Breaking new ground at Blue Teapot
Galway theatre director Petal Pilley, who has broken new ground with the Blue Teapot Theatre Company for actors with intellectual disabilities, has a new project in the pipeline.
She has been exploring the effect of casting actors with intellectual disabilities in principal roles from three renowned plays. The chosen parts are The Fool from Shakespeare’s King Lear, Rose from Brian Friel’s Dancing at Lughnasa and Mandy from Patricia Burke Brogan’s Eclipsed.
Petal, who is carrying out this research as a result of winning the 2014 Jim Mc Naughton TileStyle €10,000 Artist’s Bursary, is examining how such casting influences the dynamics of each play and its cast.
“Throwing a curved ball into these revered plays by casting actors with intellectual disabilities in pivotal roles is very exciting and if I’m honest, a little scary,” she says. “It’s as though they were always meant to be there but have somehow remained hidden.”
TileStyle have sponsored The Jim McNaughton / TileStyle €10,000 Artist’s Bursary since 2009, in order to allow artists to develop their craft and help them transform ideas into realised works of art.
“Being awarded the bursary has been wonderful and precious – it’s rare to have the resources to dive into pushing your own practice and take risks without the pressure of going straight to production,” says Petal of its value.
Gerard McNaughton, Retail Director of TileStyle and Chair of Business to Arts, says he has been “overwhelmed by the creativity demonstrated by all involved” in Blue Teapot.
The next aim is to create a new, ambitious theatre production for Blue Teapot Theatre Company’s 20th anniversary year in in 2016.