Episode 1 The Arts Show


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covering the best arts and culture in Northern Ireland. As usual, we

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have a packed show for you. This is what is coming up: Richard Dormer is

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best-known for playing Terri Hooley in Good Vibrations and Alex Higgins

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in Hurricane. Drum Belly is running at Abbey Theatre to rave reviews. I

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met him for a chat. The Billy Plays remain one of the most powerful

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drama series set and filmed during the Troubles. The story is revisited

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for a fifth instalment, Love, Billy, which premieres next week. The Arts

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Show went behind-the-scenes. Celebrating ten years of the

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Festival of Fools, which returns to Belfast next week, we have a

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performance with a difference. Now, if you have been to the new

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Lyric Theatre you can't have escaped the large-scale portraits of some of

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our leading cultural figures, including Brian Friel, Adrian

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Dunbar, Ciaran Hinds and Basil Blackshaw. They are the work of

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Colin Davidson, who has just completed his latest piece, Seamus

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Heaney. Colin allowed The Arts Show cameras into his Crawfordsburn

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studio to capture a personal process.

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We have no prayerries to slice -- prairies to slice a big sun in the

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evening... There is an awareness of the greatness of the man. His road

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into the cyclops eye... That is the scary bit. Do I want the

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responsibility? Our unfenced country is bog, that keeps crusting between

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the sights of the sun. The whole process at the drawing stage is very

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much about the process of recording and if you are fortunate in the

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final painting, or in some of the drawings, this extra spark comes

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through. It surprises me. It is not something that I'm in control of. I

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spent a few hours with Seamus and made probably about 15 reasonable

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drawings. They have taken the skeleton of the great Irish elk...

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The moment between the words are often the most interesting to look

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at. When ever somebody is talking to you, they are in the here and now.

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When ever they are thinking about what to say, they are in the past,

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they are in the future. Those are the moments that I'm looking forward

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to paint. Butter sunk under more than a hundred years was recovered

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lls the discipline of making drawings in the studio before the

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painting, it builds the familiarity with the subject. It helps form in

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my mind the moment I'm looking for and I often combine quite a number

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of drawings and look at the likeness from that point of view. It is not a

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case of coming into the studio and starting the painting. Painting, I

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think, is probably the most natural thing I could think of doing. But on

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the other hand, it's the most challenging thing I can possibly

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think of doing as well. This series that I'm on now - and I have been

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working on for three years - was never started as a potential theme.

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I had asked if he would sit for me. There is something about his look

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that made me just want to paint him. I won a few awards with it and,

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suddenly, I was getting more attention for that one painting than

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anything I had done before. There's about 28, 30 paintings that I have

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completed. The ground itself is kind, black butter, melting and

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opening under foot... I didn't learn this from anywhere. I just do it.

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With making a painting of a head this size, it is not a classical

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portrait, as such. Carving into the wet paint here. These will leave

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marks of their own. You become very aware of the face as a kind of a

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landscape, where there's maybe bits of rock sticking out and there's a

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topographical aspect to it. In some ways, you are carving the thing out.

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You are teasing it out from the background. With Seamus Heaney, in

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particular, his work is part of the landscape. There's a winland colour

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to the background and he is emerging through it, as much of his work

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does. They will never dig gold here, only the waterlogged trunks of great

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firs... I'm bringing absolutely everything I have learnt to them.

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The thicker, more sculptural paint that I used in the Belfast paintings

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ten years back, then there's the excuse to use the thinner, more

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blended paint of the window reflections paintings in the eyes

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and in the background. Employ the blending techniques that I love as

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well. And to bring them altogether in one painting. I think I have

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happened upon a subject particularly of this scale that allows me to do

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that. Yeah, I just spend so much more time. There's tension in the

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painting. There's a lot of the means of identifying with a person. I love

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the means of recognising a person and communicating with them. You get

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to know the person through their eyes. I suppose it's all of those

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things that make me just want to spend most time on that. I think the

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whole way through this painting, there is always something of the man

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that has come through it. Our pioneers keep striking inwards and

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downwards. Every layer they strip seems camped down before. The bog

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holes might be Atlantic seepage. The wet centre is butterness. I am

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constantly on this quest to learn something new from each new painting

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that I do. I need to have one of those little lessons learnt, one of

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those little surprises to bring on to the next piece. I just love the

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excuse to absorb as much as I can that the painting just gives me

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that. I might be able to improve on this, but, equally, in the quest to

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improve it, I might ruin the entire thing. So it is when ever that

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balance just tips and you go, quted right, now is the time to leave the

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thing alone." What an amazing piece. I can't wait to see it up close.

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Now, local actor and writer Richard Dormer honed his craft over the past

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20 years, mainly in the theatre, becoming best-known for playing Alex

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Higgins in Hurricane. His latest authored play, Drum Belly is running

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to public and critical acclaim in the Abbey Theatre in Dublin. He is

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becoming known to a wider audience with roles in game of thrones and as

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Terri Hooley in the movie Good Vibrations. The scene of Terri's

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epiphany, we filmed that in here. That was a kicking night. It was

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just exhausting. Getting into the part of Terri as well was

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exhausting, too? Yes. I run a record shop. Big time! I want that in my

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show. As soon as I put the lens in, the fake eye, I couldn't see out of

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the eye. What I start to do was lead with my shoulder and then I

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realised, "That's what Terri does!" I think, ultimately, it's just

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that... You have got it!Mad intensity. You are already

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channelling him again. It is that kind of, that energy, you know. It

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is not like theatre. You have to get it at that moment. If you don't get

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it, for the rest of your life you will be kicking yourself. There was

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also big pressure on you, other names were being mentioned. Did that

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put you under pressure? When I got the call, you have got the part,

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thought, "I cannot deserve it." I have been doing this 20 years. I

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knew I could do it. It is not a label. It's a way of life! Richard

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grew up in Lisburn and began acting at school? My old school teacher had

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a drama class and my friends had said, "Come along." They were doing

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it. I said, "Maybe, it is not really for me." I started walking home and

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it started to pour with torrential rain. I thought, "It is closer to

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school than it is home so I'll go along to this thing." The play that

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they were planning to do was - I was cast as Jack Clitheroe. People were

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looking at me. I don't feel nervous. They are listening to me. I think I

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could do this, you know. Within a year, I had got into RADA. It

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happened really fast. After graduating, Richard began to carve

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out a name for himself in stage acting, but he claimed his place in

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the upper ranks of the theatre world by writing a one man show for

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himself about a Northern Ireland legend. I'm a self-made man. I rose

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from the back-streets of Belfast and made my mark in the world and I did

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it on my own. I'm a two-times World Champion. I'm at the top of my game,

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looking down. How did that come about? Well, I saw a photograph of

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Alex at the grave of Oliver Reed. I thought, "I would love to write a

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film about this guy and I would love to play him." Then I met him in

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Dublin when I was waiting in the bar. It was just fate, you know. I

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bought him a pint. And we started talking and... What did he say? Did

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you go, "Hello, my name is Richard Dormer." ? I said, "I'm an actor and

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I would like to write about you." He said, "I don't recognise you." I

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said, "I do mainly theatre." He said, "I don't go to the theatre."

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For those of you who think I'm washed up and washed out, well I

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have got news for you, the Hurricane hasn't blown itself out. What did

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Alex make of your portrayal of him? He really liked it. He was

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flattered. He came to see you a lot? Yeah, yeah. We became friends. He

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would jump up there and take a bow. He was re-living the glory days.

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That is an incredible journey for both of you, to have gone on. Did he

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teach you anything? What he taught me was fearlessness because to do a

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one man show for 70 minutes with that level of energy and emotion, it

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takes balls, you know. I wrote the character but it was his life, his

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life force. That propelled me. I met Peter Hall through it. That got me

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one of the things I'm most proud of, playing Lucky. It is one of the true

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masterpieces of 20th Century theatre and Sir Peter Hall's production

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marked 50 years since the play was first performed in London. The

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character Lucky has two lines, one of the lines is 700 words long. Can

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you remember any of them? I can. It is weird. I do it about once a

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month, I could be walking through a park and I go, "Given the

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existence..." And you go... Yes! Because it's a muscle memory. It

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took three months, at least three months to learn. It's got no

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punctuation. You are a very physical performer, I have seen you on stage

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where the sweat is lashing off you and you are swinging from the

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rafters. Do you enjoy this aspect of your work? There is a calm comes

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over you in the midst of it all. You are in the eye of the storm. During

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that Lucky speech, I was literally - I wasn't acting, I was like, "Thank

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God, I can fall on the floor." You really push yourself as an actor -

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well, I do. Almost to the point of extinction! If you are not giving

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everything you have got, then why are you doing it? Richard had become

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an acclaimed actor on stage. Now, he wanted to be on-screen. As long as

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you understand, because actions have consequences. That is the just the

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law of nature. When I turned 40, I thought I had better get a move on

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here. I stopped doing theatre. It all started to happen. I think

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Hidden was the beginning of it. you watch other actors of your age

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getting the big roles? I did. It was getting to me. I was thinking people

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were looking at me and were going, "God love him, he never made it."

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Now, Game of Thrones is taking Richard to a worldwide audience.

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big fight is epic. It is a flaming sword, it is incredible. I can't

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wait for people to see it. Despite his success in film and television,

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theatre will surely always call Richard back. His latest play Drum

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Belly is on the Main Stage at the Abbey in Dublin, the story of the

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Irish Mafia in New York marks a major step forward. I'm actually was

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sitting in rehearsals listening to it and going, "Did I write this?" I

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don't know where it came from. That is a great thing. It means it is

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coming from my sub conscious. Finally, I have found my voice.

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has been a pleasure, thank you so much for your time. Thank you.

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Playwright Graham Reid wrote the Billy Plays in the early 1980s. It

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saw Kenneth Branagh in the role that launched his career. Reid has now

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written a fifth unstallment, this time for the stage. Love, Billy

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premieres on Wednesday with Joe McGann replacing Branagh in the lead

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road. The Arts Show was invited to rehearse ales. We are going to read

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Billy. Has he gone again? He is here! I'm hoping beyond hope that

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the audience will not try and look at this play and start comparing the

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characters that they see with those that they remember in the

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television. That would be wrong. People change. Or especially over 25

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years, you know. Billy Martin? I have heard of you. Everybody around

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here has heard of you. You are a hard man. You and your dad. My dad

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says he was the hardest man in Belfast. Norman has had a stroke. It

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was his 73 Rd birthday. Because the girls fear he may never reach 74,

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they want to have a last family get together. Worrying about you.

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back is a big thing for Billy. He is fearful of the reception he will

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receive because he knows he's neglected the family. Billy has been

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in the house, hasn't seen Billy for 25 years. Nobody knows what is going

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to happen. Take it from your line, Joe. Dad, it's good to see you.

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You have lived amongst the English for too long! Have you been living

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somewhere they -- where they don't speak bloody English? Maureen and

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Lorna, Billy, Norman, Mavis, they are all in my head, the people who

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were there 25 years ago. Tell them to listen to me. I'm trying to talk

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to him! You are 16 years too late. Let him speak! Billy, the kids have

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had enough for one night! That was one of my worries. I went over twice

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to Belfast and we did a lot of auditions, we auditioned a lot of

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people. What pleased me greatly - I'm out of touch with the local

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scene in Northern Ireland - is there is a wealth of talent there. We were

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spoilt for choice. We could have cast some of these parts three or

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four times. Do you think I've nothing better to do than sit around

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all bloody day and wait for him? Calm down, dad! Any actor who read

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the play, who had never seen it, you would want to do it. It is an

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actor's play. Sorry, everybody, for today, for being late. In the world

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that I know of, these are the first position characters for me. I'm not

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thinking about playing, "You would have been Brian." This is the cast

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one as far as I'm concerned. Calm down, dad! Calm down?Give him a

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chance. I'm Tracey. I'm playing Ann. You are not and that's final.

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well, the way Graham has written the character, it is the way I would

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have envisaged her life would have turned out, you know. You listening

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to what I'm saying to you? Nobody saw me. The character is still the

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same type of person, maybe a bit sadder and louder. But, you know,

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she's had a fair old life. When I play Martin, I hear Jimmy. Everybody

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is getting on me... I've done a lot of Graham Reid plays over the years

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and this is strong. I come down out of my sick bed to hear what you have

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to say. Now let me hear it. He is a tough act to get away from and to

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find your own identity and your own character within the play. But

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that's what I have to do. And I think we are starting to shape up,

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you know. Dad, will you do what Mavis says? We will talk tomorrow.

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You promise me? I think the play stands on its own. It is a story of

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deep, deep family emotions and drama. Say something. What is the

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point? You can choose your friends, but your family you are stuck with.

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I think it's an instructive piece in how to try and negotiate swamps of

:23:07.:23:12.

family life. Tell us why you left and why you have stayed away for so

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long? He does have a hand grenade which he pulls the pin on. I'm not

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going to tell you what it is. He lets something out. What a surprise!

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Billy has come back and he's got a few skeletons in the closet that

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creep out. I think this is the best, dialogue best, the best storyline.

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To hell with the other Billies. This is great. Love, Billy runs from 1s t

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to 25th May. I'm joined by Dr Mark Phelan from Queens University, who

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teaches drama. You are very welcome to the programme. Thank you.We have

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seen some examples of local theatre. It would appear that Northern Irish

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theatre is in very good health? is. The great story of the last

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couple of years is the enormous capital investment in buildings, in

:24:11.:24:19.

the new Lyric and the refurbished Crescent, and other venues in

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Belfast. You can have a great building but if nobody is coming to

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see the play, what is the point of putting it on? We don't seem to have

:24:29.:24:33.

the same dynamic, vibrant tradition of theatre going and support for the

:24:33.:24:38.

arts. A lot of it is to do with a suspicion or scepticism at what are

:24:38.:24:43.

the arts for. That is a spurious question. The arts are crucial to

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how we interrogate the past and how we imagine the future. Who is

:24:47.:24:53.

looking after young actors? Good question. I think young actors have

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enormous pressures placed upon them. To be an actor is an unglamorous,

:24:58.:25:03.

difficult, financially powerless and precarious job. The finest

:25:03.:25:07.

pound-for-pound actor of his generation, Richard Dormer, at last

:25:07.:25:11.

in a leading role on a film. It's been a long time in the making. How

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many actors fall through the cracks and never make it? Most of them.

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What about a rep theatre, that was employing actors on a regular basis

:25:22.:25:27.

and within that, they get training? They become a place of excellence

:25:27.:25:31.

and that excellence is recognised? think a rep is a wonderful idea in

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principle. In practice, it would be great for those in the rep. What

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about the other actors on the outside? What about the young actors

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coming through? It is fascinating watching Prime Cut and the Lyric and

:25:46.:25:53.

seeing many of our own graduates occupying the stages at these

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theatre companies. What is the endgame for it? Where would you like

:25:56.:26:01.

to see it going? For the future, the best thing to wish for would be the

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levels of public funding which have been invested into bricks and

:26:06.:26:10.

mortar, being invested into the most important constituent of the arts

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scene, our actors, writers and producers. They are the most

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important asset that we need to support. Otherwise, we will have

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these wonderful buildings but they will be empty. Thank you very much.

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That is almost it for tonight. The Arts Show will be back on 23 Rd May.

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Until then, you can keep up-to-date on BBC Radio Ulster's Arts Extra.

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And you can continue the conversation on our Twitter account

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straight after the show. We leave you with something a little

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