Interview with Janet Moran – The Weir – Gaiety Theatre

Decadent Theatre Company & Verdant Productions in association with The Gaiety Theatre present

“THE WEIR” By Conor McPherson – The Gaiety Theatre from 20th February  – 4th March 2017

Photos by Darragh Kane

How did you become involved in this play. Was it a general audition?

I worked with the director, Andrew Flynn on a production of Translations about eight or nine years ago and I had been hoping to get a chance to work with him again. I love the play and had wanted to do it for a long time, so I was thrilled when he offered me the part.

The play has an impressive cast, how has it been working with them? 

It is a really great cast. The rehearsals were such a pleasure. Because my character spends a lot of time in the play listening to the other characters, it meant that for the first few weeks, I got to just sit and watch them work and listen to the stories. It was an enormous luxury to have so much time to think about how each story affected my character. I had worked with Garret Keogh onstage before and with Pa Ryan on TV and had enjoyed a great experience with both. And it was wonderful to work with Frankie Mc Cafferty and Gary Lydon for the first time, having admired their work for a long time.

There are a series of ghost stories told in this play. There are several moments where the atmosphere in the theatre changes dramatically. Are you aware of this on stage?

Yes, you’re aware of it onstage yourself, as it happens, because the writing is so very good and it really impacts on you every time. And from the point of view of the audience’s reaction, they can be very audible. Lots of gasps at certain points.

I have been told of one performance of this play, where an audience member had to leave, as she was so affected by one of the stories. Have you had anything similar?

I’m not aware of people having left the show but I have spoken to audience members afterwards who were very affected by it. Sometimes, because it has reflected their own experiences.

You must be looking forward to your run in the Gaiety theatre. Is it difficult to work with such a big space?

I’m really excited to work at the Gaiety. I’ve never played there before. When I was eighteen, I worked as an ASM on a production of Juno & The Paycock that played there and I remember how I was dying to get on the stage. I have really happy memories of working there. For us now, the play is so intimate and we really want the audience to feel that they are sitting in the bar with us, so that will be our challenge, I think, to keep the intimacy there. But it’s such a beautiful and comfortable theatre, I’m sure it’s going to be great. I can’t wait!