Faces of Galway 36/100
Meet Cathal from Castlerea
Cathal is in Galway directing Enda Walsh's acclaimed 'Disco Pigs' in the Town Hall Theatre. Although Cathal was just passing through Galway this weekend he is no stranger to the city. After finishing a BA in English and Psychology at NUIG, Cathal suddenly found himself in a Masters of Drama and Theatre. Up until that point he had seen 6 plays and he only did the course because there as a module on scriptwriting. It looks like he made the right decision having since worked with the likes of Sir Nicholas Hytne, Catherine Tate, Finty Williams and her lovely, funny mum, Dame Judi Dench.
There are two pinnacle points to Cathal's career.
The first was in 2006 when he finished his masters and was at a loss as to what to do. He remembers playing basketball in his parent's back garden when he got a phone call from Mike Diskin. Mike, was organising Project 06, a series of cultural events run the same week as the Galway Arts Festival. He had a director drop out three weeks before the show was to open. He asked Cathal to step in. The actors were in place but Cathal had to decide whether to take the risk or not. The play was big; "The Cripple of Inishmaan" by Martin McDonagh, but the opportunity was bigger. Cathal took it and after a successful, sell-out run, the play was brought to the Town Hall. Cathal's first company, Zelig, was formed. Cathal had success in Ireland but he felt like he wasn't able to break into the top tier of plays so in 2009 he moved to London.
The second was in 2011. He applied for and won the prestigious JMK Directors Award, for which he directed a sell-out run of Disco Pigs at the Young Vic. This production cast Rory Fleck-Byrne and Charlie Murphy as Pig and Runt. Cathal had one nervous evening when Enda Walsh turned up with his original cast; Cillian Murphy and Eileen Walsh. It was the first time they had seen a production since they had first staged it. Cathal didn't need to be nervous as his production received rave reviews from both them, and the critics. This boosted Cathal's profile and he was able to work, as an associate director and director, at many of London's top theatres. Working with directors like Joe Hill Gibbins helped to shape Cathal as a director and gave him confidence when approaching new productions.
Cathal now wants to focus on writing his own plays and has exciting plans for his second company which will be coming next year.
So this evening why don't you treat yourself to an evening of award winning entertainment at the Town Hall, Disco Pigs is showing for one night only. You can purchase your tickets here and make sure you wait around afterwards to have a chat to this lovely director!