Catherine Mahon-Buckley: Laughter at myself and laughter with people is the best medicine

'I live off very little sleep — three or four hours do me...my brain never clicks off'

Everyman Theatre Cinderella Panto director Catherine Mahon Buckley 3rd from left. Picture: Miki Barlok

Even after 28 years of directing, Catherine Mahon-Buckley still gets nervous ahead of opening night and this year’s Christmas panto at The Everyman was no different.

“You’re excited, you’re nervous, you’re anxious. There’s a whole mixture of everything and it’s almost like handing over this baby that you have worked on for the whole year,” says Catherine, who runs the Cork Academy of Dramatic Arts (CADA).