Acclaimed actress brings play to Hawk’s Well
TOMORROW, Wednesday, a wonderfully sharp comic drama comes to the Hawk’s Well stage. Written by Paddy Murray, No Smoke Without Fire is full of quick Dublin wit. Starring acclaimed actress, Mary Murray, it tells the story of Larry, the cash, the camper van and the deceased husband.
A one-woman comedy, this show returns time and time again to sell out audiences and rave reviews. The star of the show is Mary Murray. A very versatile actress on both stage and screen, Mary has received numerous awards and accolades throughout her career to date, including Best Supporting Actress for her part in The Alice Trilogy at The Irish Times Theatre Awards 2006, Best Actress at the MAMCA awards 2008, and Best Actress 2009 at The First Irish Theatre Festival in New York. Mary has worked extensively in film and television, her recent credits including Penny Dreadful, Adam and Paul and The Magdalene Sisters and a very memorable role in the highly rated Irish drama series, Love/Hate.
“It’s a comedy and it was written by my Dad so it’s a lot of fun. We started it about two years ago and we were performing in Dublin so now we’re taking it countrywide,” Mary told The Sligo Champion.
“We’ve dabbled in bits and pieces together but this is the first piece he’s written so now we’re getting to see a lot of new places together with this. It’s brilliant.”
In ‘No Smoke Without Fire’, Mary plays the role of seven different women. It’s tough work, but this is kind of job Mary says she relishes: “Every actor wants to do a piece like this. It’s a challenge but when you come off stage you just feel exhilarated.”
Theatre, she says, is her first love. It’s where she cut her teeth in the acting world: “I’ve done a lot of theatre across the world in places like China, New York,Paris, Germany and more. It’s my first love. I started in amateur drama and got my big break when I was 21 when I was in ‘On Raftery’s Hill’ with Druid. I’ve learned a lot since then. I’ve worked with some amazing people on some amazing projects. I like the money in film but theatre is constant, you’re working for 3/4 months and you get to spend time hashing out a character and getting to know them forming the character. In film and TV rehearsal time is very short. And often the results are down to the editor and the director.”
Mary has been given some won- derful opportunities throughout her career, allowing her to work with some of the best actors in the country. She has worked in some high profile television shows and films, but her favourite production was on stage. “I did a show called ‘ The Pride of Parnell Street’ and I did that on and off for about four years with Fishamble. I got to work with some amazing actors on that. It was a brilliant experience.”
Running a drama school means that she can afford to pick what projects she works on.
“I run a drama school as well so I keep myself going. It would be different if I didn’t have that. I can sort of pick and choose what jobs I want to take. Sometimes actors in precarious positions feel as though they have to take every job.
“Say if I had an experience with someone and we just didn’t get on or if someone is a bit of a dictator then at least I can say no. Some actors could miss out on other jobs if they didn’t do that job.”
Tickets for this event are €16 with a special concession price of €8 for those under 18 years of age. All tickets will have a €1 Development Fee surcharge and are available from the Hawk’s Well Theatre box office on 07191/61518 or book online at www. hawkswell.com.