at Redrooms cafe in Perth Theatre. It’s obvious she’s a busy woman and why wouldn’t she be, with the opening production of her first season just a month away?
Despite her hectic schedule, she still has the time to chat about the changes that have been going on since she arrived to take up her post in January of this year. It’s vitally important to Rachel to let the community know Perth Theatre’s doors are open to everyone.
“The theatre is in transition, but it’s important to remember it has a brilliant history as well. I’m not just looking to the future, I am also honouring the tradition of theatre-making that has been at the heart of Perth for a very long time,” she says.
“What I am very interested in is reaffirming the position of Perth Theatre as part of Horsecross Arts at the absolute centre and heart of this community.
“We have a really committed audience. Before I came to interview for the job I was checking the figures and we have a strong audience particularly in a recession. They know their theatre. They are articulate, intelligent, educated people who don’t need to be told by me why a theatre is important within their own community because they’re voting with their feet.
“What we hope to do is amplify that and bring more people to see our work.”
Perth Theatre has been at the heart of the town’s social and artistic life for more than 110 years and Rachel’s arrival complements the £13 million project currently under way to invest in the Edwardian building’s future.
The redevelopment will see the B-listed auditorium restored with improvements to access, the addition of youth and community rooms, a new entrance and a new 225-seat performance space.
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