Ever since the impressive success of Disco Pigs, all eyes have been on Corcadorca, the Cork theatre company. So when its latest venture, Phaedra’s Love opened on Monday night, it seemed all of Cork had turned up to wish the company well. In typical Corcadorca mode they had eschewed a “normal” theatre in favour of a big, disused garden centre on Camden Quay, which designers Aedin Cosgrove and Mick Heffernan had turned into a self-contained world called Attica. Anybody thinking they could sink back in their seats and have a snooze was sorely disappointed as director Pat Kiernan had decided to let the audience wander freely around the set with the action going on around them.
Cork Film Festival director Mick Hannigan was there to check out the play and he joined Kino Cinema's Una Feeley, barrister Dave Holland and photographer Jan O'Connell for a pre-show pint. Monica Spencer, who is faced with the exhaustive task of co-ordinating the Cork leg of the Tour de France, entitled "Cork In Gear", was also taking a rare night off to be there. The Cork city arts officer, Mark Mulqueen, arrived with Denis Cotter and Bridget Healy of Cafe Paradiso, possibly the trendiest veggie restaurant in the country. Solicitor Catherine Kirwin was accompanied by Nick Daly of TCD's English department (on a visit to his native Cork), and they were spotted deep in conversation with Helen Moylan and Deirdre McCarthy from Meridian Theatre company.
Enda Walshe, who is currently adapting Disco Pigs for the silver screen, led the promenading audience with enthusiasm. Afterwards he chatted to Billy Forrester and Rory Morrish - a.k.a. champagne importers The Bubble Brothers - and if you weren't arranging to have cases sent round to the cast and crew, shame on you, Enda!