Ducks, Beer, Uprisings-Must be Easter!

When I got back from Wales last week I had to rush from the airport to my first audition here in Dublin and I am happy to say that I have been cast in an all female production of Hamlet! I do not know which part yet, but it should be exciting. It has been a fairly quiet week and the days have been lovely warm. Friday was Good Friday and as Ireland is very Catholic the city was shut down. Including the pubs. In fact you are not allowed to purchase alcohol. So a friend and I went to the park and fed the ducks. Riveting, I know. Saturday was a gorgeous day and I went to a rooftop barbecue with some friends and we had quite the feast. We also had a few beers (we're not counting) to make up for our sobriety the day before (naturally). The festivities stretched long into the night and we got home as the sun was coming up and the true devout where on there way to Mass. Happy Easter. Speaking of Easter, this past one marked the 95th anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising, one of Ireland's most significant rebellions against England, which took place during Easter, hence the name. While unsuccessful it did bring Republicanism back to the forefront of Irish politics. It is cool to be in a country with such a tumultuous history that really is quite recent. I caught the end of the film The Wind that Shakes the Barley, which portrays the tragic drama of the Irish War of Independence and the Irish Civil War that occurred in the early 20th century. I highly recommend it, especially because it stars Cillian Murphy who is a stud. I also, in the spirit of Easter, caught the end of The Passion of the Christ, and even though I had heard the controversy over the film my curiosity got the better of me. Oh boy was it graphic...and that's all I think I can say right now. Easter Monday is not a public holiday in the States (that I am aware of) but it was here, and schools have the week off. It is interesting to be in a country were one religion is so dominant, and yet, in some ways it does not seem to have as extreme an effect on politics as it does in the U.S. Also, Ireland has much better Easter chocolates and they have been stocked in the shops for the past month so I have been gorging myself on Cadbury caramel eggs. Oh dear.

I have been learning to play the violin for a film that I will be doing in the U.S. next week. It is a difficult instrument and I actually hurt my neck from practicing so long. But as I do love Irish music maybe I will learn to be more patient with the violin and take up playing trad music. Maybe.

On another note-back to politics. I saw on the news today that President Obama released his birth certificate. Really? Is this really what "democracy" has come to? I am sorry that this is the state of affairs in my country. It would be too hopeful to think that the "birther's" will lay off, in fact, I am sure there will come up with something more absurd. I can only hope that this will open the eyes of the rest of Americans and they will realize it is time to stand up to the hypocrisy of the Republican party and the "tea party". Please. People here ask me who I voted for and I proudly tell them Obama and I usually get a high five or something like that. American politics affect the entire world and it is time that we start showing the world that we are a country that cares about actual global issues and not a petty birth certificate.

Oh and the Royal Wedding craze just has to stop.

Well that's my weekly report!

Cymru or Wales

So I know that this is a blog about my time in Ireland and I know I was only just saying how in love Dublin and I are and that our relationship is getting pretty serious. I mean we are already living together. That being said I decided that I needed some space so I hopped over to Cardiff to see an old friend from Santa Fe who was living there. I arrived last Wednesday after a short flight in a tiny plane. Really tiny. The kind that you have to get on directly from the tarmac and you enter from the back of the plane because there is not a door at the front of the plane. The captain announced that there would be a lot of turbulence due to the weather and small size of the plane. The plane was practically falling out of the sky and as I was praying for my life and trying to calm down, reassuring myself that I am an adult and can handle a little turbulence; the girl sitting next to me started shouting in her native tongue (I think she was Eastern European). She also had never been on such a tiny plane, she later explained to me. I told her the turbulence was to be expected and she calmed down. Anyways as I was saying I arrived in Cardiff and found that Wales really was as beautiful as I had been told.

The following day my friend and I went to see a play called Fly on the Wall in a small town to the north of Cardiff. We had to take a train and bus to get there but it was worth it. The play was based on circus technique, emphasizing physicality and using aerial and acrobatic technique. The play was a reflection on politics and protests, particularly the recent protests against the bank that have been taking place in London. As the world we live in seems to become more turbulent (see what I did there?) it was refreshing to see a unique piece of theatre reminding us what it means to be a citizen and play an active role in your country.  After the performance I met the cast because my friend was a friend of the director's and we helped them take down the set in exchange for a lift back to Cardiff.

On Friday I wandered around Cardiff and spent the afternoon in Sofia Gardens, a large park that was once the private grounds of the castle that is in Cardiff. I wonder what the former inhabitants of the castle would think of their grounds being open to common peasants.

Saturday we went on an adventure to Swansea to see the Gower, a scenic coastline. It was the most beautiful beach I have ever seen (next to Ireland of course!). Above the sea there was an old castle which we hiked to and from there we could really take in the coast. It was a perfect warm day made for basking in the sun and for the first time in months I got a tiny bit sunburned. (I took so many pictures that I would love to share but the battery on my camera died and it seems that I don't have my charger. As soon as I get that sorted I'll figure out how to post photos here.)Then we trekked through the woods, where there was wild garlic growing, to get to the road in order to catch a bus back into Swansea. We waited. And waited. The bus didn't come. We needed to get to Swansea otherwise we would miss the train to Cardiff. It is times like these were the romance of traveling is amiss and you begin thinking really it would be much better to have your own car rather than rely on public transportation. So...we hitchhiked. (Mom it's ok!) A very kind German woman pulled over and took us to the bus. She was a yoga therapist and had moved to Wales because she fell in love with a Welshman who is now her husband. She told us that she had a son our age and that she would have wanted someone to pick him up if he were stranded. We discussed how the hitchhiking culture has sadly changed, and what was once a safe, free way to travel and meet interesting people is now seen as quite dangerous. I also was envious of my friend that I was visiting because as a man he perhaps feels more safe in situations like hitchhiking, whereas I, as a girl, am forced to be more guarded. But I am grateful to the kind woman who stopped to pick us up, and feel that her kindness only goes to show that there is still hope for this thing we call humanity. After finally making it back to Cardiff we went out with my friend's mates to a birthday party and then on to a club to go dancing. Oh what an exhausting, exhilarating day.

On Sunday my friend and I came upon free tickets to the tour of the London West End production of We Will Rock You. Let me say, I am glad the tickets were free because it was probably the worst piece of theatre (it pains me to even call it that) I have ever seen. Don't see it. Ever. I am usually not this harsh but really it was truly disappointing. Basically it is a musical based on the music of Queen and the plot was lacking to say the least. I like Queen but not enough to sit through two hours of it. Ironically the musical was a commentary on how the music world has become false and synthetic, leaving rock behind for dead and only looking to make financial profit.  Really the musical is a false, synthetic piece of theatre and its only purpose that I am aware of is financial profit. Perhaps I needed to be one of the 60 year olds who grew up in the age of rock and seemed to love the show to better appreciate it. Oh well.

Monday I returned back to Dublin and I must say it feels very good to be back. I can say it feels good to be home. I found in my short time away I really missed Ireland, although Wales truly was lovely and I'd love to go back and explore the rugged landscape to the north. But it seems Ireland is the place for me so I am happy to have resumed my love affair here.

Alright that's enough rambling for me. I'm a bit tired and this is long so I won't edit before I post, sorry for any typos. I corrected a ridiculous one from my last post.

Till next time!

Exciting Title Here

Another week has flown by! I have been very busy this week writing grant applications for the theatre company, assisting with the evening community drama classes, cramming a monologue from Hamlet for my first audition here in Dublin(fingers crossed!) and helping with the lights for a university acting showcase where the artistic director of my theatre company teaches. In addition to that I have managed to squeeze in a few evenings in the pub,  a few hours enjoying the very sunny weekend we had, and another acting showcase of a clowning class at Trinity College. Of course dating Dublin can be very demanding and time consuming, but our love is still true. Needless to say I am exhausted and am going to keep this short and sweet as I am off to Wales tomorrow! Woohoo! I will tell you all about it next week!

I Heart Ireland

Hello April! I've been in Ireland for about 5 months now. Where does the time go? This week was spent enjoying some of the sites of Dublin, or what I am now referring to as I am dating Dublin. It's a complicated relationship that has been on again off again for years now. Right now I would say we are in our honeymoon phase.

I forgot to mention that last week I saw a play called Heroin about, yep, heroin. The play was set and performed in an area of Dublin called Ballymun, where the flats are (equivalent to the projects in the U.S.) and an area notorious for heroin use. Unfortunately Dublin has a problem with heroin use, which the play addressed. I have been working with former heroin addicts and their family members using theatre as a means to communicate their experiences. I did enjoy the play, although I did feel at times it was too theatrical and missed the deeper issues at hand.

Having spent my childhood travels being dragged to museums this week I dragged myself to the National Gallery where I saw an exhibit on art by Irish painters for the 19th century. Then I went to the National Gallery's photography exhibit which was photographs of Irish estates and mansions from the 19th century. I also went to the Chester Beatty Library where they had an exhibit on world religions. Finally I went to the gallery at the Project Arts Centre and saw an exhibit called "Things" where the artist has recorded snippets from various songs in which the word "thing" is heard in the lyrics. I thought it was an interesting concept but I wanted something visually to go with it. It felt a bit uncomfortable being in a gallery staring at white walls. Perhaps that was the point. It did make me think about the sounds that I have been hearing here in Dublin, to name a few: seagulls crying, pigeons cooing, horses trit-trotting down the street, sirens, when it gets windy here it really howls, bottles and cans being tossed on the street late at night, various Dublin accents...I could go on and on. I appreciate that the exhibit kept me thinking for the rest of the day. And the best part? All of this was free!

Yesterday I went with some friends to Howth for the Dublin Bay Prawn Festival. Unfortunately we arrived a bit late and the pub was out of prawns! So we settled for some classic fish and chips and a pint of Guinness. If a milkshake is a hamburger's best friend, I think a pint is fish and chips' best friend. It was nice to get out of the city for a bit, I know I said Dublin and I are dating earlier, and it's true, but sometimes I just need a quick break.

Thanks for reading!