Maureen on plays, Harold Pinter, Present Laughter and Phantom

She and her younger brother Ray looked forward to this special treat. When the curtain went up Maureen was transported to a magical glittering world of theatre. She made herself a promise there and then that, some day, she would be on that stage.

In 1984 Maureen joined the newly formed Theatre 3 Newtownabbey – made up from the amalgamation of three local theatre companies Newtownabbey Theatre Group, Abbey Actors and Phoenix Players.

This was an exciting new challenge for Maureen. In the first year of the company she was cast in the role of Theresa in Remembrance by Graham Reid. The play reached the finals of the Association of Ulster Drama Festivals, which took place in the Grand Opera House!

The company won the Premier Award for Best Performance. Leading roles followed such as Mrs Venables in Suddenly Last Summer by Tennesse Williams, was to be staged in the Grand Opera House on the day which the beautiful theatre suffered terrible damage in an IRA bomb blast.

The Festival Final was quickly moved to St. Bart’s Church Hall, kindly offered by St. Bartholomew’s Church, Stranmillis, which was a blessing, but a far cry from the stage of the Grand Opera House.

She also plated Evie in The Gingerbread Woman by Neil Simon, Mrs Birling in An Inspector Calls by J.B Priestly, Mother Miriam Ruth in Agnes of God by John Pielmeier. As she had promised herself at the age of 10, Maureen had appeared on the Opera House stage in several T3 productions, thus fulfilling her childhood wishes.

On the sudden death of Theatre 3’s amazingly gifted Artistic Director, Alan Waugh, Maureen took on the role of Artistic Director with the Company, directing both full length plays and one act plays, several of which reached Ulster and National Finals.

The group represented Northern Ireland in the UK and All-Ireland Finals with plays such as The Rats by Agatha Christie, Plaza Suite by Neil Simon, The Dumb Waiter by Harold Pinter, Something Unspoken by Tennessee Williams, and recently Bench at the Edge by Luigi Januzzi, which represented Northern Ireland in Harrogate in 2019.

Of course these successes were due to an extremely talented small company of actors, stage managers and technical designers.

Maureen also established a Youth Drama Workshop for 8 – 18 year olds in Ballyearl Arts Centre in 2006 where an unbelievable number of enthusiastic and talented young people passed through, Some of whom went on the greater things.

As a mature student Maureen gained a 2:1 BA Hons Degree in Theatre Studies and Anglo Irish Literature from the University of Ulster 1n 1997.

Amateur theatre has become a very important part of Maureen’s life.

She has made many friends, who feel almost like family; and she would advise anyone to join a drama group – especially in these very difficult times when other pastimes are curtailed by the restrictions brought about by Covid 19.

The company continues to rehearse plays on Zoom. T3 Newtownabbey also arranges a fortnightly quiz, and on alternate Wednesdays, a play reading on Zoom.

Q. What is your favourite song?

A. Solitaire by Andy Williams. In 1974 I was a great fan of Andy Williams, and as a treat, after our fourth child was born, my husband organised a weekend in Edinburgh where we saw Andy performing in the Usher Hall with the Michelle le Grande Orhestra – What a treat! I loved it!

Q. What is your favourite film?

A. Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations. I read the book at school and loved reading of the fortunes and misfortunes of the characters.

I have, of course, seen different versions of the adaptation of the book, but I consider the first one the best.

Q. What is your favourite piece of classical music?

A. Vivaldi’s Four Seasons. I used “Autumn” as the theme of the play “The Lover” by Harold Pinter presented by T3 on the AUDF Festival circuit.

Q. Who is your favourite artist?

A. Michael Dunn. Michael is my son. He paints urban landscapes of Belfast and Edinburgh portraying three dimensional views of familiar city buildings, events, and scenes of natural beauty in Northern Ireland and further afield.

He also paints clever and collectible reproductions of the covers of music albums.

Q.What is your favourite play?

A. I have many, many “favourite” plays which sometimes change as I go along!

But the following is the most recent ‘A Bench at the Edge’ by Luigi Jannuzzi. “It doesn’t have to be what it is when you first go there; though it is what it is when you’re forced there.”

A play which thrusts the audience towards a hard look at their own sense of life’s challenges.

Q. What is your favourite musical?

A. The Phantom of the Opera. I have seen this performance seven times. I loved the music and the entire spectacle. I have taken my children and my nieces to see it.

They sat absolutely mesmerised by the experience. I am devastated to learn that after 37 years in the West End, it is to close.

Q. What is your most special moment in the arts?

A. The very first time I attended a London theatre performance - Present Laughter by Noel Coward. After productions I had seen in Belfast, everything seemed larger than life; Donald Sinden’s first appearance on stage prompted rounds of applause from the audience – before he even spoke!

The whole cast was brilliant. I laughed until I nearly cried. This wonderfully entertaining play revived my early wish to be involved in the theatre and on stage.

Q. What ‘classic’ just doesn’t do it for you?

A. Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller. Although I am a very big fan of Arthur Miller, this play just didn’t do it for me. I found it sad and depressing.

I left the theatre with a feeling of great melancholy and disappointment.

Q. What have you been reading/listening to/watching/revisiting during lockdown?

A. I am a member of a book club; the last book we read was “The Silent Patient” by Alex Michaelide. It is one of those books you have to continue reading, even when your eyes are closing!

I have also been reading “The Beekeeper of Aleppo” by Christy Lefteri - not finished yet - but a very moving, informative and heartbreaking account regarding the hardship and tragedy of asylum seekers as they try to make their way to a place of peace and safety.

I watched a showing on BBC of Casablanca – a 1942 classic piece of propaganda cinema masquerading as a love story.

The film was released in 1942 after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour.

Although the story was dramatic and heartbreaking, it was intended to propel a reluctant USA to enter WW2.