Plenty going upstairs: a hub of experimentation

TWO YEARS AGO Theatre Upstairs at the Plough in Dublin closed its doors abruptly. The independent, nonfunded space established by Karl Shiels and Paul Walker brought countless new plays, actors, directors and writers to audiences. Shiels has resurrected the space in Lanigan’s pub, around the corner from Abbey Street on Eden Quay.

“It’s taken two years to get my head around doing it again,” Shiels says, on a humid overcast morning outside the pub.

Over black coffee and cigarettes he’s remarkably cheery and enthusiastic about the new venture, despite the crutch at his side, a consequence of injuring himself in an on stage fight scene.

“I had to get the space right. We like the relationship we have with the gang here,” he says, motioning towards the bar. “We’ve got a lovely little space here, a gallery, our own separate entrance, a box office. It’s a friendly type of space and a handier space to get to.”

Upstairs, from the photos of Abbey actors on the walls (Shiels enthuses about the support its Abbey neighbours have given) to the Green Room Gallery, there’s a nice buzz about the place.

Shiels, who’s currently acting in Tom Murphy’s The House at the Abbey, explains the philosophy of the project: “The whole ethos of the space is, if you have an idea, and you want to try it or do something, or you’ve got a new play, we’ll read it. If there’s something in it, we’ll have a look at it, and we’ll sit down with you and talk about it.”

It also aims to offer people the chance to diversify. “There are a lot of actors out there who want to direct, so what we’re doing is we’re trying to encourage the crossover. We’ve also got, for instance, Aisling Mooney – she’s production manager at the Abbey Theatre. She’s directing a show for us and it’s her first time directing a show.

“The idea is to create a hub where people can experiment, and a safety net where people can fail as well – although we’ll try to steer clear of that.”

The renewed enthusiasm for creativity in theatre is not something Shiels is working on in isolation. Newer, smaller companies are cropping up; younger writers are becoming more urgent and experimental; and there’s a feeling of liveliness across the Irish theatre landscape.

But, he says, it’s still scene that has its limitations. “I don’t know what theatre you can approach and say, ‘I have an idea.’ In fairness, I approached Michael Colgan with an idea of a reworking of a play and he gave me the Lab for a week. . . That was something very rare, but at least he did it, you know? But I don’t know any other theatre out there you could approach saying, ‘I have an idea, here’s a play, see what you think of it.’ ”

After putting a call out for new plays, Theatre Upstairs is filling up its programme, which is currently booked until November. Jimmy Murphy’s Perfidia runs until July 14th, and Shiels says runs will be short – two weeks – unless audience demands dictate otherwise. Dearbhla Crotty will be directing a play, as will Don Wycherley. Gary Duggan will be directing a new play he’s written, as will Ken Harmon.

They’re starting with lunchtime shows and looking at 7.45pm slots to differentiate from other theatres. Shiels takes a loyalty card out of his shirt pocket: “See four shows and you get your fifth free. It’s just an initiative to give something back if people are going to come and support you. I love the coffee loyalty cards – I’m a whore for them!”

It’s such adaptability that is vital now, and Shiels knows it. “It’s like theatre back in the 1980s. You hear a lot of the lads and ladies talk about the last recession where it was, like, f***ing hell, you know you couldn’t get anything done, you had to do it for yourself. I’ve always said that if you’re not working for yourself or you’re not doing it yourself you’ve really no excuse . . .

“A lot of the smaller spaces are opening, which is great. The Viking out in Clontarf is doing fantastic business, you’ve got Dublin City Council with Ray Yeates [Dublin City arts officer] working with Nama and freeing up spaces and giving them to artists, so that’s fantastic. The people who are doers are doing. The people who sit around and moan will maintain that mentality. We’re not that. We’re doers.”

Shiels has had a busy year, filming Titanic: Blood and Steel in Serbia, a horror film called Stitches, and now his first Murphy play.

“I’ve done four meetings and I’m waiting on word on all of them,” he says about where he’s at currently, “so one will come in which will affect the other three, or none. It’s one of those things where the next few months of your life are affected by one phone call.”