Áine Ryan Interview
by Harry Conway
Áine Ryan is an Irish actor and playwright whose work has been staged across Ireland and the USA. Most recently Áine staged an award-nominated run of her original play ‘Paddy goes to Petra’ at the Brockley Jack in London during November 2022. Her next work ‘Kitty in the Lane’ will also feature at the Brockley Jack, this time with Áine in the main role as well as the writer’s chair.
How did ‘Kitty in the Lane’ come about?
It started with my BA dissertation at Goldsmith’s, it was titled ‘Daddy’s Girl: Irish Daughters on The Stage’. I did all this research on all sorts of Irish plays from so many eras, and it was shocking just how few, well-fleshed out female Irish characters there were in them. Even when you found female characters with something to them, their importance usually only came from being attached to some male character who actually drove the drama, most often their fathers, which led to my dissertation focusing on them in particular.
So few? Has this not been remedied with Ireland’s modernization over the last few decades?
You’d think we’d turned a corner there like we have with so many things, but there’s still so few female heroines who can really stand up there with the classic characters everyone knows. So that’s how Kitty got started, I wanted there to be this complex, flawed but powerful young Irish heroine on stage.
So what’s the play about, who is Kitty?
Kitty is a modern Irish woman, but she lives deep in the countryside and actually lives an incredibly isolated life. The play starts with her waiting to be picked up so she can go support her friend Salisha in a beauty pageant, but Salisha is only really her friend because they were literally the only two girls in their class at school, that’s how rural we’re talking! In Kitty’s world you don’t really have friends or relationships with people because there’s some deeper connection or understanding, you’re just so isolated you have relationships with the only people around.
And that goes for her home life as well?
Yes, but it’s a lot harsher there, there’s trauma. Her father’s dictated everything to her all her life but he’s now incapable of leaving his bed and she’s essentially looking after everything while he slowly dies. She had a strong relationship with her brother, someone she really loved and who was a great part of her life, but he’s died shortly before the play starts and it’s something that Kitty hasn’t dealt with, which just makes everything at home so much more painful.
So why doesn’t Kitty just leave?
A lot of Irish people did leave in similar circumstances! But for Kitty it’s complicated. She’s now taken over the running of the farm, it’s her responsibility. And she feels a connection to the land, it’s part of who she is, it’s her connection to her dead brother and all her family that came before. She can’t just leave, but staying isn’t good for her either.
Basically, the play’s about a lot of different things but they all come together in Kitty. This is her life, and these are all the bits that make it up.
A lot of the topics you’re touching on have a strong presence in older Irish works. Is this story set in an older era or now?
It’s contemporary, but I never wanted it to get bogged down in being set in 2020, or 2023, or 2018 or whatever. There are passing references to things like cameras and mobile phone coverage, but the point of the play is that it focuses on the themes I mentioned before. I want it to be about those topics, timeless topics, rather than just a single moment.
Finally, what’s the significance of the coming London production?
‘Kitty in the Lane’ has been performed in so many places, but I always knew its best nights would be in London. For this production I’ve got an amazing team, I’m working with a great director (Jack Reardon), and this exceptional venue I’ve worked in before with this wonderful setup, great sound and lights and everything. I’ve had this perfect version of the work in my head for years and it’s finally going to get to come to life during this run, which I’m really excited about!
Sounds great Áine, looking forward to it. Thanks for your time.
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