Irish Theater

A Novel Experience For Local Performer

By Nancy K. Crevier

Newtown singer, songwriter and actress Tracy James has recorded five CDs, primarily consisting of her original lyrics and melodies in conjunction with her IMP Music Media writing and recording partner Jim DeVivo, has taught theater to school children, has acted on stage, and performed for audiences. She is married and the mother of two young girls. She is also a member of the Clan na Gael Players in Fairfield, and it is through this Irish theater group that Ms James recently took part in what she called “an experience of a lifetime.”

Always, a play written by Westport author Eleanor Craig Green and directed by Monroe/County Kerry resident Peg O’Leary, has been ten years in the making. Along the way, Ms James did a stage reading for the earliest version of  the play, and re-recorded the Irving Berlin song “Always” for the production.

The play finally went into rehearsals earlier this year, and on March 26, a troupe of ten Clan na Gael Players of Fairfield, including Tracy James, drew back the curtains on the Irish Boston-American family drama set in 1941 — in Ireland.

“We’re walking into the great unknown. It’s exciting, but scary,” said Ms James before embarking on the 11-day tour of four Irish theaters earlier this month. An actress and performer at heart, Ms James found herself wearing a different hat for the production of Always. This time Ms James was responsible for the lighting and sound management.

 “There were rewrites, people’s lives interfered, there was a lot of trial and error before it gelled,” said Ms James of the ten-year hiatus, “but here we are. I’m just as happy to be in the background now. It’s just as thrilling to be doing lights and sounds.”

It was through Monroe director Peg O’Leary’s Irish artist connection via her County Kerry home that Always found its way from the countryside of Connecticut to the hills of Ireland. There, the players were greeted by members of the town and community theaters in Cahersiveen, St John’s theater in Listowel, the Beehive Theater in Dingle, and Shannonside Players in Clonfara, all looking forward to meeting the American contemporaries.

“It was wonderful, breathtaking, adventurous — and exhausting,” Ms James said. The tour was also a test of her vast resources of creativity. Despite having inquired as to equipment and resources prior to the trip, upon her return in April Ms James could only describe most of the facilities that greeted her as “a bit primitive.”

The rural countryside theaters do not commonly have theater quality equipment, she discovered, with the bulk of it being home equipment donated and cobbled together to create rustic sound and lighting effects.

“The Beehive Theater had the most professional equipment. It was actually computerized, but they had baby monitors to hear what was happening on stage. None of the theaters we visited had any headsets, and in some situations, the sound ‘booth’ and lighting were completely separate from each other,” she said. Onstage lights were not to be seen in the theaters, and except for Cahersiveen, none of the performance spaces had permanent seating. Even very simple items such as glow tape to mark the players’ onstage positions were a novelty to her new Irish theater friends.

At Cahersiveen, Ms James felt that she met her greatest challenge for the show. A sound set-up that would have pushed her partially onstage in order to operate it had to be reconfigured to keep her out of sight and still allow her to see enough on stage to provide and receive cues.

“I had to do it curled in a practically fetal position down on the floor with a handheld microphone, the script on the floor in front of me, and a flashlight to see by. It was quite an effort, but something like that is so gratifying when you pull it off,” she said.

Even more gratifying was the reception Always and the Clan na Gael Players received everywhere they went.

“It was a huge, huge success,” said Ms James, “with standing ovations in every town. We even had one gentleman drive to our next engagement because he heard how good it was and had missed it.”

The Irish theater members and residents of the towns that the Clan na Gael Players visited were effusive in their hospitality, said Ms James.

“People bent over backwards to accommodate us, and everywhere we went people were so impressed that we were the American theater players. It was a wonderful experience, especially to be there with my ‘extended family’ of the Clan na Gael Players,” she said.

Despite the whirlwind schedule, Ms James and her comrades did find a little time to play. “I went horseback riding in the hills of Cahersiveen, and got to explore a castle on the beach. That was amazing. There were ruins — old, old ruins — everywhere we went. It was very old world,” she said.

In Listowel, she experienced an event that occurs in the little village but four times a year. “The farmers bring their horses in to the town and sell them in the streets. It was incredible, all of these beautiful horses in the streets. But I really was afraid I’d get kicked walking behind them all; the streets are very narrow,” said Ms James.

The troupe was also treated to a post-show evening at the pub of the late Irish writer John B. Keane in Listowel, when Mr Keane’s widow and son invited the whole cast in to celebrate.

She has brought back to America the inspiration for a new song, a strong Irish connection, and a great appreciation of all the little niceties taken for granted here, as well, she said.

“The economy has affected them in Ireland, especially the small towns we were in. They are suffering in Ireland as much, if not more, than we are here. But they still went out of their way to make us at home.”

Being able to produce a successful show under less than perfect circumstances was a great confidence booster, said Ms James, and made the homecoming performances held April 16-19 at the Gaelic-American Club in Fairfield a piece of cake.

“The equipment we have there is also not the most professional, but we pulled it off again, to full houses and standing ovations at all five performances.”

She is looking forward to a break now from the behind the scenes work. “I would like to transition from stage to film. But I’ll still always do my music,” she said, “and I’ll always have some of the lifelong friends I made in Ireland.”

To hear and purchase Ms James’ music, visit TracyJamesMusic.com.