Mid-life crisis led Ger to star in ‘Dead School’
Arts Week with Judy Murphy
When Ger Howard decided, at the age of 50, to put his family shop and small hotel up for lease so he could attend drama school and pursue a life-long passion for acting, his sister asked him if he was having a mid-life crisis.
“Maybe I was,” says the Clareman with a laugh. “But I thought if I didn’t take the chance I’d always regret it.”
That was 10 years ago and this talented actor, who was a long-time member of the amateur Burren Players, hasn’t had time for regrets since then.
Galway director Maureen Hughes, who is based in Dublin, guided Ger towards Decadent Theatre when he finished his training. Its artistic director Andrew Flynn is also in charge of Galway Youth Theatre and has cast Ger in several Decadent plays and Youth Theatre co-productions since then. In addition, Ger has worked on films and TV dramas, so the Lisdoonvarna man has been kept busy.
Last year he played a blinder as school teacher Raphael Bell in a new stage adaptation of Pat McCabe’s comically black novel, The Dead School, during Galway Arts Festival.
This sell-out production, from Galway Youth Theatre and Galway Community Theatre, directed by Andrew Flynn, has now been revived, in a co-production between Decadent Theatre and the City’s Town Hall Theatre. It will be performed at the Town Hall from February 22-27 as part of the celebrations for the theatre’s 20th anniversary. After that, it embark on a tour to several venues around the country.
Ger Howard returns as Raphael for this revival while Jarlath Tivnan reprises the role of fellow primary teacher and Raphael’s arch-enemy, Malachy Dudgeon. Several other members of the original cast are also back, but some were unavailable due to exam commitments, explains Andrew Flynn. And while the original production had a 25 people on stage, numbers will be reduced for the tour because of financial constraints. He’s currently re-directing the play with that in mind, but for the Town Hall run, the aim is to remain as true to the original production as possible.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.