As Trinity Arts Festival drew to a close, the humble Players Theatre played host to the critically acclaimed Irish playwright and screenwriter Mark O’Rowe. Grace Morgan sat down with O’Rowe to discuss just where he finds that fervent passion to create and direct a myriad of works that have been the subject of undeniable critical praise and audience delight.
Under the intense spotlight of the otherwise blacked-out stage, O’Rowe sat opposite Morgan to provide an admirably transparent insight into his literary and theatrical background.
Growing up in Tallaght in the 1970s, O’Rowe explained that few career opportunities came his way that inspired much motivation within him. He found himself shifting from one dead-end job to another for the best part of a decade before he mustered up the courage to put pen to paper.
O’Rowe sat across from Morgan and mused over his early 20s and his vacillating employment status before being suddenly cut off by the ever-dreaded iPhone marimba. O’Rowe burst out laughing and sheepishly claimed ownership of the ringing phone. The call broke the ice in the dimly lit room and nudged O’Rowe on to offer a candid glimpse into his creative background. Comically, O’Rowe revealed that it was only from the illusion that plays were the easiest form of literature to produce that he was convinced to write them.
Almost 30 years later, O’Rowe finds himself decorated with awards and a source of inspiration for many budding artists. His unapologetically honest early responses created an air of palpable curiosity among the audience of aspiring playwrights and actors. O’Rowe, in many of his answers, came to venerate the many actors he has worked with. In advising aspiring playwrights, he warned them to value the actors for the shadow of authenticity they can cast over a play. As an experienced writer, O’Rowe elaborated, he has discarded the distrust of actors from which he suffered in the early stages of his career. Instead, he has come to appreciate their instinctive ability to identify with the character and bring them to life in a way that writing cannot. Needless to say, there were some ear-wide smiles and nodding heads of assent in the audience.
O’Rowe moved on to discuss his love for the purity of theatre. “The theatre is about the text and the actor”, he explained. “It’s about creating something as though it were happening for the first time right in front of the audience.” He became visibly excited as he discussed his earnest love for theatre, his mannerisms animated as he jerked his head to think of each response. Critical of modern mass entertainment, O’Rowe asserted that theatre provides vital challenges to the audience.
In a culture where it is all about “what will happen next” and about the flurry of images that bombard our screens every day, O’Rowe argued that theatre is about making the audience work, leaving questions unanswered. O’Rowe explained how he marvels at the fact that in theatre, the audience is involved in the creative process to produce a diverse set of interpretations of the play.
O’Rowe’s impassioned answers undoubtedly lend credence to the fervour of the love he has for his art. He was a fount of encouragement and motivation for all aspiring Irish playwrights, directors and actors.
