My Life with Geraldine O'Connell: I turned my home into a theatre

Geraldine O'Connell who opened up her garage for people in Cork to do theatre. Picture Dan Linehan

While Cork Opera House has long been an institution for theatre aficionados in the rebel county, there was a time when our humble home was the hottest ticket in town.

That’s if the reactions from our audience were anything to go by. It was 2017 and my husband Len and I had rediscovered our love for performing. After ambling into a drama class on Culture Night we were hooked. From that day forward, we participated in every clowning workshop and drama class in Cork which came as such a release

It was during an acting lesson run by the Gaiety School of Acting that we came across something referred to as the black box. This was for anyone who craved the space to experiment with a new performance piece. At 6ft by 6ft the area was small. However, the creative possibilities it offered were boundless. 

Len and I weren’t brave enough to enter the black box, but it inspired us in a way we never expected. The concept sparked an idea we hoped would bring happiness and confidence to other would-be performers. The idea was simple. We would create our very own theatre that gave people the chance to showcase their skills and talents in a way they might not be comfortable with on a big stage. It was at this point that we decided to convert our double garage into a theatre. 

Geraldine O'Connell who opened up her garage for people in Cork to do theatre. Picture Dan Linehan

This was not my first foray into community-based performing arts. Decades before, in 1999, I had been working in a hospital and day centre for people with physical disabilities. With this job came an opportunity to participate in a course in the Firkin Crane called older people and dance. Run in collaboration with the then Southern Health Board, the workshop had such a profound impact on me that I ended up working as a movement and dance tutor.

My plan was to bring the same passion and enthusiasm to this new project. We were going to treat this like any other community theatre. The only difference was the tickets were free and everyone was welcome to perform. 

I can still remember Len going into town and purchasing metre upon metre of black lining for the curtains. He fashioned some hooks in the ceiling for them while I took care of the sewing. We cleared the garage and constructed seats from old planks of woods, crowning them with cushions to make them more comfortable. The idea of creating a space where people could feel supported was very exciting to us. It was important to us that people considered this a haven devoid of any judgement or competitive element. For the next few weeks, we began ringing people to tell them about what we had planned. 

The theatre really took off. We enjoyed incomplete poems and amusing half-baked sketches. One woman in her fifties sang who had never performed solo in her whole life. In the decades leading up to this, she had always been in choirs. Now, for the first time in her life, she was shining all by herself. The theatre played host to an array of colourful characters. Some dressed as clowns with layers of alabaster white make-up coupled with a red nose. Others just wanted to share personal experiences, including one Lithuanian man who regaled the audience with stories about Christmas in his home country.

Geraldine O'Connell who opened up her garage for people in Cork to do theatre. Picture Dan Linehan

As time went on, people began to grow more in confidence and thought maybe, just maybe, "I can do this." Watching them flourish in front of our eyes was a sight to behold. The performances inspired a lot of our own work. Overtime, Len and I came up with a string of new sketches and characters. The air was filled with creativity and magic. At one point, it was like the space itself was generating ideas.

Len is a chef, so we were able to create a buffet in the kitchen that people could indulge in after performances. We coordinated this in such a way that people would bring salads, sandwiches, desserts, or whatever was needed that night. People brought their own alcohol but this never presented any issues. Everyone was there to enjoy the performances and that was the bottom line. Whether it was food or creativity, we were always sharing.

Every month we rang the same people until we had a core audience of regulars we came to know very well. You never knew who was going to walk into the theatre. We were delighted with the success of the theatre and the happiness it brought to people’s lives. The final curtain call came in 2019 in the months leading up to the Covid-19 pandemic. Luckily, the theatre was gifted another lease of life by my daughter Sarah who has since availed of the space to make short films and props.

Len and I continue to perform. We featured in a 10x10 play in Corks Arts Theatre and enjoy any opportunity to be creative. Creating our own theatre only reiterated to me the value of the arts in our communities. Len and I have no plans to reopen the theatre but we still look back on that time of our lives with fondness. Nonetheless, we continue to enjoy performing and look forward to what the future holds.