News Archive

September 2010: Interview with Patrick Sutton

How did you get into this business?

I left school in the mid-1970s with my heart set on working in this business. I’ve been at it ever since, 34 years later!

Any notable famous faces who have come through the Gaiety School?

Colin Farrell, Don Wycherley, Eva Birthistle, Stuart Townsend and, of course, Genievieve Hume Beaman – straight out of drama school and in to Little Gem in The Olympia!

What’s the relationship between the school and the theatre?

We were founded by Joe Dowling when he was MD of The Gaiety Theatre – one of the great theatres in Dublin. Although we are now independent, we are close friends and [Gaiety owners] Caroline Downey, Denis Desmond and [chief executive] John Costigan continue to give us great support. For example, their Gaiety Theatre Scholarships is vital support in helping a young actor in training.

Isn’t acting a very difficult line of work to try to get into at the best of times, let alone in a recession?

For some reason, theatre always flourishes in tough times. Stories always need to be told, regardless of the weather. Quality live theatre is always going to find an audience. Competitive pricing is going to ensure accessibility.

Is there too much American and British TV on our screens?

Yes! Although when it’s good it’s very, very good. When it’s bad it’s horrid!

Is it possible to turn someone with no talent whatsoever into an actor, or do they have to have something to begin with?

There has got to be talent at the core. Training will nurture that talent and allow it to thrive.

Why do you think the late actor Mick Lally struck such a chord with the public?

Mick Lally was really honest and straightforward as an actor. His Miley defined a generation.

What would you be doing if you weren’t doing this?

I would be writing screenplays in Montana.

Who is your acting hero/heroine?

The late Donal McCann.

What’s the best play you’ve seen lately?

Without doubt, Death Of A Salesman at The Gate, although Joe Hanley as Fluther Good in The Plough And The Stars at The Abbey was extraordinary.

Anything else to add?

Minister Lenihan: invest for real in the heartbeat of this great country. Its writers and actors and painters and musicians and dancers are vital to the telling of our stories. Ireland without its artists and audiences? Pull up the anchor and let us drift into the mid-Atlantic and sink because we will stand for nothing. Let us not be remembered merely as the nation that bailed out broken banks.