Delighted to say I managed to attend this WordTheatre zoom event last night!

 

I’ve been running the fan site for 9 years and have never managed to go to any of Damien’s many performances, due to my health circumstances, so this was very, very special.

Amazing night, incredible cast, knock out performances. It was ALL just WOW

I am rather overwhelmed by the whole experience, the performances, and perhaps most of the all Brian Doyle’s writing itself … beautiful, moving, evocative, powerful stories.

All of the actors were mesmerising. They did more than ‘give voice to great stories’, they brought heart to them, brought them to life… it was more than storytelling, rather creating a world for you to step into the story. I was utterly spell bound.

The experience was so very emotional. Truly.

My fave performances apart from Damien were by Jason George reading ‘Everything thinks That Awful Comes By Itself. But It Doesn’t’ and Philip Baker Hall reading ‘Mea Culpa’. Oh my god… his performance floored me.

Damien read ‘An Leabharlann’, which is Gaelic for library, partly in American accent (which Cedaring Fox afterwards said was very good) and partly in Irish. It was set in Connemara, Galway Ireland.  His performance, direct to the camera in a very closeup position, was magical and compelling.  It was a beautiful story and like all good stories should totally took me to another place, to a far away timeless world, a much needed escape.   and has given me an even greater appreciation of libraries!  Damien looked healthy and well, and said he was in Manchester, so still filming brassic 3.

You can read the story Damien performed here: https://agnionline.bu.edu/blog/an-leabharlann

My internet connection literally died about a minute after all the performances had finished, just as the actors were saying hello at the end, just heard a bit of Damien doing that (poop), so no idea if more came after that, but thankfully I caught the entire performances!

 

 Did anyone else manage to join?

I am no expert on a Galway accent. But I can say, unequivocally, that Damien sounded very, very, very good.

Very much so Ellie. Always, with whatever accent or performance.

I would be doing DaMo a disservice to focus on just his voice in this WordTheatre performance though (and all I have missed!) it was a fully embodied performance, or the equivalent facially, as it was closeup, and for all the actors, they truly performed the stories.

It has given me a new appreciation for acting in general actually, I mean in TV and film you expect and grow almost immune to it. This form of performance is so magical and captivating. Each of these actors brought something so special and so extra individually to the story. Just fabulous