My first professional production. I will never forget the terror when reality struck and the designs had to be transformed from drawings and models into the real thing. Much of the research for the set was done among the crumbling tenements that were being demolished in Edinburgh at the time. And which were markedly similar to Dublin slums. A great deal of effort was given to making the crumbling textures as real as
possible . The argument that audiences do not notice minute detail in a setting is a myth. Not only are they confronted with the set over a long time span, but also those that are close can be very close indeed.
It was a huge privilege to be able to work with such a distinguished company on my first professional production.
Richard Eyre was at the beginning of his career in 1968 but everyone new then that he would do great work.
