Mighty Moone... and the Coastguard Is Coming

I share the glory of a mighty night in Moone and look ahead to my show in Tramore.

Almost a week later and I'm still basking in the glow of Moone. I can't believe I was worried about the size of the room or the crowd – as is so often the case, my fears proved groundless.

When I arrived at the Croi Anu Centre in Moone with my rehearsal partner in crime Lynda Gough, its founder Mary Pat Moloney let us into a beautiful, light-filled room with a wooden floor, wooden ceilings and walls painted in a soft shade. A soothing, warm hug of a room.

Showtime at Moone

I became fierce excited and ran through my rehearsal, literally as well as figuratively. Lynda let me blow off steam, then calmly pointed out that I could simply walk from place to place, saying my words as I went.

As the clock ticked down to its final nerve-wracking minutes before showtime, I heard a sudden buzz of voices.

Mary Pat Moloney had spent weeks telling people about the show and all that effort had paid off. I walked into a room full of expectant, happy faces.

And what a crowd they were. They laughed from start to finish. There was even the odd kind heckle. Then at the end, I got another standing ovation! If this keeps up, I may no longer be able to fit my head through the door. It was a truly beautiful night in Moone.

Lessons from Moone

Still, there are always lessons to be learned. Lynda was concerned about whether the light spilling into the room would be a distraction.

For the first ten minutes of the show, the sun shone directly into my eyes. I was able to adapt, but next time, I'll be a bit bolder and ask fro the chairs to be rearranged.

Photo Description: This is the room I performed in at Moone. You can see rows of chairs on a wooden floor, a wooden ceiling and big windows that let in a lot of light.  

Also, you'll never know when audiences will laugh. The final two minutes of the play is intended to be more serious and reflected – but the audience laughed through most of it. They were still seeing humour in the words, and that's their right.

Because when you're doing a one-woman show, the minute the words leave your mouth they belong to the audience. You're writing the show with exactly that goa in mind, and it's a beautiful thing.

Time for Tramore Show

Now let's see what the Tramore audience makes of People Wipe Me. That's where the show is going next, to the beautiful Coastguard Cultural Centre on Saturday 27 August.

I'll have more about that show next week. In the meantime, if you want to book, here's the link.

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