INTERVIEW: Fishamble returns to NYC with ‘Charolais’

Here’s an interesting premise for a play: A woman has an intense rivalry with a Charolais heifer. That’s the story of the new show from Fishamble: The New Play Company, the acclaimed Irish theater company.

Written and performed by Noni Stapleton, Charolais begins previews Tuesday, Aug. 29 at 59E59 Theaters in Midtown Manhattan. The play is billed as an entertaining tale of love, longing and a singing French cow vying for a farmer’s attention.

New York theatrical audiences likely know of Fishamble’s other work, including Little Thing Big Thing, I Can See Clearly Now and the brutally brilliant The Pride of Parnell Street.

Recently, Hollywood Soapbox exchanged emails with Stapleton about Charolais. Questions and answers have been slightly edited for style.

Where did the idea behind Charolais come from? What inspired you to tell this story?

I was talking to myself out loud in Siobhán (the main character’s) accent. Just sort of entertaining myself really, in my mam’s house in County Kildare. Narrating making a cup of tea or whatever when all of a sudden the first monologue of the play just poured out of me. It was a bit strange I suppose, but because I’m an actor, I just went with it. And I started to make myself laugh, so about halfway through the first chunk, I thought I better write this down. There is something here.

So I scribbled down what I could remember and then kept going til I had about one page of script. Then I heard my mam’s key in the door, so I stopped. I held onto that page for about two years before doing anything with it, and every so often I’d think, hmm, I should really do something with that cow play. I read it to a good friend of mine who is an actor in [Washington,] D.C., actually! His name is Matthew Keenan, and it made him roar laughing. So I know I was onto something.

It still took me a few more months to find the right vehicle to develop it. Bairbre Ní Chaoimh, who directed and developed the play, suggested I submit the idea and that one monologue to Show In a Bag. That’s an Irish initiative that enables actors to develop new scripts with the support of Fishamble: The New Play Company, Dublin Fringe Festival and the Irish Theatre Institute. My idea was chosen to be one of the four plays that year, and the support I received made it possible to actually get the play written.

The other important factor was that I did a lot of research on a farm. I’m not from a rural background at all, so I got some shock when on my first trip up to the farm, I actually calved a cow! I’m a pure city girl (no wonder I love New York City so much). Believe me, I never expected to find myself shoulder deep in the business end of a massive heifer in my life! It was great though. I felt like the world’s most amazing midwife.

It’s very emotional. Like you forget that not too far away from us townies [is] a whole community whose livelihood is literally life and death every day. Anyway, I went mad for researching everything I could about cows and farms after that, and everything I learned informed the finished play. There is fierce drama on a farm, but the farming community treat their love of the animals and the bond with the land in a totally unsentimental way. That really grabbed me. I called the little calf Toupée, by the way, after his mother’s funny-looking hairdo!

When you were writing the play, did you always have it in mind to perform in the piece?

Yes, I always knew that I would perform the piece. Bizarrely, writing it didn’t make it any easier to learn the lines! Harder, in fact … I’ve no idea why. The funniest thing of all was, after it was written, and I knew right away there are two main characters, Siobhán, and Charolais (the cow), but it wasn’t til Bairbre and I began rehearsals that I suddenly thought, how in God’s name am I going to perform the cow! It never even crossed my mind when I had my writer’s hat on.

We had great fun though … lots of playing round with ideas of making her kind of heavy and very, very physical, but that just wasn’t right. I eventually got so frustrated with myself that I stopped and gave a moan out of me, saying ‘Bairbre, she’s a sexy cow. I do not feel like a SEXY cow!’ Gas! Thankfully Bairbre said ‘Right, drop it all — she’s a sexy cow … go for it!’ and I did! You will have to come and see the results!

What’s it like to work with director Bairbre Ní Chaoimh?

Aw, it is brilliant. As you may have gleaned, we have a lot of fun in rehearsals. Bairbre is also an actor herself, and she really knows how to speak to actors to let them find the play for themselves. I love working with her. We have the craic! As well as directing the play, we worked really closely on developing the script. It was brilliant to have such a great trust develop. She tends to steer me in the right direction and then let me off! It was a good combination of collaborators: me, Bairbre and Fishamble’s dramaturg, Gavin Kostick.

Is the performance physically demanding because it’s a solo show?

Well, I always preface this by saying I am fully aware I’m not toiling down a coal mine or anything, but yes! It is pretty physically demanding. It is about 70 minutes long, and there is no break and nowhere to hide. The climax is quite a physical exertion too, but to be honest, initially the hardest thing was not having another actor on stage with me! I had never done a one-woman show before, and flipping hell, it’s a bit of an odd dynamic to get used to at first. Once I settled into the rhythm of it though, it was as if the audience became the other actor, so I’d feel as if I get any energy I put out sent back to me from them. The same as when you are in an ensemble cast, minus the ability to go off stage for a rest every once in a while!

For playwrights and actors, why is it important to have theatrical companies like Fishamble: The New Play Company? Do you feel at home with the company?

Fishamble really provide a lifeline for writers, particularly emerging playwrights. Having the support of a really well-established, Olivier Award-winning company behind you not only give you a boost, a leg up so to speak, but it encouraged you to dream pretty big for yourself and for your characters. When I think about it, I honestly don’t know if Charolais could be what it is today without organizations like Fishamble developing initiatives such as Show In A Bag. As an actor, I knew that I could perform Charolais, but the writer needed encouragement, support and people to believe in her.

As for feeling at home with them? Have you met Jim Culleton? He is literally the loveliest, friendliest human in charge of making great theatre. Win-win! Eva who is their general manager just made every step of the process easy, pleasant and fun. Like you’d look forward to getting a production email from her. That’s not normal. I think they might be superheroes or imaginary friends? Gavin Kostick bakes you cakes when you have writing meetings with him, for the love of God!

Seriously though, I do feel at home with the company and not just ‘cause they are good and decent people, though that helps. It’s because they love theatre. They really respect the work, and they produce and support fantastic, challenging  and entertaining work of the highest standard. I know I am in very good company here, and I am so proud to have them produce Charolais. It’s been a dream to perform in New York City. It was Fishamble who made the connection for me with 59E59 Theaters. So I am pretty much pinching myself every day that I get not only to perform here, but I get to perform my own work. I would never have believed you if you told me that the day I calved little Toupée.

By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com

Charolais begins previews Tuesday, Aug. 29 at 59E59 Theaters in Midtown Manhattan. Click here for more information and tickets.