Irish Theatre Magazine Director's Diary Una McKevitt on The Big Deal

Una McKevitt, a Dublin-based theatre practitioner, describes her documentary theatre craft and the background to her latest work, The Big Deal, which opens at Kilkenny Arts Festival this week:
On Thursday August 5th, actors Una Kavanagh and Shani Williams did a run through of our new show The Big Deal without a script for the first time. I'm a Project Catalyst at Project Arts Centre and we’re teching the show there this week in preparation for the Kilkenny Arts Festival. During the run through there was some stopping and starting but that was to be expected as the script was only finalised the day before.

Front Lines The Irish Times Sat July 30th 2011

True characters
Una McKevitt, theatre maker
Tell us about your new play . . . The Big Deal is about two women’s experiences of having been born into the wrong bodies and their struggles to rectify this situation throughout their lives.

Your plays draw on real-life experiences and real-life texts . . . I think everyone has the most extraordinary life - just getting up and going about your day and falling asleep. It’s the ordinary detail that I find most revealing.

565+ at Visual Centre of Contemporary Arts and The George Bernard Shaw Theatre Carlow July 16th 2011

Roisin McGarr, Artistic Director of The George Bernard Shaw Theatre in Carlow invited 565+ to Carlow July 16th and the evening turned out to a very memorable one for us with great attendance and a wonderful post show hosted by Local Councilor Walter Lacey. The marketing team at GBS, special thank to Miriam Roche, garnered great publicity for the event including a fantastic write up in The Irish Times by Syliva Thompson 'Love of Theatre Saved My Life'.

Victor and Gord/565+ Double Bill Mermaid Arts Centre Bray July 1st 2011

In July 2011 Nora Hickey M'Sichili the Artistic Director of Mermaid Arts Centre in Bray gave us the great opportunity to participate in the Synge Summer School by presenting 2 shows, 565+ and Victor and Gord at Mermaid. Hosted by Patrick Lonergan we participated in a post show discussion afterwards. Staff at the Mermaid were very welcoming and we had a great night. For the first time since our work in progress back in May 2010 Marie and I performed 565+ together. As well as Fintan Walsh and Patrick Lonergan the Theatre Scholars Jill Dolan and Stacy Wolf from Princeton University attended the performances. Jill has written about the evening in her blog 'The Feminist Spectator' and it is a great insight into both the evening and the two shows. Earlier that day the Summer School Students had read Victor and Gord, Ali and Michael (a previous incarnation of Victor and Gord) presented at Queer Notions Festival 2009 and published in Fintan Walsh's book 'Queer Notions'.

Victor and Gord at Kilkenny Arts Festival 2010

2010 was my first time in Kilkenny and I loved the city, loved the pubs, loved the festival. We were put up in great accomodation - Victor had her own suite - and we played 5 1pm shows at the back of Cleere's pub where they have a performance space including a stage. It was our first time on a raised stage and the playing space was smaller than we were used to but Ciaran O'Melia did a great job of re-jigging our design to suit the space. John and Brian behind the bar looked after us from the minute we arrived to the day we left and made a small fortune in orange cordials before the show.

We got a great crowd for our first show and after that we sold out completely, people stood at the sides, at the back, I had to climb up into the box to see the show. 1pm shows are great; the day and night are yours to do what you like with. The guys had about a 100 friends visit them from Dublin through the week and on the Wednesday we hosted a big bbq back in the house where Jay cooked up a storm. Kilkenny was good to us, the Festival was great to us. Can't wait to go back.

A word from our audiences about 565+

1.Unlike anything I’ve ever seen. I like that you speak in a hush as though confiding in us. I likethat you came out of the audience and at last return to us.
2. Marie is riveting – could not keep my eyes off her for a second. Very genuine.
3. For reasons I can’t explain Marie opening and closing the play in the audience was incredibly powerful. Her monologue was amazing; thank you so much.

Irish Theatre Magazine

Below is an extract from Thomas Conway's article 'The World on their own Terms' from the December 2010 issue of Irish Theatre Magazine.

Una McKevitt’s work is marked by a keen instinct for the fecundity of available text. And the more she goes in its pursuit, the more she discovers in text its sensuous values. Her work is shifting theatre instinctively along an axis from sense to sensuality. Text is not just the words spoken, but the music – cadence, pitch, tonal qualities – of that utterance. Not alone the music, but the movements, gestures, signatures of “non-professional” performers – as they are, for the most part, with her work – in space and time. Not alone signatures of her performers, but of audience members summoned to stand, so to speak, alongside them by virtue of their witness. McKevitt evidently loves to read people.

565+ Washington

A great thank you to the fantastic audiences we met during the UBDTF last October 2010 and to the festival for their support of the show.

In November 2010 we took an edited version of the 565+ to Solas Nua in Washington DC performing at Flashpoint Theatre. On our way to the theatre every evening we walked past The White House and during the day tried to do as much sight seeing as possible: DC is a tourist's dream! It was our first experience of going abroad with a show and I think it might be one of the best ways to experience a city. We were invited by Solas Nua and Project Brand New who are running the same initiative in Washington again this year (2011) bringing a total of 9 new pieces of Irish Theatre to DC in 12 months.

565+ OPENING NIGHT!

Opening Night tonight and we are a little nervous and VERY EXCITED! After two previews and many tweaks, changes, running order re-arranges, music edits, lighting changes, costume changes, paint touch ups and a few close shaves with a Garage Door...WE ARE READY TO GO!



565+ ways to change a show before it opens..BOOK NOW before you miss a chance to witness 565+ a survival story..told by the person who sat with her fear..and survived!





Book Now www.dublintheatrefestival.com

565+ Viral by the talented Al Early!

Check our our Viral!

565+ Viral by the very talented Al Early!

565 + Who's making it?

Marie and I went to Italy together in May to begin researching for the show. I had asked Marie to keep a record of the shows she had been to which she dictated to me as I can't read her hand writing. The week was a success, we sourced plenty of material discussing the shows Marie had been to and most of her sixty years on earth. We also had a good row (we had to, we're related) and got locked in a cemetary. Which was okay because Italian cemetries are stunningly beautiful, especially at night. We eventually escaped by scaling a wall.

Until about a month ago Marie and I spent most rehearsals alone building on our time in Italy. Now, to our great relief (did i mention we're related?), we have been joined by the rest of the 565+ crew.

Creative Producer Áine Beamish
For a long time I have wanted to work with Áine Beamish and finally I am! As Creative Producer Áine has thrown herself into all aspects of the show and provides invaluable artistic direction to the project. Our trust in Áine has had a significant impact on the process of developing this show. It couldn't happen without her.

Set & Lighting Design Ciarán O' Melia

We are lucky enough to be working with the very in demand Ciarán O'Melia who will be designing our set and lights. Ciarán and I went to college together and share an aesthetic for the stage which is bare but beautiful. At least that is what we are hoping to achieve with 565+. At the moment anyway. Anything can change!


Costume Design Kiki BeamishÁine's sister Kiki Beamish will be designing Marie's costume. Kiki is Head of Wardrobe in The Gate Theatre and has worked on every show there for the past 6 years. She is also working on the Beckett/Pinter/Mamet season as part of the UBDTF this year. Despite how busy she is Kiki has put a lot of her time and energy into the show already and we love having her in the room for her warmth, good humour and glamour!


Stage Management Duncan Molloy

When we found our stage manger Duncan Molloy everything fell into place for us in the rehearsal room. Duncan will share the stage with Marie, operating the show and so it is essential that they get on. And they do! Duncan provides wonderful support to us both and has great insight into the work, which is a big bonus.



Video Viral Alan Early
Out of motives of superstition and admiration I always have to work with Alan Early no matter what. Alan is a graphic designer/film maker and is creating a viral for the show which we will debut on the next blog post.




Photography Lucy Clarke
The images for 565+ come courtesy of Lucy Clarke who nailed exactly what we wanted with no bother, no fuss and lots of style. Thank you Lucy! For a peek at her delicious new website click here!

Sound Design Philip Stewart

One of Marie's favourite shows of all time had an extraordinary score and sound design by Philip Stewart. Philip recently joined us to provide the sound design for the 565+.



Frankly, we can't believe our luck.

Úna McKevitt


Tickets selling fast! To Book click HERE or call 01 677 8899
565+ is supported by Irish Theatre Trust and Project Arts Centre.