Master of set design
‘THE DRAMA CIRCLE OPENED DOORS TO SOMETHING THAT WAS LIFE-CHANGING FOR ME. THEY GAVE ME A LIFE THAT I COULD NOT HAVE IMAGINED LYING IN MY COLD BEDROOM IN HIGH STREET’ - WITH SINEAD HEALY
AREFUGE, a safe place, a real circle and community is how Frank Conway describes the Drama Circle a ‘life saving place’ when he was growing up. The youngest of seven, Theatre Designer Frank Conway grew up in Sligo town where his parents owned an old fashioned bar and grocery premises in High Street.
The death of his sister, a deeply traumatic experience for his family is what ultimately led to his involvement in the arts and culture scene, after Walter McDonagh a man involved with the Drama Circle stopped him in the street and took him on board.
Encouraged by his art teacher, his love for art and theatre design flourished.
Frank recalled: “When I eventually went to Art College, I was bereft; I missed the Drama Circle terribly.
“I decided after a year I would combine my two interests of art and theatre and study theatre design.
“Tomás McAnna, the Artistic Director of the Abbey at the time took me under his wing.
“There was no training available in Ireland at the time, but the College of Art was supportive, and brought professional people in to do some classes, so I was able to specialise.
“After that I worked as an assistant, both in RTE and in the Abbey, before going to train in London” Frank added.
Throughout the years he has designed extensively for Theatre, Opera and Film (twice winner of the Harvey’s Theatre awards) including the Oscar nominated film ‘The Field’ and Bafta Award winning ‘A Beautiful Mistake’.
Frank’s lengthy career has contributed greatly to our understanding of design.
His work is internationally regarded and he recently represented the UK at the Prague Ouadrennial with his designs for Particle of Dread (Oedipus Variations), Field Day/Signature Theatre (New York) which subsequently was on exhibition at the V&A Museum London earlier this year.
Having worked with many designers and directors throughout the years Frank insists that collaboration is key to a successful project. “Collaboration is at the heart of the process; a group of people working together to make something that speaks to an audience, something that appears seamless, where you can’t see the lines between the different roles, where the total is greater than the sum of the individual parts.
“The collaboration, I completely love that, I’m like a child, it is so exciting, and a real privilege to be working on ideas with other people with similar mindsets, and when that extends into the rehearsal room, and into the technical and dress rehearsals, that is the greatest theatre magic I have experienced.”
Speaking about the current projects he is working on, Frank said: “I have been working with Jean Butler and Neil Martin on a dance piece that opened in New York and went to Washington as part of the Culture Ireland 100 Festival.
It will come to Dublin in February next year, and I am really hoping that it will come to Sligo, which is a possibility.
“I usually shy away from the spotlight but when the Hawk’s Well approached me to talk as part of Design Week 2016, especially in the anniversary year of the Drama Circle, I thought it might be a good opportunity, through the format of chatting to my friend Terrence Herron, to give back a little something that might inspire.
“In the way that I was inspired, and explain a little of what theatre design is.”
Frank currently lectures in Theatre Design and Performing Arts in IT Sligo and he believes that the development to the course along with his wife Jo is his biggest achievement to date:
“I think the IT course is superb, it is the only full-time specialised Theatre Design degree course in the country.
“Our graduates are working in film and theatre design all over the place, on high profile dramas like the Vikings, The Tudors, Game of Thrones, Orange is the New Black, in theatres like The Abbey, the Gate in Dublin, in New York and in the UK, even here in Sligo at the Hawk’s Well and with the Blue Raincoats Theatre Company.
“I’m very proud of the course, and the graduates, and particularly proud of the special relationship between the IT and the Abbey Theatre, and the setting up of the IT Abbey Theatre Yeats Theatre Design bursary, in place for five years now.
“Every year one of our graduate students is awarded a six month residency in our national Theatre.
“The students’ work is exhibited in The Abbey, and professionals, writers, directors and producers are invited in to see it.
“Colleagues in our major third level educational systems, especially in Dublin, are rightly jealous.”
While he has an admirable portfolio of work, he admits that his work wasn’t always been so highly regarded.
“I have to admit to having had some terrible criticism in my early days, so much so I became immune to it, the good as well as bad. You learn to be your own critic,” he pointed out.
Looking back on his work career Frank admitted he sometimes thinks about acting again.
“If I had the courage to, not sure in what, but if I was honest with myself, I’d admit that I was never quite at home designing for the theatre as I was when acting with the Drama Circle.”
Modestly steering the conversation away from himself, Frank wants to remind the readers about something we so often forget about.
“A quiet acknowledgement to all the silent designers out there, it would be lovely the next time people sit down to watch the news, a music video, watch an ad, a soap, the X-factor or the Great British Bakeoff, they might remember that part of what they are looking at is the work of a great set designer,” he added.
IT’S A PRIVILEGE TO WORK ON IDEAS WITH OTHER PEOPLE WITH SIMILAR MINDSETS