Theatre stars rush into Dublin, ready to rush out again

If all the world's a stage, the spotlight was certainly on the Leeson Street part of it last night as the theatre world gathered at the Burlington Hotel, venue for the 2000 Irish Times/ESB Theatre awards.

And from across Ireland and, indeed, the world, they had arrived for the party, with many prepared to be on their way out of Dublin almost as soon as the evening was over.

Harold Fish, director of the British Council, is off to London at 7 a.m. this morning to hear Peter Mandelson address the British-Irish Inter-parliamentary Group.

He said he was nervous as could be, not about that, but because he would be giving the judges' speech later in the evening - "and I hadn't been banking on that". He was there with his wife, Barbara Schliffke.

Also about to leave these shores for a spell is Patrick Mason, former artistic director of the Abbey Theatre.

He has just finished directing an opera in the Netherlands and is on his way to California next to direct the Hugh Leonard play Love In The Title. Leaving the Abbey, he said, was an "immense relief".

"I feel like I have my life back again," he said. "It was exactly as I expected it would be, as bloody and as messy, but also as fulfilling, but I think by definition it's a job that one can't do for too long."

John McColgan was there with Moya Doherty, both also about to take off for the United States. Riverdance opens at the Gershwin Theatre on Broadway on March 16th. Asked if he ever tires of Riverdance, he said, "absolutely not".

Michael Colgan, artistic director of the Gate Theatre, was in his usual ebullient form, talking excitedly of the news he got on Friday - that Anthony Minghella has asked to be allowed direct Play, as part of the Beckett series which is being filmed for RTE and Channel 4.

"Even though he is one of the busiest men in the movies and his agent said he was too busy and couldn't possibly do it, he said he particularly wanted to because it's his favourite play and he directed it before and has done a lot of research on it."

He added that he is going to London on Wednesday to see Neil Jordan direct Julianne Moore, also as part of the Beckett canon. Before that, he is looking forward to the opening of As You Like It at the Gate tomorrow night.

Ger Ryan was looking langorous as she sat sipping white wine and talked about her current project. She is writing a film script, but was keeping details to herself. "It's in the very early stages, but it's a new thing for me and I'm very excited about it."

She is still acting, though, and is appearing in a series starting on the BBC later this month, called Deceit.

Conor Nolan, of the Island Theatre Company in Limerick, said he hoped his company might pick up just one award, despite being nominated for six.

"If we get even one I'd be delighted," he said, predicting that if they did, it would be for Dolores Lyne's set design for the play Pigtown, by Mick Finn.

Martin McDonagh, whose The Beauty Queen of Leenane is returning to the Gaiety Theatre later in the year, was not in chatty form, preferring to pout and doodle in my notebook. An odd teddy bear resulted, with his signature and "You can sell this" scrawled beneath.

David Wilmot, actor with the Druid Theatre company, was keen to talk about his next role. Having auditioned for the part of the Covey in The Plough and The Stars, being directed by Stephen Rea, he has been asked to play Jack Clitheroe. Rehearsals for the play begin in April.

The poet Micheal O Siadhail was with his wife, Brid O Siadhail. He has just returned from a reading at the Royal Festival Hall in London, which he said was "packed".

"I'm just about to go back to England then for a month-long reading tour, which I am very much looking forward to."

Jim Nolan, who has just left the Red Kettle theatre company where he had been artistic director, was there with Trudi Hartley. He said he was working on a play for the Abbey, called The Temptation of Valentine Greatrakes.

Mick Lally was giving nothing away about Glenroe's future machinations, but he said he was very busy touring with Happy Days and thought he would be getting involved in a revival of Sive, in Galway in April.

Sorcha Cusack came down on the train from Belfast yesterday afternoon, with her husband Ian McElhinney. She has just finished a play about the life of singer Ruby Murray, called simply Ruby.

"Apart from that I'm looking forward to the opening of Stones In His Pockets at the Tivoli, where it will run for seven weeks," she said.

Eamon Morrissey said he would be starting filming on a new comedy series for the BBC in a few weeks.

"It's called Fitzers and it's about a very off-the-wall Irish family living in a house just on the Border. It's a smashing, clever comedy," he said.

Also there were Alan Stanford, Tony O Dalaigh, who is retiring from the judging panel this year, Art and Emer Cosgrove, Liam Cunningham, Francis Thackaberry and Marie Jones.