The Acting Out Podcast

In the last episode of the current season, Sean talks to Mark Power. Mark is a singer, composer and performer who has worked with Acting Out for a number of years. He co-wrote the music for the shows, The Equals and The Ref, and for the latter won the Hilton Edwards Award at the Dublin Gay Theatre Festival. With his band member, Ian Henderson he wrote all the songs for the musical The Paradise, which with the Ref was award the National GALA award for 2017 for Irish Arts and Literature. His band, Eden are celebrating 20 years working together and he talks about his early days in the music industry and how eden will be making their 20th anniversary.    

This episode features another monologue taken from 25/the Decriminalisation Monologues which won the National GALA Award for Irish Arts and Entertainment in 2020. It's the 1980s and Mark, having escaped to London from an oppressive family in Northern England, can't believe his luck when he meets Eamon, an Irish Hotel Manager when measuring him for a suit. A chance event leads to them moving to Ireland where they make an unlikely success of a guest house for LGBTQ people in rural Ireland. But their happiness is shortlived, and Mark discovers he has no real rights, when events take a tragic turn. The Special Friend was written and directed by Sean Denyer, and features Howard Lodge as Mark. It was originally performed as part of the Dublin Pride Festival 2018

Another monologue taken from 25/the Decriminalisation Monologues. A man looks back at his formative years as a gay man in Limerick and the events that forced him to accept who he was. The Number is written by Simon Murphy and features Trevor Austin as the man. It was directed by Howard Lodge, and was originally performed as part of Dublin Pride Festival 2018

This episode features another monologue from 25/the Decriminalisation Monolouges and is called Out of the Shadows. Written by Colette Cullen and featuring Paul Clarke as the man, we follow one man's journey through the incredible changes the LGBTQ community has gone through in Ireland, from being a criminal, through the AIDS epidemic,  to being finally able to marry your same-sex partner.

Welcome to the Acting Out Podcast! This first episode features an interview with Hward Lodge, the artistic Director of Acting Out. Howard tells us about how the group got started and some of the shows they have done, including,  25/The Decriminalisation Monologues, which will feature in this season. We end with a short extract from, I Know What You Are, which will be the main event in Episode 2. Please like and follow us if you want to be notified of future episodes!

I Know What You are is one of the four monologues featured in 25/The Decriminalisation Monologues, first performed as part of the Dublin Pride Festival in 2018 to mark the 25th Anniversary of the decriminalisation of homosexuality in Ireland. It's Ireland in the 1970s, and civil servant Moira is planning to go for a big promotion. But there is a problem. She is being blackmailed. Does she just submit to it? Or does she come out fighting? I Know What You Are is written and directed by Sean Denyer, and features Lesley-anne Reilly as Moira.