Irish thespian Mary-Frances Doherty relates Kolkata to The Tale of Two Cities

 Irish theatre actor Mary-Frances Doherty shares the experience of her 3-week residency in the city, and why she relates Kolkata’s narrative to The Tale of Two Cities
Belfast-based thespian Mary-Frances Doherty
Belfast-based thespian Mary-Frances Doherty

When acclaimed Belfast-based thespian Mary-Frances Doherty circled in on Kolkata for her 3-week residency, she probably wasn’t ready for the overpowering melange of culture that awaited her here. Any visitor will tell you that this city is very different than advertised, and we don’t blame Mary for being struck by the multiplicity of experiences it has to offer. Mary quite rightly terms her time here as ‘overwhelming.’

The Northern Irish actor has been been involved with the stage for decades now, and is a huge part of the contemporary European collective creation movement. She is the creative director of Ireland’s leading devised theatre company Curious Doings. Devised theatre has a strong focus on breaking the fourth wall, and a lot of the action actually comes from outside the script. Just imagine an extensive, but better crafted improv session on stage, and you’ll know what we’re talking about.

Mary also does solo shows and has worked professionally all over the world from New York, to Germany to Malaysia. One of her most celebrated performances is a solo act, titled Katie’s Birthday Party, which explores the notions of childhood and adolescence. The 35-minute play has taken her across the globe and has been recognized at a number of international theatre festivals. Mary, who’s also a theatre-maker, is on her first trip to this country - she’s here on a residency with ThinkArts supported by Arts Council of Northern Ireland and British Council Northern Ireland.

Besides conducting workshop with young artistes, children, studying the theatre scene up close, and soaking up the contrasting fragments of the cityscape, Mary also put on a show at the Kolkata Centre for Creativity on Thursday, January 31. We caught up with the busy thespian, just a few hours ahead of her show, and had an engaging chat over coffee.

<em>Belfast-based thespian Mary-Frances Doherty</em>
Belfast-based thespian Mary-Frances Doherty

How has the residency here been treating you?

It’s been amazing. I’ve worked with some local artistes and been to quite a few stage shows. The idea was to create something based on my experiences in Kolkata. And that was quite a challenge to come up with in just 2 ½ weeks. And I’m still trying to process the whole experience. But it’s been incredibly diverse, you know? Today’s show, for instance, is a solo act by me, but it features inputs from artistes and children I’ve engaged  with during my residency. I ask them questions and engage with them, and use my experience of working with them in my performance.

Is there a moment that stood out during your time here?

It’s been wonderful, but I’ve also been somewhat shocked. I had heard a lot about the city. And recently I was standing on the streets, and I had some children come up to me, asking for money. And nothing quite prepares you for that, you know? Because no film can quite tell you what it’s like at the moment, if you have never experienced this yourself. There are some parts of the city that are so beautiful and have so many colours, and then there is decay too. It’s really like witnessing a tale of two cities. And for someone who grew up in a farm in Northern Island, with just green all around, and not many people about, this is overwhelming.

Can you tell us about the form of contemporary theatre you pursue?

I’m mainly involved with devised contemporary theatre, as part of Curious Doings, and also for my solo acts. We do not have a playwright or even a script. It’s really based upon the ideas of whoever is involved. We take those ideas and create performances out of them. There’s a lot of talking directly to the audience, playing around the fourth wall. We also use lots of objects and props that can represent different things and people.

You worked with young artistes here, and have witnessed the theatre scene up close. What has been your takeaway?

I did some workshops with some young actors. We created some new material, but it was not for public, it was just for us. I also interacted with some children. I saw three Indian plays, one was in Bengali. The other was in Bengali, English and Hindi, and the other was just in English. There’s such a strong vein of storytelling in the theatre here. The range of languages also make it fascinating. There’s also a lot of emotion, it’s very expressive and big, in terms of performances. And I think both here and in UK, we really have a diverse range of theatre now.

Why Kolkata?

Well… (laughs). It’s the cultural centre of this country! I’d never been to India before, and I’d heard it’s very vibrant. And I also knew there was this range of creative activities happening here. I also met Ruchira Das, the founder of Thinkarts in Edinburgh in 2016, and I was really interested in the work that she was developing here. And we later connected and emailed back and forth..

<em>Belfast-based thespian Mary-Frances Doherty</em>
Belfast-based thespian Mary-Frances Doherty

Tell us a little about Katie’s Birthday Party, and its format.

It’s about a young girl who’s transitioning from a primary school in a small rural area to a secondary school in a big city. She goes from having one teacher to having 12 teachers, she leaves all her friends behind, and she has these changes in her classroom, and has to deal with so many different subjects too. So, during the course of the performance, the audience sits in a circle - they are Katie’s guests at her birthday party. Katie plays a game of Truth or Dare with them. She engages with them, asks them questions and gets them to play along and it is during the course of the game that she reveals what she has gone through.

Theatre as a profession can often turn out to be unsustainable. When did you know you wanted to pursue it full-time?

I started working with local theatre companies as a teenager. I did drama in school, and then I went on to train at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. I think I knew when I was 13 or 14 that this is something I really want to do. And I have definitely been lucky that I’ve been able to do it full-time. Also, it works for me as I do a wide range of projects. Personally, I see myself as a theatre artiste and a practitioner, because I write, I perform, I direct. I work with a lot of youth companies, as well as established professional ones. So, that really lets me be creative and allows me to actually make a living out of it.

Is there something you’re yet to experience in the city?

I’m yet to see the Kali temple. And I’ve really wanted to go, but I just couldn’t fit in the time.

<em>Belfast-based thespian Mary-Frances Doherty</em>
Belfast-based thespian Mary-Frances Doherty

Who’s your favourite actor?

I love Nicole Kidman, she’s quite versatile… I love all the films she’s been in. Especially Moulin Rouge and she’s good in Big Little Lies too.

You’ve worked with children, but theatre is not something parents usually choose for their kids, to perform or to experience. How important do you think it is that they do?

I think it’s vitally important that children experience theatre. There’s been research being done in the UK and around the world about how the theatre impacts a kid’s life if they are introduced to it at a young age. You get to see people’s stories so closely and you get to understand so much that you haven’t known before. It makes you understand people, why they act the way they do…. I think that’s terribly important for kids. Which is why I really try to make good quality theatre for young people because they deserve to hear challenging stories.

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