Two countries, one play: inside the making of The Wake of Yer Man

By Eilís Ryan

When it comes to choosing a director for a play, it’s quite something to end up with someone who actually went to school in the town where the play is set.

That, however, is how it worked out for the Jersey-based and Rochfortbridge-born playwright Yvonne Heavey, whose exciting new play, ‘The Wake of Yer Man’ is being directed by Mullingar man Daniel Egerton.

“I originally came on to the play not as a director, but as a dialect coach,” said Daniel this week, as production moves into its final stages, ahead of the March 17 première at the Jersey Arts Centre.

“The group over there, they were all Jersey-based or British actors, really. And some of them had kind of Irish heritage, but most were struggling with this midlands, Westmeath accent. So Yvonne contacted the Arts Centre here and got in contact with Sean Lynch, and Sean suggested that I go over and be a dialect coach.”

That proved a propitious decision, as Yvonne found her new team member wasn’t just a Mullingar man, but a past pupil of St Joseph’s in Rochfortbridge – her own old alma mater. It became clear from early on that not alone were two linked by location and history, but by vision also, and thus it wound up that Daniel was the ideal person to direct the play.

Putting the bid for perfection ahead of practicality, Daniel and Yvonne then found themselves revisiting the question of casting and selecting six Westmeath actors (Katie Purdue, who plays Polly; Elisa Caña, who plays, Nancy; Alannah Looby; Meadhbh Hughes; Clare Egan Mick Gilmartin) to join the production and take on some of the lead roles – meaning that the rehearsals have been taking place in two countries, with cast members having to work via filmed run-throughs.

“It’s been like stitching two halves of a quilt together,” Daniel says. “I’d rehearse scenes there, film them, send them back to the Irish cast. Then work with the Irish cast here, and go back again.”

The Wake of Yer Man is a comedy, and audiences here will get to see it six weeks after its Jersey performances as it is booked in for a two-night run at Mullingar Arts Centre on May 1 and 2.

Set in Rochfortbridge, which has been pseudonymised to ‘Derry Beg’, the play strives to provide an authentic vision of the Ireland of its time – 1996. Locals will recognise their town through references such as mention of the Yellow Rose Café and subtleties such as the fact that the 14-year-old character Polly – through whose eyes we are seeing that world – is attired in the uniform of St Joseph’s.

“We didn’t want diddly-idle Ireland,” Daniel says. “No fiddles and tin whistles for the sake of it. Polly wouldn’t be listening to The Dubliners before bed. She’d be listening to Oasis, the Manic Street Preachers, Radiohead. That’s the world.”

The story centres on Nancy, a frenetic, theatrical 1990s housewife with eight children, among them, Polly. It opens with a supernatural jolt – a Ouija board, whispers of spirits – before settling in to the rituals of a wake for a neighbour.

It being a wake, obviously religion features, but there is no condescension or sneering in the way it is treated; this is no parody of Irish life: “We were very clear,” Daniel says. “We’re not taking the piss out of Irish culture or religion. Everything the characters believe in is real to them.

“The way they talk about Jesus, it’s like he’s another person they know. That’s how embedded it was.”

Parts of it are way beyond the experience of the Jersey cast members, including the fact that funerals here take place so soon after a death.

“And they couldn’t get their heads around sitting in a room with the body,” Daniel laughs. “But I said, ‘don’t hype it. Don’t play it for laughs. Just play it truthfully. The strangeness will speak for itself’.”

For Daniel, one of the greatest pleasures has been shaping a new work alongside its author.

“There’s no frame of reference,” he says. “There’s no ‘correct’ way to do it. The script we started with is unrecognisable now.”

Scenes have been cut, added, rewritten. He pays special tribute to Yvonne for her flexibility and speed, marvelling at how she can return overnight with a fully realised scene.

He also describes her as being a “master” when it comes to writing dialogue. The dialogue, he believes, is the play’s great strength.

“She has such a knack for how people speak. There’s a line – ‘You dirty-looking eejit’ – and I thought, that’s my mother on the page. Everyone will recognise something like that.”

With phrases like that, for authenticity, much hinges on the accent and that of Westmeath, he insists, is deceptively difficult.

“The starting point for a lot of British actors is either Dublin or leprechaun,” he says. “Or they go pirate with the Rs.”

He recorded lines for the cast in a neutral tone, breaking words down syllable by syllable. The soft T – ‘butter’, ‘water’ – became a particular focus.

“It’s about where the sound sits in the mouth,” he explains. “But then, at some point, you have to forget the accent and focus on the character.”

Daniel’s own journey into the word of drama is built on rock solid credentials. After finishing school in Rochfortbridge in 2013, he auditioned for drama schools in Dublin and the UK – and found himself in the enviable position of having a choice.

He chose the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in London, and with the advantage of a scholarship from Andrew Lloyd Webber that covered his full three years, he studied musical theatre.

“I was very lucky,” he says. “I have friends in the UK now riddled with student debt. To have avoided that was huge.”

Now based back in Mullingar, Daniel describes his career as a “patchwork” of acting, directing and teaching. He works extensively with the local arts centre, teaching stage school classes and offering one-to-one coaching for aspiring drama students. He is proud that last year, every student he coached gained entry to drama school.

“I feel very privileged to help them,” he says. “And I think directing and that kind of coaching go hand in hand.”

Daniel is confident that this is only the start of what is going to be a long success story for The Wake of Yer Man.

There is talk of further dates in the UK, possibly through Irish cultural centres, though nothing is confirmed.

“Nothing is set in stone as of yet, but we are thinking that this is not a one-off. This is definitely going to go somewhere, and we’re not gonna let it sort of slide.”

The first two performance in Jersey have been sold out for months. The theatre schedule meant they could not slot in another evening – but the idea took hold that a late matinee might work, and off the bat, a third of the tickets for that sold out.

“Yvonne’s marketing and her pushing the show has been, like… It’s been phenomenal. She’s one of these women she does not stop,” says Daniel, who is bowled over by her passion for what she does.

“She’s unbelievable: I get emails off her every day, voice notes and everything, different ideas, different things in the pipeline. She’s already writing her next play.”

That energy is being matched by the enthusiasm of the actors, who despite being in two different countries, are bringing great commitment to the play.

When the cast arrive in Mullingar for the May performances, many will be seeing the midlands for the first time.

“They feel like they already know it,” Daniel says. “We’ve told them so much.”

Seán Lynch of the Arts Centre wins great credit for his role in helping make the play happen: it’s not just that he suggested Daniel for the role of voice coach, and he booked the show in for two nights in Mullingar. He is in fact co-producer of the play, and the intention is that even the physical production will be been mirrored. Sets and props built or assembled in Jersey are being recreated in Mullingar, down to kettles and plates of sandwiches.

Daniel is thriving on the excitement: “It’s been non-stop since November,” he says. “But it’s been one of the most joyful processes I’ve ever worked on.”