In 2019, three friends founded a young and exciting theatre company boasting deep ties to the one of the most renowned acting schools in Europe. Since then, Anseo Anois have been going from strength to strength whilst shrewdly vaulting that initial minor hurdle of the whole world shutting down.
Since 2022, the group have been putting together exceptional live performances, both original and of international notoriety, and are set to make an indelible mark on this year’s Dublin Fringe Festival with the hilarious ‘Let’s Try Swingin’, a play written by Leo Hanna concerned with the complexities of two modern couples exploring modern romance. Playwright, director and Co-Founder, Oonagh Wall, was kind enough to talk to us about the beginnings of the company.
Can you tell me about the beginnings of the Anseo Anois?
We came together in 2019, co-founded by Eanna Grogan and Amy Kidd, who are actors and theatre makers, with myself as producer and director. They were recent graduates from the Lir Academy, and we came together as friends, and we wanted to create work together. We started out and had a big year planned for 2020, and then of course COVID hit, so then we had to figure out a way of creating that went along with the restrictions.
We did a couple of virtual pieces, one for the online and another for the Main Theater in Los Angeles. That was a great way of creating at a time, but between the technical side, and creating with a whole new medium, with a camera, which we are not used to in theatre at all, that posed interesting challenges, as did creating together whilst being socially distant.
We found our way around with the show we did for the online Edinburgh Fringe. We had the characters in different parts of the room, with camera angles to make it seem as though they were on one couch. There was a lot of creativity involved in figuring out those issues, and we had a great time doing it, but we’re very happy to be back to live performances.
Can you tell me about the live performances Anseo Anois has produced thus far?
‘Vanishing Grace’ would have been the first production that we put on live. Emma Dargan-Reid came to us with this play, and as we got talking, it made sense for her to come into the fold as a core member.
We put on ‘Vanishing Grace’, this really lovely one woman Irish Dance piece. Emma’s parents are both Irish, but she was raised in Melbourne, where she competed internationally as an Irish dancer. So that play explored that background and the experience of being an Irish Dancer at that level.
After that we put on ‘Paler, Still’, which was a dystopian piece looking at urban spread, and where Ireland might be headed. Just where we’re going socio-politically, the geography of the country. As we head into the cost of living crisis the things we see coming into play, more and more, nowadays.
Following that, we put on ‘Wild’ by Jenna Kamal, and that was a part of the Brighton Fringe Festival. We then took a little bit of a break to plan, and the most recent show we did was , ‘Pride’ by Alexi Kaye Campbell, as part of Dublin Gay Theatre Festival.
That was a very special show for us, in terms of how ambitious it was. It’s set between two timelines, a period piece and the modern day, and it was an Irish premiere of the play.
Can you talk about that connection the company has with the renowned Lir Academy?
I didn’t attend the Lir myself, but everybody else in the company did, so that has been a great resource in a lot of ways. It’s a drama college, so as well as , they also have a stage management and technical theatre course, where they also train the technical. At the level of Masters you can also do directing, stage design, lighting design, so it’s been incredible.
But being alumni of the academy is not a requirement for participation?
We’re interested in working with everyone. When we first started out, the main people we were connected with were involved with the academy, but recently we’ve tried to branch out further. While the Lir’s level of training is incredible, we also want to work with people out there writing, directing, designing, all different aspects of theatre. So we’ve tried to branch out in more recent years, but having that connection with the Lir has been great because you’re able to meet up and coming directors, actors, stage designers, and every aspect of production. We also want to meet people who came up in different ways, who maybe learned on the job. There’s a lot of talent out there.
Is there anything you’ve seen recently that has struck a chord?
‘Seminary’ at The New Theatre was really brilliant. A very funny show, and a really interesting concept. It was about a young man who accidentally joined the priesthood, written and performed by Stewart Shields. It was a fascinating performance, with him playing different characters against a very simple but effective stage design. It was a really well done play that I really enjoyed. A lot of fun, which I think we need a little more of. Drama absolutely has its place, but times are quite tough at the minute, so the more comedy we can have on, the better.
And what does the future hold for Anseo Anois?
We’re hoping to have a bit of a focus on touring our existing work, bringing that to new audiences. We’re also working on a couple of different plays that have been written, and some international places as well, but it’s all dependent on funding, as always.
Can you tell us about your Dublin Fringe Festival work , “Let’s Try Swingin’?’
It’s being directed by Finbar Doyle, with a cast of four; Emma Dargan-Reid, Ben Waddell, Anne O’Riordan and Barry Simpson, and Iris Liange and Andrew Kerr as the design team. The writer, Leo Hanna brought this play to us about three years ago. I absolutely loved it the moment I read it, it’s just an out and out comedy, and a truly good time, which as I said, we could use a little more of.
Let’s Try Swingin‘ is at Lir Academy as part of Dublin Fringe Fest.
Words: Adhamh Ó Caoimh
Previews: 18 September
18:45, €12
Performances
19 – 21 September
18:45, €16/€14 conc.
Other Performance
21 September
15:30, €16/€14
