Ken McGuire

Tag: trainspotting

  • The C Word

    One of my alter egos is involved in the running of The Devious Theatre Company in Kilkenny. We write new works, produce and direct in house, run a great rotation system on all of our productions since our launch in 2006 and this weekend we’re getting set to announce the first part of our 2009 program of theatre.

    When things go right, they go very right. When things go wrong, they’re usually followed by “the C word”. At least that used to be the case. The word has lost all meaning and is now a total Devious Theatre term of affection.

    We’ve been plugging a string of videos from a production of Trainspotting we did last year (one of three productions of 2008) over on DeviousTheatre.com and we’ve just released the final video aka The Cunt Cut.

    Needless to say, it was a very popular word in Trainspotting… can you count how many are there?

  • Devious Theatre Do Online Video With Trainspotting

    First came the podcast of The War Of The Worlds, now we’ve started to release clips from our production of Trainspotting in Kilkenny in 2008.

    We put a lot of effort into the visual side of our productions. We hire a great video team for each show who will come in and do a two or three camera shoot. We also had a documentary produced a few months ago giving a fly-on-the-wall look at one of the nights of Trainspotting. However, we also understand and appreciate the power and the reach of the web for the arts and as such I’m expecting 2009 to be a great online year for The Devious Theatre Company.

    To the end of December and into January and February (our quiet real-world months) we’re going to be releasing clips from our shows (recorded in HD), the documentary and much more.

    To start with, here’s the first clip, as mentioned above it’s the opening scene from the Friday night of Trainspotting in Kilkenny. The crowd were already on their feet before the curtain opened – won’t be forgetting that feeling in a hurry.

  • I’m Going Trainspotting

    Oh to have my evenings back again.

    The last two weeks have been rather intense in the world of Ken as I’ve been preparing for Trainspotting (in which I play Tommy) with The Devious Theatre Company. Hit the office at 8:30am, leave in time for rehearsals at 6, get home for 10, hit the bed and start the cycle again.

    Of course, next week is no different barring the fact I’m actually taking some time for myself outside of the office, allowing the catch up on sleep and focus on the fact that Trainspotting runs for five nights in Kilkenny next week.

    It’s been a bit of a risk on the part of the company going into the production. I certainly can’t think of anything like it that’s been attempted in Kilkenny in the past, or in the Watergate Theatre for that matter, but such is the ethos of the company. We’re constantly looking for performance pieces to suit our own age group (mid to late twenties), works that we would happily swap the cinema for or the pub for and I would hope we’ve nailed that thought right on the head with Trainspotting.

    I’ve spent the last eight weeks working as producer on the show outside of rehearsal hours while getting to grips with Scottish accents, the understanding of heroin use and addiction and a lot more besides.

    If you want to catch an interesting piece of theatre by an amateur company boasting professional ambitions, then drop along to the Watergate Theatre in Kilkenny from June 24 to June 28. Tickets for the show are only €12 nightly, kick off set for 8pm and we’ll try have you in the pub for a post show drink and a chat by 10pm.

    You can follow some rehearsal blog posts and catch the promo artwork and teaser posters for each character by visiting DeviousTheatre.com.

  • Dressing For The 80s – Scottish Jerseys Wanted

    This is more of an appeal than anything… following a hectic weekend of interviews, meetings, theatre and music activity alike, I’m on the lookout for some 80s football gear and if YOU could help, that’d be great!

    Donning my theatre company hat for a second, I’ve been cast as Tommy in an upcoming production of ‘Trainspotting’ which runs in Kilkenny from June 24th to June 28th. While I’ll be spending time on the stage, I’m also producing the show and I’m looking for some items of clothing…

    • Scottish (national team) soccer jersey, home or away, size mens medium or large, era 1978 – 1988
    • Hibernian (hibs) soccer jersey, home or away, again with size mens medium or large, same era (mid 70s to late 80s)
    • Iggy Pop tshirts – same fit and size

    If you’ve got any of the above knocking around that you don’t wear, don’t wan’t or alternatively would be willing to loan them out between the start of May and the end of June, I’d love to hear from you.

    You can leave a comment on this blog post or contact me here and I’ll get back to you.