Q&A with Gary Keegan – Everything Falls – Project Arts Centre
“We’ve been thinking a lot about care. The word. Its meaning. It’s a noun but it’s also a verb. It’s a feeling we have, and it’s something we perform. Caring can be an act of love, but sometimes it can be an obligation. Why do some of us care more than others? What would happen if we were to stop? Care can be costly but without it, everything falls.”
Written & Created by: Feidlim Cannon, Gary Keegan & Shaun Dunne
Performed by: Lauren Larkin, Charlie Hogan, Daniel Fitzpatrick, Maud Lee, Bryan O’Connell, Kim Porcelli
This piece is a collaboration between Brokentalkers & Shaun Dunne. Can you tell us about how this collaboration came about? When did you decide to work together?
This collaboration has actually been in the works for many years. In 2013 I collaborated with Shaun Dunne on a production I’ve To Mind Her, which was created for Dublin Youth Theatre. I’ve to Mind Her explored the experience of a young person caring for an adult family member.
The theme of care was something both Brokentalkers and Shaun were always keen to explore again. In 2020, during covid, Shaun began conducting creative writing workshops with carers. Each week a group of carers met Shaun on zoom, they were given prompts to create new pieces of writing.
Brokentalkers were in the process of figuring out what we wanted to create over the next few years and the idea of collaborating with Shaun and looking at the topic of care came up. We chatted to Shaun about the idea of a new collaboration, something that looked more broadly at the experience of caring for a loved one and being cared for by a loved one.
Why did you decide to focus on “family caring”?
Collectively we all felt that the experience of family carers is often forgotten, unseen or willfully ignored. Family carers save the government €20 billion a year in unpaid care, without which our health and social care system would collapse.
The piece is based on a series of interviews. Can you tell us about how you were put in touch with these individuals and the characters you encountered?
During covid Shaun conducted his creative writing workshops where he met one of our key contributors. We then reached out to Family Carers Ireland who put a call out amongst their community looking for people who were willing to chat to us. Myself, Feidlim and Shaun all conducted a number of interviews with family carers and people who were being cared for.
It sounds like you’ve gone in quite an unexpected direction for a piece about caring, as there are original songs incorporated into it. At what stage did you decide to introduce these elements and why were they necessary to tell the story?
As soon as we began planning this production we always envisaged it with a strong musical presence and approached our long-time collaborator Sean Millar. This is our first time working with Sean since our production ‘The Circus Animals’ Desertion’ in 2016.
Sean is a fantastic artist who composes beautiful work that sticks with you, sometimes for years. Recently we were at a festival in Liege, talking to the artistic director of the festival, who began to sing one of Sean’s songs I Love You More Than God from our collaboration Silver Stars, which he had seen about 10 years ago. His music is a key part of the storytelling of any of the works we have had him on including our show The Blue Boy. We are really looking for audiences to hear what he has been cooking up for Everything Falls.
What can an audience member expect from this production?
Audiences can expect to experience a dynamic production that features stunning design, dance, music and performance. We have a wonderful team of collaborators all making this show possible, each pulling together to give audiences an insight into the experiences of family carers.
Although some might think that the show may be very heavy because of its theme, it actually has a lot of light moments, filled with love and joy.
How far ahead do you plan in terms of your work?
We often have to plan a number of years in advance in order to find partners, collaborators and funding for each production. We then have to leave space in our calendar to tour our already made work such as Bellow, Masterclass & The Examination, all of which are touring internationally and at home.
Do you have your next production already planned?
Yes! Watch this space!
No More Workhorse 