Interview: Unhome, The MAC

‘Unhome’ is billed as a psychological mystery and is the latest collaboration between The MAC and Tinderbox Theatre Company.  So, when we were recently given the opportunity to sit down with three of the lead actors – Miche Doherty, Seamus O’Hara and Helena Bereen – we decided to try and find out a bit more about its secrets.

What can you tell us about your characters?

Miche Doherty: I play several characters.  The play is really about two women, a grandmother and a granddaughter and Seamus and I between us play all the men.  So I am playing Kitty’s father and another character who has yet to be named.  I am playing voices and just lots of different characters.

Seamus O’Hara:  I play Fred, who is Kitty the lead character’s boyfriend.  He’s a fun character and I had a good time trying to bring the fun out of him.  He’s a bit relaxed and laid back and I took that as it came, although his fun eventually highlights the trauma, he foreshadows the danger.

Helena Bereen: I am playing Cait, she’s the grandmother of Kitty in the play.

Can you tell us a little bit more about the psychological mystery that the play has been billed as?

Miche Doherty: There is a puzzle in the play and to tell you the answer to that puzzle would be like saying to you let’s go see the Agatha Christie play where the policeman did it and you wouldn’t enjoy that.

What in the play appealed to you most?

Miche Doherty: Well what appealed to me most was the language.  Jimmy writes in the most wonderful language.  I did a play of his before called ‘The sign of the Whale’ which won the Stewart Parker award.  I just lapped it up as he writes such beautiful words that you get such pleasure from saying.  The parts that I am playing in this are just like that.  I get to say the most wonderful things.  It’s like champagne for breakfast.

Helena Bereen: I completely agree with Miche, I have some quite long monologues and the language in them is fantastic.  You really have to say every word that Jimmy has written.  You just can’t change it and still get the truth of it.  Jimmy has written it down as it should be said.  It’s great writing.

We’re in the MAC today, Do you find once you move from the rehearsal room to the actual set things take shape easier?

Helena Bereen: I think particularly with this play to get on the set two weeks before we open is fantastic.  There is a time lapse between the scenes and I think only on the set that we are able to capture that time lapse.

Is the play locally set?

Helena Bereen: I would say quite honestly it could be set anywhere in the world, any nationality, it’s a family situation.  It’s a grandmother living with her granddaughter.  There is a big difference in ages and these two women could be any nationality.  They could live anywhere.

One of the main themes of the play is dysfunctional families, is it hard getting the balance right when working with darker subject matter especially with a family context?

Seamus O’Hara:  You don’t necessarily need to balance it out but, it is nice to have a little balance and to know your place in the play and what you do to help tell the story overall, instead of just singularly working scene by scene, it’s nice to know how your character fits in with the rest of the play.

Miche Doherty: No-one has yet expressed any sort of discomfort when dealing with the sometimes difficult dynamics that are within this family, because I think we all know that love and patience goes together in a family dynamics.  We all know that we can be absolutely devoted to another family member and still absolutely infuriated by them and that happens in the play.

Would this play appeal to families?

Miche Doherty: I would say over 14 because it’s not child friendly but it’s a very interesting play that will appeal to older teenagers.  They will understand the motives, the themes and the language of the play.

Unhome is on at The Mac from 11th-22nd November.