The Keegan Crucible cast has completed its first week in Ireland! The time has flown by, and I can hardly believe we open in less than a day.
We left Dulles at 6pm on September 3rd for a 20 hour trip which took us to Atlanta, then to Dublin, and finally to Galway. There, after receiving room assignments from Mark, we settled into the Niland Apartments, which are located conveniently in the middle of the city centre. Sadly, we were one cast member short as Brad, our Cheever, was held back by a Delta boarding agent for passport issues. They had overbooked the flight, and it was clear to us that Delta was just looking for a reason to kick someone off, but we didn’t have much of a choice and had to continue on without him. Fortunately, he was able to get his passport redone quickly and rejoined us on Wednesday. But the cast graciously drank an extra Guinness (or two or three) for him every night until then.
Speaking of Guinness, they should really become a Keegan sponsor as our cast drums up quite a bit of business for them every evening after rehearsal. The tour veterans have graciously introduced us newbies to some great pubs in Galway. On Thursday, our wonderful co-producer Michael Diskin took us to Salthill for a delicious meal at The Gourmet Tart Company and then drinks and music at O’Connor’s, a pub fully stocked with decor that would give a props master resources for fifty shows! The centerpiece of our table was an old-fashioned sewing machine and pots and lanterns hung decoratively from the ceiling, while the wall was completely covered in old pictures and signs. It was definitely the coolest pub we’d been to so far, and complete with music, it made for a memorable evening.
Though we’ve been here a week, much of our time has been spent in the Town Hall Theatre, getting ready to open the show. The company has been kept busy with set building, costume fixes, prop hunting, and light hanging. As well, four new cast members provided an added challenge, as we blocked a new Mercy, Susanna, Betty, and Elizabeth Hubbard into the show. Luckily, our Galway girls are brilliantly quick studies, and I couldn’t be more excited to share scenes with them.
This upcoming week, we perform every evening, but our days will finally be free, so hopefully we will be able to get out and see a bit more of Galway. I know I have my eye on some daytrips to the Cliffs of Moher and Connemara, as well as more exploring of the beautiful city of Galway itself.
That’s about it for now, but as we open this evening, I’m sure the cast will have more stories to share very soon.
Cheers!
Sarah (Abigail)