The Diary of a Tickle Pitcher

How do you write and perform a play when the call of the sea is so strong and Spring is in the air? Here is a little insight into how we managed to write, produce and perform Captain Wagtail in between salty adventures, dogs, boats, sculptures and general fizziness of spirit.

January 2023

On a gusty midwinter night two figures could be seen stomping around a hill in Cork, accompanied by a snuffling terrier and a leaping hound. The concept for a play crawled out of one of the ditches along the way and clung on to them as they tried to escape the seasonal blues. I’m the figure dragging the terrier, he smells terrible and treats me with a certain level of disdain. Katy has the hound Selkie, a rescue from Greece whilst she was living in lockdown on a marina cleaning up boats for the filthy old seafarers who had washed up there. Katy is the actual sailor. Her grandfather Dermot Ryan is a Kinsale historian and Katy is one of a handful of younger Kinsale born and bred who still lives in the town. She has travelled widely, speaks Mandarin and French, loves to cook and could probably sail a margarine tub given enough of a dare. She trains people from a wide spectrum of backgrounds with the incredible Sailing into Wellness program. She blows in like a frenzied whirlwind and on rare occasions curls up in a corner to nap after causing utter chaos like a wolf puppy with razor sharp teeth. When she is not at sea or living on her boat she spends time with her parents who live a scramble across an old stone wall from where I reside. Katy arrives bearing tea and snacks or bramble scratches on her visits.  

February

I am feeling both intimidated and intrigued to write a character for her. Although Katy may seem rather feral I know that she is a consummate performer with a rake of talent. I had an image of her crawling out from under a desk and licking a phone. That was all. To write Katy as Anne Bonny the Kinsale born pirate queen seemed fairly obvious. Anne Bonny became notorious during the golden age of piracy in the Caribbean. Both Anne and Katy are sailors known for their wild curls, beauty and recklessness. Katy was keen so I got writing in earnest. She scrambled down rabbit holes about clothing and culture in the Caribbean 1700’s and I delved into semantics and timelines. The title Captain Wagtail arose fairly swiftly while I was rummaging through slang from the 1700’s. A ‘Wagtail’ was a woman of ill repute and somehow that seemed fitting for our character. How would I bring her to life in 2023 though? Perhaps through another woman, one who is quite unlike our feral pirate, one who is an academic, anxious and uptight. My character finally arrives and we are in conversation.

March

I approached Yvonne Coughlan another Kinsale born and bred woman to direct us. Yvonne is an absolute gem of a director and has a sheaf of talents as she writes, directs and produces for stage and television. She is very calm, organised and reflective. Both Katy and I are like two fizz bombs, embracing everything wildly then wiping out in exhaustion. Yvonne brought her trademark zen to the team and suddenly it began to make perfect sense. She’s like a figurehead on a ship just calmly sailing along through choppy seas. The Kinsale Arts Weekend put out their open call and the theme for 2023 was Selkies- Women of the Sea. Our timing was perfect and we put the play forward for the programme.

April

Our first rehearsal weekend was in Dunmore East and was a maelstrom of food, chaos, ideas, laughter and grappling. Having two keen collaborators and a script that wasn’t set in stone turned out to be a blessing and both Yvonne and Katy added immeasurably to the final piece. There were moments of utter hilarity and others that plumbed us into the depths of despair. We could definitely see how it could transform into a very workable piece. Katy then heads off to Britanny to collect a boat called Stardog and sail her home. This isn’t her first boat but it’s the first boat she’s owned completely herself. We are mapping dates in our diaries, wondering where we can rehearse and trusting in the excellent creative flow that we have between the three of us. 

May

Both Katy and I disappear our separate ways to go sailing. Katy on board the Ilen sail training and I head to the west coast to meet a boat in Dingle. One of the lifts I gratefully received en route was from an enthusiastic older gentleman wo told me all about the rather varied and lively sex life himself and his missus got up to, trips to Berlin for BDSM dungeon action and all. Who knew Kerry was such a sexual hotspot? On board Aven I sail to Inis Mor and visit the epic sailor Fiona Belton who used to run the cargo boat back and forth to the Aran Islands. She offers to host a production of the play for the islanders in her wonderful workroom overlooking the sea.  

June

Yvonne is now heading up the local Kinsale Youth Theatre project and Katy and I join the steering committee. We have been offered a space on the main Pier road to use and it’s semi derelict but with some concerted effort we organise a Meitheal and start to sort the building out. Our rehearsals begin in earnest amidst the paint pots and chaos. Once the outside of the building is painted yellow it becomes a beacon for people to drop by so our rehearsals are being sweetly but regularly interrupted by locals offering us free sofas or projectors. I enroll some members of the local choir Kinsale Voices to join us for our upcoming three shows. The excitement is building and our first show sells out two weeks before the Arts Weekend. People are phoning us for tickets, elderly folk are complaining bitterly about online bookings, family members and friends are asking for seats.

July

Showtime is a few days away. Katy is juggling sailing commitments and I am finishing a sculpture for the Arts Weekend. The rehearsal venue is next door to a chipper. We are eating far too many potato pies. The second show sells out and we are in the Sunday Examiner taking ‘centre stage’ for the Arts Weekend. The pressure is on. We are getting messages from all over the place and the fear is kicking in. Two days before our opening night and our third show sells out. People are starting to ask for spare tickets on the local Facebook notice board and we are in the theatre venue which is a pub that is so old that it would have existed when Anne Bonny was born nearby. Negotiations with the owner are sensitive, she is very particular about the seating, lighting, levels of possible litigation. Even Yvonne is looking less zen than normal. But we are in it now. Our support crew are gathering round ensuring that we are fed and rested.

Showtime

Katy and I are in the back room, dressed, warmed up and bursting with nerves. We are surrounded by crockery from the B&B upstairs and small dangly lights and tiny breakable items and I am watching Katy prance about throwing air punches and high kicks and trying not to wince. We hear Yvonne welcome the crowd and we can hear them shuffle about as she ensures everyone can see. Finally, the lights go down, the sound of thunder and rain starts and Katy bursts through the door into the audience. They laugh, they gasp, they are dragged into our briny world and time warps delightfully in this ancient pub with a great story winding it’s way into life.

WATCH OUT FOR THIS SHOW IN 2024 as we aim to tour it further afield.

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