FunnywomanThereseisnot afraidoftacklingtoughissues
COMEDIAN Therese Cahill will bring her one-woman tour to the Mill Theatre in Dundrum this month, for two nights of stories, music parodies and song.
The show, ‘Don’t Piss in my Pocket and Tell me it’s Raining’ will take place on Saturday and Sunday, November 11 and 12 at 8 p.m.
Bray woman Therese suffered a life-changing injury to her hip which means she now needs to use a cane (named ‘Citizen’) to get around. She suffers from chronic pain, and has deteriorated over time, and now refers to herself as a ‘ limp-up’ comedian.
‘When I started to “needneed” the stick, April or May last year, what would happen was, as I was going up on the stage it would take ages. I made it part of the act, and say - keep it going, it’s less awkward for all of us! And they do.’
She had a fall two and a half years ago, and in a matter of seconds, she suffered a blow that would effect her life beyond recognition.
Laughter, as the all-knowing ‘ they’ say, is the best medicine. And being on stage is being at home to Therese.
The day-job as such is no more due to pain and pain medication as well as sitting in a chair. A previous nixer as a life-model has also had to be shelved due to her ailing hip.
‘I try to structure my day in a way that suits me,’ she said. She can take her medication tailored to when she can go for a nap if she needs to.
The show is most definitely a comedy show, but she goes into the challenges of living and coping with chronic pain as well as mental illness.
‘I’ve written a song with this in mind called “just get through today”, as that is all any of us can do,’ said Therese.
She was training to be an accountant at one point in her life, and returned to college at the age of 39 to do a BA in drama in DIT.
‘I had done a lot of acting beforehand. I was freelance and would do various different plays and that kind of thing. I’d done part-time training but I felt I needed a stronger foundation.
‘In this business, if you’re a woman you’re already at a disadvantage. If you’re over a certain age, say no more. Whereas with comedy, I am the right size, the right age to be me. There’s no one size fits all. It suits me to focus on the comedy. Event though the material isn’t necessarily family friendly, if my daughter isn’t around I can sing loudly and she won’t hear.’
Therese’s daughter is 10 and the two are great pals. They even practiced guitar together.
‘I’ve only been playing guitar since November 2015, and I’m self-taught,’ she said.
She writes songs for the performance. ‘I never had the confidence to sing publicly, but I always wanted to. When I did my degree, part of it was singing. I had a wonderful teacher, Jennifer Hamilton. She gave me so much confidence. She used to say, you can do it, you just think you can’t. So she helped me get over that block.
‘Singing comedy songs is a bit of a safety blanket. You don’t have to be the best singer, so long as they can hear the joke and it’s clear, it’s grand.
‘I’ve started to write some serious shows. I’ll be touching on chronic pain and self love. They’re two themes that really matter to me.’
One of them, ‘Be My Very Own Me’, came from sitting down at Bray Harbour. ‘I was looking at the boats and the weather and thought, a harbour protects the boats. We do that for our loved ones. We say, “I love you, I’ll be there for you, I’ll protect you,’ but so often we forget to do it for ourselves.
‘I genuinely believe if you love yourself, then you can give it in buckets and receive it healthily.
‘I had a little bit of an episode a few months back. It was a combination of being out of work, chronic pain, mounting medical bills, the usual stuff. You can just see it coming, and a person can only withstand so much. I would always have been a disciplined and motivated person.
‘I even considered postponing the show but because my injury seems to be progressing I wondered what way will I be next year, so I’m doing it now, while I can. I reached breaking point. I got some great help from the John of Gods. They sent me on courses, and it’s all about working on your resilience. That’s not about climbing to the top of the mountain, it’s about getting back up when the avalanche hits you. And that’s true for everyone.
‘When I was really going through the rough time, I wrote this song “Just Get Through Today” because that’s all you can do.’
It’s ostensibly comedy with a couple of poignant moments! Said Therese.
And the comedy aspect is, to say the least, naughty. The themes of her songs include female grooming or lack thereof, Donald Trump, the eighth amendment, and a range of adult topics.
Comedy is a tough gig, and Therese commonly has a deceptively tranquil appearance before going on stage. ‘A friend of mine said to me why are you always so calm before a show? And usually, I’m like a swan. On the surface it’s gliding along. Look underneath the water and the legs are flapping like mad! I’m watching the room. You’re trying to identify who are the big laughers.
‘Some wonderful advice I was given by Steve Cummins (resident Laughter Lounge MC) is to land on one person, then someone else. That’s a great thing, it makes the audience feel safe. But heckle him, and you’ll be sorry! Meanwhile, Therese has her own way of dealing with hecklers, and that’s with her bright and beautiful smile. For tickets go to milltheatre.ie.