Every now and then, life – and the theatre industry in particular – throws together a series of coincidences that reaffirm ones faith in the ability to do good/worthwhile things. One such occurrence arose over in Cork, during Hall Stages’ technical restoration of the historic Everyman Palace Theatre.
Having ‘got by’ with the original hemp flying system for 100 years, the Everyman’s’ management selected Hall Stage to update the technical systems in the summer of 2008. The venues’ ancient timber grid, flyfloor and access ladders were all past their prime and in urgent need of replacement.
Having completed the original survey, Charles Haines [Hall Stage MD & site manager for the Everyman project] realised that such a large quantity of well seasoned timber should be put to a better use than simply filling a land fill hole in the Irish countryside. “We were really keen to find a worthy use for this fantastic old ‘pitch pine’ and set about trying to find a genuinely sustainable use for the good sections of timber. As a Theatre Carpenter, I hate to see good timber go to waste….!” Some of the support beams for the old Flyfloor were 28’ long in 12” x 8” sections, requiring a lot of extra effort to remove in single sections.
Local Carpenter Gary Holland, who works with local traditional boat builders “Meitheal Mara” made sure that all of the good wood went to a very good home.
“Meitheal Mara” has come a long way since founder Padraig Duinnan first build a traditional Irish craft in 1993, coming back to Cork to set up the organization, which is now an established maritime cultural and education centre and a registered charity.
Cathy Buchanan of ‘Meitheal Mara’ commented; “Boatbuilding and training in boatbuilding and rowing are central to what we do. We produce Currachs [traditional timber & canvas boats] and Currach replicas for sale to the general public as well as the preservation, display and replica work for museums and visitor centres.”
“Our youth projects based in Cork city centre utilise traditional boatbuilding and rowing to promote social and personal development in young people. We run courses to encourage young people back into education and training.”
The refurbishment programme gives this wonderful 1860 playhouse a full counterweight system and a new lease of life.
As a further coincidence, the ‘Meitheal Mara’ workshops have recently fulfilled an order for seven traditional currachs for the English national Opera, for use in the recent staging of “Riders to the Sea” The ENO marks the 50th anniversary of the death of one of England’s best-loved composers, Ralph Vaughan Williams, with a major new production conducted by British music specialist Richard Hickox and directed by the acclaimed actress Fiona Shaw.
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