Hilarious, contemporary re-imagining of Shakespeare’s most famous speech – but from a mother’s point of view! A highly entertaining one woman show everyone can relate to whether you are a mam, were a mam, have a mam or know a mam.
Mon 26th Sept – Newman’s Corner House, Schull. (more dates to follow)
“MUST SEE SHOW”
“Wonderously inventive … hilariously detailed … life-affirming humour … consummately acted … wholly believable … most original riff on the Seven Ages I’ve seen. SEE IT.”
– Simon Jenner, Fringe Review
“Belly Laughed”
“Staggeringly Brilliant”
“Hugely Entertaining”
“Highly Recommended”
“Everyone Can Relate”
“MUST SEE SHOW… wondrously inventive, light-seeming yet plangent exploration of motherhood, grief, lust, heartbreak and flickers of joy….What O’Driscoll is master of is pause and sudden tangent. The surprise monologue, the hilariously detailed aside, the squirm of embarrassment, and the language of love and forgiveness and letting go. What O’Driscoll brings even more than the humour is the sudden abiding grief. And what she gets more than grief, is life-affirming humour, and what she gets most is utter exhaustion…. No she’s of a piece. This is consummately acted, wholly believable, the most original riff on the Seven Ages I’ve seen…. See it”
– Simon Jenner, FringeReview
“The audience hung on every word and went willingly on a roller coaster ride of emotions masterfully orchestrated by Pauline O’Driscoll…..a terrific show, funny, heart-rending and jam-packed full of relevance and social commentary…. a powerful, beautifully nuanced and mesmerizing performance”
– Denis Walsh, Listowel Advertiser
“a performance that brings her audience to shared spaces and the response is warm and welcoming for an engaging storyteller.” – Pat McEvoy, Arts Correspondent
Mam’s hilarious and thought provoking, take on motherhood, sexuality, grief, infidelity, ageing, love, lust and loneliness.
A new, laugh-out-loud funny yet poignant play starring Pauline O’Driscoll (Smalltown, The Young Offenders)
A female centric emotional roller coaster of a show that everyone can relate to whether they are a mam, have a mam or ever knew a mam. Audience reactions so far have been phenomenal. Read testimonials on Seven Ages of MAM FB Page.
Mam talks directly to the audience, reminiscing about her life as a woman, a daughter and a mother and reflecting on what has or has not changed across the generations vis a vis the role of women & mothers in society… and she has a lot to say.
Like Jacques, in Shakespeare’s “As You Like It” Mam divides her life into seven ages but puts her own spin on it resulting in an intimate, topical, relevant, bittersweet exploration of all that it means to be a mother. The highs, the lows, the frustrations, the joys, the sacrafices, the mistakes and the rewards.
“the audience hung on every word and went willingly on a roller coaster ride of emotions masterfully orchestrated by Pauline O’Driscoll…..a terrific show, funny, heart-rending and jam-packed full of relevance and social commentary…. a powerful, beautifully nuanced and mesmerizing performance” – Listowel Advertiser
“Oops, maybe I shouldn’t have said that” – Credit: Maciek Klich
Written by Pauline O’Driscoll & Mark Evans
Directed by Tom Kibbe
Performed by Pauline O’Driscoll
“Beautiful, so real and personal and intimate…… really great”
“Pauline holds her audience in the palm of her hand. She is a natural story teller and we just want more”
“Brilliant, I was lucky enough to see the development of this show at the TDC and at Cork Arts Theatre … it is a beautiful, well-crafted piece of theatre with a stellar performance from Pauline O’Driscoll. The audience join her willingly on the journey through her stages. I laughed and cried and next day took my mum to lunch. Go see it”
“Particularly impressive, funny and moving by turns …. completely connected with her audience …. excellence and originality”
“Thought provoking script, eminently served by a beautifully nuanced performance”
“Pauline O’Driscoll is such a powerful performer, with great physical and vocal presence, that her energy fills the space, carrying the audience on this journey that is both ordinary and remarkable at the same time”
“Staggeringly brilliant, I genuinely laughed and cried and felt it was written for me, but then looked around and saw every other woman in the theatre nodding in agreement too.”
Pauline O’Driscoll
Actor/Producer/Co-writer
Pauline is an internationally trained actress with over 27 years of experience in the industry. Although a native of Cork, Ireland, Pauline has spent much of her career performing abroad having trained and worked as an actor in both the USA and UK before returning to Ireland. She studied directly under the renowned Uta Hagen while completing a 3 year Performing Arts Course at the Herbert Berghoff Studio in New York. She went on to perform both on and off Broadway before moving to London to continue her careeer and earn an ALAM Diploma from LAMDA, UK. In addition she also has a Bachelor of Commerce Degree (2.1 Hons) from University College Cork and a Diploma in Marketing from the Chartered Institute of Marketing, UK.
RECENT FILM/TV CREDITS include: – TV3’s IFTA nominated drama series SMALLTOWN as Mary, the big – hearted and resilient matriarch of a rural Irish family opposite Pat Shortt; the straight talking but weary hospital consultant who tries to talk some sense into THE YOUNG OFFENDERS; Maureen in Alfonso Films PAT opposite Moe Dunford & Rosaleen Linehan; BUSMAN’S HOLIDAY with Jamie McShane (Bloodline)on Amazon; Det Insp Delahunt in the soon to be released Dublin based crime drama feature DREDGES.
SELECTED THEATRE CREDITS include:- Two different productions of The Beauty Queen of Leenane at Haymarket, Basingstoke and New Vic, Stoke-on-Trent; Easy Virtue, Chichester Festival Theatre; Lovers, Minerva Theatre, Chichester; Summerhill Parade, Lincoln Centre, New York; Loves Labours Lost, HB Playwrights Foundation, New York; Love Me Slender, New Vic, Stoke-on-Trent; Life Behind the Venue, Clinic Media/ Everyman, Cork and Project Arts Centre, Dublin; Goldfish in the Sun, Everyman, Cork; A Doll’s House, National tour of Galway Town Hall Theatre’s production; You Have it All Backwards at No Borders Theatre, Everyman Cork, Smock Alley Dublin, Engage Arts Festival and A Taste of Syria; Wallpaper; Dear Sister Anne and all at Cork Arts Theatre.
Mark Evans
Co-writer
As an Irish Examiner journalist Mark’s features have been published in Ireland, USA, South Africa & Australia. He has written a number of award – winning short plays: Oblivion, Fade to Black, 73 Seconds, Reverse Psychology and The Light Keepers. He had also written award winning short stories, the non-fiction book Inquisition and is the author of the Mrs God sci-fi novels.
Tom Kibbe
Director
Tom has had long and distinguished international career as an actor, director, producer, casting director, acting coach/teacher and as owner/artistic director of the Court Theatre in Los Angeles for over 20 years. He received a MA in Theatre Education from NYU. He has directed and produced plays in LA, NYC, London, Dublin and Cork. Tom studied acting at the Neighbourhood Playhouse in NYC and trained directly with Sanford Meisner, Lee Strasberg and Stella Adler in their private professional classes.
DIRECTING HIGHLIGHTS include: Faithful, The Odd Couple, both at The Mill Theatre, Dundrum; Deathwatch, Glass Menagerie, Stars Strips Forever, all at Court Theatre, L.A ; Seven Ages of Mam, at Cork Arts Theatre & Brighton Fringe Festival; A Thousand Moments of Extraordinary Pleasure for BAMM Productions at Cork Arts Theatre.
PRODUCING HIGHLIGHTS include: Public Enemy by Kenneth Brannagh, Dublin & L.A; Women of Mystery starring Gena Rowlands and Carol Kane written & directed by John Cassavetes, L.A, Red Kettle Theatre’s production of Kings of Kilburn Highway, Irish Arts Centre, New York; The Nualas, Irish Arts Centre, New York; Mind Games, The Ambassador, London. He brought Rough Magic’s Digging for Fire by Declan Hughes, Down unto Blue by Pom Boyd and the Fionnula Flannagan directed production of Away Alone by Janet Noble to the Court Theatre, LA.
For more information on BOOKING THIS SHOW for your festival or venue or if you would like a PRESS/MEDIA PACK including hi resolution IMAGES please contact us by email at pauline@paulineodriscoll.com