A Question of Taste: Katie Holly, Cork playwright 

Playwright Katie Holly.

Katie Holly is a writer from Charleville, and is as ambassador for Cork County Culture Night, which takes place on Friday, September 18. 

On that evening, Katie will perform her short play, Pageant, with Irene Kelleher and music from Ceoltóirí Clárach, at the Schoolyard Theatre in Charleville. 

Tickets are limited due to social distancing.

Best recent book you've read and what you liked about it:

Lisa McInerney's 'The Glorious Heresies'.

The language is as rich as the story is compelling, and the characters are so well drawn that I felt like I had met them before, that I was reading about memories I have of Cork city.  

It's an incredible piece of work.

Best recent film:

I know it's an old one, but I watched 'Babe' recently (to cleanse the palate after watching two episodes of 'The Walking Dead' before trying to sleep) and I can honestly say it's one of the best films I know - it's heartwarming and lovingly created, with villains and heroes and characters who just want to get on with life.  

Best recent theatre show you’ve seen (perhaps in pre-Covid era):

It feels like a hundred years since I was in a theatre... I saw 'The Quiet Land' in Friar's Gate Theatre, Kilmallock, and it was a brilliant short play, fantastically produced, acted and directed.  

It went on to win the All Ireland One Act Festival and I feel privileged to have seen it.

Best piece of music you’ve been listening to lately (new or old):

A friend of mine recommended a singer songwriter called LP and a song called 'Lost on you', and I have been playing it on repeat for months.  

Haven't listened to any of her other songs (which I probably should).

First ever piece of theatre that really moved you:

Druid's production of The Walwarth Farce, with Denis Conway in the lead role at the Everyman Theatre - I couldn't stop thinking about the experience for days after.    

The best production of a play you've ever seen (if you had to pick one!):

Same answer!  I've seen subsequent productions of the play that never got to me as much as Druid's production.    

Tell us about your TV viewing:

Lockdown led me to comfortable, familiar TV that I had already watched - The Office (both versions), Parks and Recreation, 30 Rock, and Buffy The Vampire Slayer.  

I'm smack bang in the middle of Homeland and The Walking Dead at the moment, and I just finished The Fall.

Radio listening and/or podcasts:

Dermot and Dave in the morning, and Matt Cooper in the evening.  

I haven't really listened to many podcasts but I should... I've been meaning to listen to Alan Partridge's one.

What are your three favourite acting performances of all time in Irish plays? 

I saw Denis Conway perform Beckett in Schoolyard Theatre, Charleville and it was outstanding.  

Gareth Lombard in Year of the Hitchhiker in the Gaiety Theatre was amazing.  

Irene Kelleher in a play I wrote called Sharon (shameless plug for my own work - but she was fantastic).

Your best celebrity encounter:

I sat across from Maeve Higgins on the train once, and pretended I didn't know who it was, until I was awkwardly gathering my belongings at Charleville Train Station and mumbled that I was a “big fan”... absolutely mortifying! 

I don't do well in the presence of celebrities.   

You can portal back to any cultural event or music era – where, when, and why?

An abiding regret of mine is that I'm not old enough to have seen Elvis, Rory Gallagher or Thin Lizzy perform live, so I guess the late 1970s, early '80s would be my wheel house for two of those musical phenomena. 

My dad saw Rory Gallagher live in Cork, and I never hear the end of it.

You are queen of the Irish theatre world for a day – what's your first decree?

All tickets are free but all creatives and technicians get paid handsomely.  

Just get people in to the theatre, to have enjoyable, provocative experiences that get them talking to each other. 

I would also give Irish theatres an astronomical marketing budget - something akin to the theatre version of the Wild Atlantic Way.  

And finally, I would create open lines of communication between writers and theatre investors/producers/directors, as the only way to get new work produced is to create the relationships between the creatives.