Question of Taste: Cork actor Catherine Walsh picks her favourites
Catherine Walsh. Picture: Dan Linehan
Catherine Walsh is an actor from Friar's Walk in Cork, and plays the role of Madge in the production of Philadelphia Here I Come, opening on Tuesday, October 5, at Cork Opera House. Walsh has four siblings, one of whom, Eileen Walsh, is also an actor. "Two actors in one family might come as a surprise but we grew up with uncles and aunts who loved singing, storytelling, writing poetry and plays," says Catherine.
The Apple Family: Scenes from Life in the Country. It's a selection of plays by Richard Nelson. Over lockdown, three of Richard Nelson's plays were performed over Zoom, a pandemic trilogy. The Apple family of Rheinbeck, New York, gathered to share meals and weather the storms. I enjoyed watching these plays so much that I put them on my list for Christmas presents.
Nomadland with Frances McDormand. I love her as an actor and in the film she is just so vulnerable, spirited and determined.
Druid's The Seagull. Live and outdoors! The play was performed in Gort in the beautiful setting of the gardens of Coole Park. My sister Eileen played Isabelle Desmond and alongside a stellar cast, in beautiful surroundings, it really was a pleasure to watch, not to mention a very welcome and much-needed return to live theatre.
Joshua Radin's Simple Times. It's my go-to album for destressing and chilling out.
When I first went to Dublin in 1987 I worked as an ASM [assistant stage manager] at The Gate and I was lucky enough to see their production of Juno And The Paycock before it headed to New York. The cast of that show included the late Donal McCann, whose performance was spellbinding and he was supported by the fantastic John Kavanagh and Geraldine Plunkett. That same year, as an 18-year-old taking part in the National Youth Theatre, I saw Druid's production of Tom Murphy's Whistle In The Dark and that was the first time I experienced Druid's intensity and Tom Murphy's powerful writing.
Jerusalem by Jez Butterworth, starring Mark Rylance. I liked Mark Rylance as an actor before I saw the play... but after seeing his performance I found myself blown away by his presence, his intensity and the infectious joy he radiates on stage.
The pandemic meant I was able to binge-watch Schitt's Creek with the amazing Catherine O'Hara and the French show Call My Agent. I also enjoyed the docuseries, The Last Dance which chronicled the rise of basketball superstar Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls.
I love listening to podcasts like This American Life, The West Cork Podcast and a podcast called Dead Eyes. This last podcast by Conor Ratliff is about how Tom Hanks fired him from a small role in Band Of Brothers.
Donal McCann in The Gate's Juno and The Paycock in 1987; Frances McDormand in A Streetcar Named Desire at The Gate in 1998; and Mark Rylance in Jerusalem in the West End, London in 2009.
Rehearsal rooms have their advantages, especially when it comes to meeting world-class writers. During Bailegangaire in 2014 I got to meet every actor's favourite writer, Tom Murphy. In 2004 I performed in Dancing At Lughanasa, directed by Joe Dowling at The Gate, and during those rehearsals I had the pleasure of meeting Brian Friel. On the opening night of that show I was introduced to Seamas Heaney. Giants among men.
I would travel back to the opening night of Death Of A Salesman in New York in 1949. It must have been astonishing to be a member of the audience that night. To experience that play for the very first time, hearing those words spoken and being unaware of where the play would take you and how the play would end. I would love to have seen the original set, representing the inside of Willy Loman's head. The set and the play itself was groundbreaking.
