Irish leader is set to rise and fill the stage in “Michael Collins—A Musical Drama” and they’re looking for the right star with a special set of skills.
Are you 26-31 years of age and at least 5’11” tall? Better still, do you talk with a West Cork accent? Then you might be interested in auditioning for the part of General Michael Collins in the relaunch of Bryan Flynn’s stage production of Michael Collins—A Musical Drama.
The play hasn’t been performed since playwright Flynn’s tragic death in 2014 from cancer. The play will be presented by the Coolmine Musical Society and will be performed at the Draiocht Theatre in Blanchardstown, Dublin.
The Independent is reporting that director Pat McElwain is looking for the perfect actor to play Collins.
“Bryan was very protective of his work and rightly so,” says McElwain. “His wishes on the lead character of Michael Collins are specific and we are endeavoring as best we can to follow them. This is why we are putting out a nationwide call-out to actors to contact us if they are interested in the role. Auditions will start at the end of this month, so time is of the essence. Michael is a challenging role which requires a big tenor voice and a broad acting range. The rights-holders also insist that the performer playing Collins has a ‘playing age’ of 26 to 31 years, and that he is at least 5-foot 11-inches tall.”
McElwain added two daunting must-have qualifications, “The actor has to have a real physical presence on stage and have a whopper of a voice.”
The play takes place in the turbulent period between 1917-22 against the backdrop of the War of Independence, the Treaty negotiations of 1921 and the beginning of the Civil War in 1922. Of course, part of the musical will include the triangle love affair between Collins, his fiancée Kitty Kiernan, and top Republican firebrand Harry Boland.
The part of Collins was originated by Meath actor Killian Donnelly who is currently starring in the part of Jean Valjean in the London West End production of the smash hit Les Miserables.
If you’re interested in auditioning for the part of Collins, contact [email protected] before next Sunday, May 27th.
* Dermot McEvoy is the author of the The 13th Apostle: A Novel of Michael Collins and the Irish Uprising and Our Lady of Greenwich Village, both now available in paperback, Kindle and Audio from Skyhorse Publishing. He may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him at www.dermotmcevoy.com. Follow The 13th Apostle on Facebook.
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