I see a lot of others have been doin’ poems as their responses lately; that’s pretty cool and I wish I had started this earlier so that I would’ve been able to write one up for my Dublin impressions. But, since I haven’t really opened my laptop until today, I’ll just settle with my usual feedback.

Hmmmm…Dublin. It simply seems like a city in Ireland to me. That’s not me saying that I don’t like it, because, trust me, I’ve had a right bloody blast so far just chillin’ with my new writer friends, exploring a bit on my own, and experiencing a wee bit of city nightlife (also done with my new writer friends). It seems like whenever I hear that somebody I know went to Dublin, they almost ALWAYS say, “Yeah, I went to Dublin; saw the Guiness factory.” This always struck me as odd because I didn’t understand what the hell could be so interesting about a factory that makes beer, so I figured I’d investigate. Damn. That place is a must-see. It’s like a big, highly decorated beer mall. They also give you a voucher for a free pint; needless to say, it was probably the best I’ve ever had and possibly ever will have again, and not just because there was a little shamrock drawn into the foam at the top.

The actor’s workshop was fascinating as well. I can’t say I’ve ever done such a dramatic set of warm-ups before playing a role in a film, but I suppose it all depends on the medium. If I was on set at another art-house production in Ithaca, waiting to be killed off in some eerie fashion (I die in most films that I’m in; call me American Sean Bean), I don’t think me going around like”ooooOOOOOuuuooooOOOOOuuuuu” would occur unnoticed. As for the play itself, I think what really struck me (and what hasn’t been mentioned as much) was the choreography. Not only did all the actors know how to operate every little movement of their bodies, they also seemed to be at one with gravity itself. Consider the part where Saemus’s suspender straps spring away as he bends over or the bit where Donal flawlessly pours the milk into Minnie’s cup. Nessa also mentioned today about how Donal was like a parody of Yeats, which I wish I picked up on while we were actually studying the play, because I can completely see that in retrospect.

In short, Dublin’s cool.