Tag Archives: Micheál MacLiammóir

“I started at the top and worked my way down.” — Orson Welles

It’s his birthday today. When Orson Welles was just a teenager, he traveled to Ireland. And although it seems improbable (perhaps not, because this is Orson Welles we’re talking about), he decided to audition for the newly-formed Gate Theatre, and … Continue reading

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“You cannot write and answer the phone.” — Irish poet Paul Durcan

God, I love this guy (born on this day) His poems are chatty, observant, scathing, often very funny. His poems sometimes have long funny titles: “The Divorce Referendum, Ireland, 1986”, or “Irish Hierarchy Bans Colour Photography”. He has a strong … Continue reading

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Happy Birthday, Orson Welles

Much of the Welles story is difficult to put together because he himself was such a teller of tall tales. You know, he went to Morocco when he was 16 years old and the hung out with a sheik in … Continue reading

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Othello (1952); Dir. Orson Welles

Made with his own money and with tremendous difficulties, Orson Welles’ Othello took two years to actually complete, due to money running out, and cast having to take other jobs, and all kinds of problems involving costumes, locations, and logistics. … Continue reading

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Celluloid and the Actor: By Micheál MacLiammóir

Micheál MacLiammóir, co-founder of The Gate Theatre in Dublin, has recently become of great interest to me – through my reading of Simon Callow’s marvelous multi-part biography of Orson Welles. I haven’t written much about it yet because I am … Continue reading

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