That’s a lot of acting!
Two incredibly talented Cork women will be pushing their acting skills to the extreme over the coming days with one set to perform for 24 hours straight, while another takes on two different shows at the same time!
Both women’s shows are part of the Cork Midsummer Festival which runs from tomorrow, Friday, until 22 June.
Eileen Walsh, one of Ireland’s most celebrated and recognised actors, will star in ‘The Second Woman’, an internationally acclaimed feat of thrilling theatre and live cinema. Over 24 hours from 4pm this Saturday until 4pm the following day, 100 different men will star opposite Walsh as she repeatedly performs a scene between a man and a woman in a relationship that has lost its romance. They talk, they laugh, it’s awkward, it’s funny. None of the 100 men will have rehearsed with Walsh prior to the performance and most are non-actors.
Inspired by John Cassavetes’ film ‘Opening Night’, the show was created by an all-female team who capture and mix the action live from five simultaneously recording cameras.
Audiences can purchase tickets for the full 24 hours or join the show at scheduled entry times throughout the performance. They can stay for as long as they like until the performance ends.
‘The Second Woman’ will be performed at Cork Opera House from 4pm this Saturday until 4pm on Sunday. For tickets, visit corkmidsummer.com.
Meanwhile, Cork actor and playwright Irene Kelleher has been asked the question ‘Are you mad?’ countless times since announcing she would pe performing not one but two of her own shows at this year’s Cork Midsummer Festival.
Kelleher will perform her one-woman comedy ‘Footnote’ in the Cork Theatre Collective Studio at Triskel Arts Centre on 14, 16, and 17 June, (performing twice on 16 and 17 June). Meanwhile, opening on 13 June, she will be performing her chilling play ‘Stitch’ in J Nolan Stationary at 21 Shandon Street twice a day, every day of the festival.
‘Footnote’ is a love letter to bookshops, book lovers, and anyone who’s ever had to smile through a ridiculous customer request. Following Noreen Gilhooly who is desperately trying to make ends meet in a 100 year old bookshop, the play is a riotous exploration of ambition, identity, and the fine art of alphabetising the children’s section.
Switching tone drastically, ‘Stitch’ sees Kelleher embark on a “not for the faint of heart” exploration of the monster and maker in all of us. Set on Shandon Street in 1989 audiences are dragged deep into a world where the past lingers and the walls whisper.