I am pleased and grateful to receive an Arts Act Grant to develop my screenplay, Amongst Wolves, about the adventures of a 6th-century Irish monk. The story explores the nature of monastic life, examines his struggle with his faith, and follows him on a dangerous journey across a chaotic and brutal medieval Europe to establish a famed place of learning in northern Italy.
Amongst Wolves examines themes of faith, sacrifice, and isolation. The story explores man’s vulnerability before the advent of the protective benefits of science and technology, the nature of time in a world without distraction and the idea of life with a purpose. When the world was hostile and barbarous, some men set out to spread learning and hope; this is their story.
The Arts Act Grant is provided by Carlow Arts Office who have been very supportive of my practice over the years. I plan to use the money to create treatments and pitch-decks in order to seek further development, or even production, funding from the likes of Screen Ireland or from independent production companies.
The play I wrote about an Irish film director, William Desmond Taylor, who was murdered in his Los Angeles home in 1922. Tinsel town of the silent era was thrown into chaos as the killer was never caught. The ensuing scandal remains one of the most notorious in Hollywood history. This show was first performed in 2014 and will be staged Taylor’s hometown of Carlow, Ireland, in the Fall of 2022 to commemorate the centenary of his death.
“She had turned 3, this chatty little girl, who was cute in both senses of the word, had eyes that matched Trevor’s jeep. The color of the Californian skies. She called him treasure. I have a picture of him carrying her on his shoulders; the sun sparkling through her party pink butterfly wings. “
Performing New Work in Santa Monica, California
My latest (and 4th!) performance at the Contemporary Irish Arts Centre, Los Angeles, was the most rewarding. The invitation to read a piece of poetry on the theme of memory at their “Time Before Now” event prompted me to write something new, something specifically for it. My memories of Los Angeles, the place I’ve called home on and off for 22 years, are coloured by a catalogue of loss. This was my opportunity to LARP Proust and go in search of lost time.
Marc-Ivan O’Gorman, Sheila McMullin, Jennifer Minniti- Shippey and Sarah Nevin
At this Poetry Ireland sponsored event, I was amongst actual poets and was introduced as such. A bit embarrassing. Was I a poet, and I didn’t know it? I demurred and disavowed this title, announcing I was not reading a poem but a testimony. I read a piece entitled ‘Losing, my memories of Los Angeles’ that addressed the abduction of my daughter, the death of my father, and the ending of my marriage. All this revolved around the death of my close friend Trevor Murray, who welcomed me to LA when I first arrived and whose 19th anniversary fell on the day of the event.
Not exactly a barrel of laughs. But I felt I addressed a subject that affects everyone: loss. I also attempted to avoid self-pity. I wanted to share the truth of my life in a city of sunshine and sushi, ocean breeze and swaying palm trees. All these things constitute my joyful daily experience of the city, but they are marinated in memories of bereavement and dispossession. The bitter-sweet reality is that the process of making memories accompanies the inevitable erasure of time. To make a memory, it seems, you must take a loss.
I’ve known actor-writer-director James Callis for over 20 years, ever since he came to live with me on arrival in LA in the early noughts. Leaving behind a stellar career on the London stage, including award-winning performances in plays alongside Bob Hoskins, and on the screen, as the universally loved best friend in the Bridget Jones Diary franchise, James was re-locating to take on the Everest of Hollywood. He would subsequently conquer the small screen with his unforgettable portrayal of Dr Gaius Baltar in the much-celebrated remake of Battlestar Galactica.
But James is also a writer and director, having co-written and co-directed the feature film Beginners Luck starring Julie Delpy. So it was no surprise when he told me he had embarked on recording a dramatization of his emergent novel Morpheus Descending. I first read the manuscript a decade ago and encouraged James to develop it as it embodied many of the qualities James displays in his acting; wit, playfulness, and a mastery of the dramatic flourish. The post-apocalyptic genre it navigates is also a world he knew intimately.
When James asked me to contribute to the project, I leapt at the chance. Having followed its path for a decade, I felt invested in what had now become a.k.a. Blackbird. Besides James’ virtuoso performance, he engaged the copious talents of many of his Battlestar cohorts, including Edward James Olmos, Mary McDonnell, Tricia Helfer and Michael Trucco. It was a thrill to be in such brilliant company.
The resulting work is a seven hour-long, sci-fi opera (almost literally as James had composed all the accompanying incidental and scored music) that was replete with penal colonies, intergalactic warring forces, clones, meta-narratives and identity crises. The next stage of this monumental work is being explored as I write this. Perhaps the ultimate form of a.k.a. Blackbird will be a serialized drama or published as the most epic audiobook in history. Either way, for me, this 2022 Space Odyssey has been the ultimate trip!
And so, my stint as writer in residence comes to an end. I never tire of coming home, but it’s extra special when there’s a creative job-of-work to do.
Writer-in-Residence, Marc-Ivan O’Gorman, at Carlow College, St. Patrick’s
Provincial Ireland often apologises for itself, and Carlow self-deprecates more than most; it is a place that aggressively hides its light under a bushel. The home of saints (Columbanus, Moling), and scholars (John Tyndall, William Dargan), it is a small but beautifully formed gem-shaped county that, in sporting parlance, punches above its weight. Picturesquely nestled between the Blackstairs and the Wicklow mountains, salved by the biggest of the Three Sisters, the river Barrow, my home county, also consistently provides the restorative tonic of natural splendour.
The work, too, was life-affirming. A central component of my writer in residence role was teaching writing, an activity I have participated in for nearly 30 years and one that enriches me. My diverse background working in theatre, film, animation and radio suggested focusing on ‘dramatic writing’. Not everyone is interested in screenwriting, and for a novice writer getting a movie made seems an insurmountable task, but many have aspirations to write for the stage or radio. My view is that the principles of dramatic writing are the same across the different media.
We examined writing for film, the stage and even animation. I also set my students a radio monologue assignment, but I discuss that in more detail in a separate post.
I want to thank all at Carlow College, St. Patricks, County Carlow Library Service and, of course, Carlow Arts Office.
I hope the experience for the writers’ group attending my class was as rewarding as it was for me to give it. I did get some lovely feedback, so hopefully, that’s an indication of how the programme was received.
“Just want to say how informative and fun it was, attending your class. The power and appeal of stage and screen captivate me more and more….”
Marlene
“Thanks a million, Marc-Ivan, for a wonderful learning experience.”
Noreen
“This will sustain me and give me the push to carry onwards and upwards.”
Gaye
“Marc-Ivan delivers a very interesting course. He is an excellent teacher and very helpful.”
Helen
“Marc-Ivan’s refreshing perspective seems to incorporate a multitude of views from world philosophy, theatre, cinema, radio and more to deliver an inspiring and informative learning experience every class.”
Ahmed
Carlow Little Theatre Society reading monologues produced by the Writer in Residence programme
Marc-Ivan O'Gorman 