Conor Kelly talks Scene & Heard, the benefit of being a jack of all trades, and his brief stint as Romeo Montague…
Hey Conor, thanks for chatting with us! What encouraged you to join DYT all those years ago?
I was recommended to join by a family friend cause they said it was a perfect blend of theatre and social bits and by God were they right!
Do you have any advice to current members who are hoping to pursue a career in theatre?
Find your niche, and how you do that is try everything. And by trying everything you become capable in a lot of things, not amazing but it means you can begin understand how so much of theatre works. It’s about perspectives and collaboration, so seeing how a show works from as many possible angles makes you a better theatre maker. Then as you repeat this you’ll find what you like… and what you don’t! Gradually, like a river finding its way you carve a bespoke path for yourself where you have two or three areas of theatre you are good and comfortable in. And they can contrast! I run the tech in Project but also have a masters in Playwriting, they seem different but one scratches the creative side and the other facilitates it, if you can find a balance you’ll go far. But also go easy on yourself.
Do you have a favourite memory from your time as a DYTer?
MOAFS! getting to work with other DYTers to make a brand spanking new show! It also served as a redemption as I had subjected people to my Romeo in an Aer Lingus Green overcoat months prior… (Luka can we actually cut that? Some things are best left forgotten in the DYT archives…)
Can you describe ‘I had a dream I shot you in the head but the calibre wasn’t very big’ in 16 words?
Open Relationships! I love you, but could kill you! Intimate. Sexy. Tender. Sudocreme. Gambling. Bleedin’ Gorgeous.
What type of work inspires you?
Life really, I have a little red notebook full of murmurs I hear or concepts that tickle my fancy. Then whatever I did last, inspires me to either compliment of contrast the next work. Before, ‘I had a dream…’ I wrote a large family drama sprawling decades of memory which resulted in me making this tight muscular play.
I think atmosphere or place inspire the two different types of plays I write, either it has a distinct setting (family run chipper, a conservatory during a Fleadh Festival) or has a distinct mood in an abstract setting (charts a couple over 7 years, a dream like exploration of open relationships).
What is next for you?
Develop ‘I had a dream…’ into a 90 minute play. Work on some adaptations of Chekhov for an incredibly large piece. Write a play about water polo and the far right. Sleep lot of that. And develop some more work with incredibly talented people with Saltwater.
What is a bucket-list career goal for you?
Build a new theatre.
Your show opens tonight in Scene & Heard (Block 5!), what else in the programme are you looking forward to seeing?
There’s a great new writing group called One Giant Leap that helped me with my piece and is an immaculate place to nourish new writing. (Block 57) There’s a few readings of some great plays they’re doing.
Detention by Susan Lynch in Block 47 I can’t wait for! Susan’s writing is relevant, sharp on the pulse but also incredibly fun and original. I can’t wait to see more of her work.
Leonora by Gift Horse, (Block 8) they always make beautiful whimsical experimental shows and you never know what you’re in for.
Amsterdam by David Rawle in Block 13, he’s an incredibly talented human and can’t wait to see his writing with the cracking team he’s assembled
You can catch ‘I had a dream I shot you in the head… but the calibre wasn’t very big’ written and directed by Conor at the Scene & Heard Festival in Smock Alley on 13th & 14th February. Get your tickets now!
