On the Town: A performance of Melody, a lunch-time play by Deirdre Kinahan and produced by Tall Tales Theatre Co, marked the opening of the Lab, Dublin City Council's new arts building.
"It's the first public performance in the place," said Jack Gilligan, the city's arts officer, who stood at the door to welcome visitors. The building stands on the site of the once notorious red-light area on Dublin's northside known as the Monto.
"I've always envisaged that we'd have some small-scale productions here," said Gilligan. "We have 30 seats today but you could have up to 80 seats here." The €7 million development, combining a dance centre and an arts centre, comprises six dance studios, four work spaces and a two-floor gallery space. It is situated at the junction of Foley Street and James Joyce Street in Dublin 1.
Among those who attended the opening were actor Jim Roche, from Wexford, who stars in the Dublin Fringe Festival in a play called The Blue Ointment next month. Roche has just finished playing a coalminer in the film Lassie, which was recently completed here. Other actors in the film include Peter O'Toole, Samantha Morton and John Lynch.
Also at the opening on Tuesday were actors Ita Fitzmahony, Dublin-based Tuula Voutilainen from Helsinki and Chia-Hsin Chou from Taiwan. Mary Dowling, of the Dublin Shakespeare Society, the amateur theatre company which celebrates its centenary next year, was also there.
Kinahan, who lives near Navan, Co Meath, said the play is likely to tour next year, possibly travelling to Australia. Melody "is about two lonely souls looking for love," she said, looking in at the two actors - Steve Blount and Maureen Collender, as they prepared to play out the story of Kathleen Hill and William Kane.
Melody, an hour-long romantic comedy, finishes at the Lab today, 1pm