LITERATURE
room, as in the classroom.”
Revisiting the classics also refines McGuinness’s craft. “It’s like
a painter, you need to go and look at paintings. Bacon drained
Velasquez dry for his own art. It’s a wonderful example. This is
what artists do. They go and they find out how things work.”
However, he shies away from defining creativity. “I don’t know
what creativity is, or where it comes from, and I don’t want to
know. I think you cannot possibly make anybody a writer. You can
make them a reader. Good reading can lead to good writing,” he
offers. “There are things, I think, that it is very dangerous to have
too logical, or too pat an answer to. I do believe in the tangential.
I believe that things can come at you from the most unlikely
sources. I like embracing the unknown.”
Outside of academia, McGuinness is collaborating with
writers, actors and directors. “We are all collaborators, and one
of the great reasons for doing these versions is to collaborate —
with authors in the past.” His “big project” this year is Oedipus
at London’s Royal National Theatre. McGuinness describes
Oedipus as “this phenomenal, terrifying, heartbreaking play”,
which is set to star Ralph Fiennes as the tragic hero and will be
directed by Jonathan Kent. “My God, Sophocles — the demands
he makes of you,” McGuinness confides. “He puts you through
gigantic challenges.”
Putting himself through challenges is clearly something that
McGuinness, whose output is prolific, is fond of. He declares an
actor’s aversion to “resting”. “I’m a firm believer in work. I don’t
like slacking and I don’t like holidays. It’s not my way. My
definition of hell is a beach holiday.”
The sea, however, is something he is drawn to. Living in
FRANK McGUINNESS PLAYOGRAPHY
Booterstown, he is never far from it, and it makes perfect sense
that The Lady from the Sea is also on his desk. He is doing a
version of the Ibsen play for his frequent collaborator actress,
PLAYS Lia Williams, this year. The Stronger, the short Ibsen-inspired
• The Factory Girls (Abbey Theatre, 1982)
film McGuinness wrote for Williams to direct, was recently
• Baglady (Abbey, 1985)
nominated for a Bafta award.
• Observe the Sons of Ulster Marching Towards the
McGuinness relishes working in Ireland, and dismisses the
Somme (Abbey, 1985)
idea that it is any different to how it has ever been. “I don’t
think there is a new Ireland. I just think it’s the same old kip,
• Innocence (Gate Theatre, 1986)
wearing a new dress.” Even the notion of credit doesn’t strike
• Carthaginians (Abbey, 1989)
him as new. “Well, there was always hire-purchase. There was
• Mary and Lizzie (RSC, 1989)
always debt.”
• The Bread Man (Gate Theatre, 1991)
Looking forward to sinking his teeth into a new play for the
• Someone Who’ll Watch Over Me (Hampstead, West End,
Abbey Theatre in 2009, McGuinness certainly won’t have to
and Broadway, 1992)
look far for inspiration: “I think we are still the same, barbaric,
• The Bird Sanctuary (Abbey, 1993)
rather cruel, rather wonderful, shockingly generous, strange
• Mutabilite (Royal National Theatre, 1997) paradox of a place. I wouldn’t live anywhere else. As I say, I
• Dolly West’s Kitchen (Abbey, 1999)
embrace the unpredictable. That’s why I live here.”
• Gates of Gold (Gate Theatre, 2002)
• Speaking like Magpies (RSC, 2005)
Deirdre Mulrooney (BA ‘90, MA ‘91, PhD ‘98) is a freelance
• There Came a Gypsy Riding (Almeida Theatre,
journalist and author who contributes to publications including
The Irish Times and the Sunday Tribune, and edits the Arts page
London, 2007)
in Image magazine.
PAGE THIRTY TWO UCD CONNECTIONS
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