It might sound a little strange, but going to clown college is really paying off

Clown college probably wouldn’t be on most investment advisers’ lists of what to do with a sizeable compensation payout. But it paid off for MIRIAM NEEDHAM who forged a career in the arts, despite having to spend some time living in a bookshop instead of the customary attic. Now Sligo’s Hawk’s Well Theatre artist-in-residence, Miriam is touring nationally with her own new play, Snapshot, which tells the story of two sisters trying to reconnect in a disconnected world. Inspired by lockdown experiences, it has been described as both funny and moving.

What was the first paid work you ever did?

I worked in a Mace supermarket in Manorhamilton [Co. Leitrim] when I was 15, the first of many service jobs. My next job after that was working in the Olympia Theatre box office, where I experienced the most star-struck moment of my life so far: selling tickets to Don Conroy [well-known artist and TV personality].

So how is the writing/acting business? A licence to print money, I suppose?

Money is fake, it’s just something a bunch of people made up one time! Not dissimilar to a play in fact.

Any advice for someone who wants to give up the day job to do something they really like?

Get comfortable with failure – it’s good for you.

Did you ever have to do the starving-artist-living-in-an-attic thing?

No attics per se but I have lived in some pretty cramped places. While I was in Paris I lived in a bookshop for a while – which was just as good as it sounds, except that there were mice (no doubt they were well-read, jazzplaying mice, but mice none-the-less).

What is the one little luxury you treat yourself to?

An oat milk latte now and then. Or as my friend Steph calls it, a “notions latte”.

Ever struggled to make ends meet? Yes, repeatedly.

Is the new basic income scheme for artists the answer?

It’s a move in the right direction but it’s not enough: the weekly living wage of an adult (without dependents) in Ireland is currently valued at €516. That’s calculated on the minimum standard of living – and we all know how the cost of living is getting higher now. I must say that I’m also wary of anything that creates more competitiveness in the arts. I would hope that there will be ways to ensure that there is no workplace discrimination or preferential treatment between artists on the basis of their participation in the scheme.

What was the best year of your financial life?

This year! I’m currently artist-inresidence at the Hawk’s Well Theatre which means I can focus my energy on my artistic practice. Having this kind of stability is strange, new, wonderful, and all too rare for artists. The residency is the reason I was able make Snapshot, the play we’re touring over the next couple of weeks. Snapshot is a play about memory and changing perspectives. Ever been scammed/ripped off/ treated badly as a consumer?

Last year I was surprised to learn that I had spent a large sum of money on go-karting and takeaways in Glasgow [while not there]. But I called the bank and they sorted it out straightaway. Still don’t know how whoever it was got my card details! Hobby? Cost much?

Bird-watching, it’s 100% free, just go outside! You don’t even need the fancy-schmancy binoculars to enjoy it. Apart from that I do spend an inordinate amount on theatre tickets. Does that count as hobby or work? hat is your biggest money mistake?

Lack of planning. I’ve been freelance for so long that future earnings always seem like a mystery.

The best money decision you have made?

I got some compensation money for an accident I was in as a kid, which I then spent on clown college. Sounds like a really bad money decision but here I am, years later, making my living out of playing pretend.

Ever buy a home?

Ha.

Do you have a big fat pension worth millions?

Hahaha.

■ Snapshot is currently touring nationwide. Dates include: April 13, Riverbank Arts Centre, Newbridge; April 14, Backstage Theatre, Longford; April 15, Glór, Ennis, and April 16, Source Arts Centre, Thurles.