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It’s tough enough being an actor – learning the lines, nailing the blocking, understanding plot nuances, working with props.
But add dialect work and it’s a whole other story.
That’s where Michael Toner comes in for “The Weir,” the Irish Heritage Theatre Company’s upcoming production March 13-29 at the Plays and Players Theatre.
“I can teach anybody the basics in three easy lessons,” said Toner, an actor, dialect coach and Irish Heritage Theatre Co. board member who is helping the cast of Conor McPherson’s spooky comedy sound authentically Irish.
Irish Heritage Theatre is one of two Philadelphia theater companies that produce work from Ireland, and both always stage shows in March, the season of St. Patrick’s Day.
Inis Nua Theatre Co., which draws more broadly from Ireland, England, Scotland, and Wales, will present “Can’t Forget About You” by Belfast playwright David Ireland. (Yes, that’s his name!) The show, a North American premiere from Northern Ireland, runs March 18 through April 5 at the Proscenium Theatre at the Drake.
How quickly actors pick up the Irish brogue depends on how much they study, Toner said. Just like learning a language, some of it is rote memorization, but it all hinges on lots and lots of practice.
Even if audiences don’t catch every word, “usually the context will give the audience an understanding of what you are saying,” he said.
So, what should an audience listen for (besides the dialogue, of course)?
Listen for inflection, the lilt and pronunciation of standard words.
And for syntax – the way a sentence is constructed that also reflects the Irish culture. For example, we might say that someone died or passed away last week. But the Irish have a different way. Instead, they’ll say, “`He’s dead now a week,’” Toner explained.
In Ireland, “you don’t speak of the deceased in the past tense. The significance of it is that the dead are always with us,” Toner said.
Toner said even though Irish accents vary by county, he taught the cast what he describes as a standard rural accent, appropriate for the play’s setting in a pub in rural Ireland.
“The atmosphere of the pub in rural areas of Ireland is a place where the whole community comes to meet and chat. They all know each other. They all live in the same town. They are all farmers. They’ve known each other’s families for 100 years or more,” he said.
In “The Weir,” the regulars are in the pub on a cold rainy night trading ghost stories when a “blow-in” appears. That’s affectionate Irish lingo for a stranger. She’s a young woman with her own story, a traumatic one.
“The warmth and camaraderie she feels there makes her feel comfortable enough with them to come out with her story,” Toner said. “It’s the acceptance of a stranger by locals.
“The overall arching theme is the recognition of each other’s humanity and the tremendous empathy that comes out of the characters’ [regard] for each other — how they listen and empathize,” Toner said. “They build to a big, big feeling of a wonderful sense of community and the love they have for each other.”
The love in Inis Nua’s production is a little different – a May-December rom-com with a twist.
“Can’t Forget About You” is set in a Northern Ireland café where 20-something Stevie locks eyes with 40-something Martha. Lust, then love abounds, but Stevie’s mother and older sister aren’t happy with the relationship.
The Guardian describes Ireland’s play as “rude, ribald …and raucously funny.”
Directed by Kathryn MacMillan, Inis Nua’s artistic director, the show also employs a dialect coach, Melanie Julian.
“The Weir,” March 13-29, Irish Heritage Theatre Co. at the Plays and Players Theatre’s main stage, 1714 Delancey St., Phila. 215-735-0630. On March 15, Plays and Players is also holding its annual Hooley with Irish music, food, and more from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m.
“Can’t Forget About You”, March 18-April 5, Inis Nua Theatre Co., at theDrake, 302 S. Hicks St., Phila., 215-454-9776.
