My Weekend: Jumping for joy as play hits Cork Arts Theatre

Pauline O’Driscoll brings her new play Jump! back to the Cork Arts Theatre from January 30 to February 3. corkartstheatre.com/event/jump-jan-2024/

Tell us a little bit about yourself:

Who am I? I am the squeezed middle, in every sense of the word! And I’m not just talking about my menopausal belly squished into the every tightening waistband of my jeans but emotionally and financially also. Yup, I am a middle aged woman caught between caring for my wonderful elderly parents aged 93 and 96 and my wonderful, but let’s face it, exhausting teenager aged 16 and twin tweenagers, aged 12.

My husband and I are both self- employed with all the ups, downs and uncertainty that brings. We have a teambuilding company aptly named www.teambuild.ie and I am a professional actor/writer/producer www.paulineodriscoll.com

I was born and bred in Bandon and am living back there again now having spent nearly two decades in the USA and UK. My husband is Irish, but born in the UK. We met when I was playing Maureen in the Beauty Queen of Leenane at the Haymarket in Basingstoke.

What is your ideal way to spend a Friday night?

My ideal Friday night would be feet up, doing nothing at all but the reality is that doesn’t happen until the laundry is done. We have a dryer but we rarely use it given energy costs these days so the school uniforms have to washed on Friday night if they are to be dry by Monday. Boring but true. In between loads we watch a family movie or catch up on whatever the kids are watching.

Lie ins or up with the lark, which is it for you?

Left to my own devices I’m-a-burn -the-midnight-oil,-I’m-on-a-roll-so- I’ll-pull-an-all-nighter-to-get-the-job- finished’ type of person. That doesn’t work when there’s a neverending cycle of basketball matches, hockey training, equestrian events though, so while I love a lie in, it rarely happens.

Does work creep into your weekend at all?

Absolutely, sometimes the weekend is the only time I have to get on with my own work of writing, researching, promoting, filming auditions, learning lines, applying for funding etc. My work is work, it’s what I do to earn money and to feel professionally and creatively fulfilled but as with a lot of self-employed people working from home I end up doing it whenever I can fit it in during what other people might consider their down time.

Are you working on anything at the moment?

I filmed some nice TV roles last year for The Dry (S2), The Tourist (S2), and Borderline which will be out soon and two leading roles in short films Poison and Mary’s Treasure will be screening at festivals so I’m looking forward to seeing those.

Meanwhile, I am back in rehearsal for my one-woman play Jump!? which I wrote and also perform. I premiered it at the Cork Arts Theatre last October and the audience reaction was fantastic. 

It’s a hilarious, taboo-busting, heartfelt comedy about hormones and the impact they have on women’s lives menstruation to menopause and everything in between. 

When you’ve been working on a script for nearly two years it’s really quite terrifying to put it out there, you’re not even sure if it’s funny anymore.

I’m thrilled to bits that Cork Arts Theatre have invited Jump!? back for another week-long run from January 30 to February 3.

On February 4 Karen Minihan and I will be doing a performance of Karen’s Extraordinary Ordinary Woman show in Bandon as part of Creative Bandon’s St Brigid’s Day celebrations. The show evolved from Karen’s book by the same name about 13 real-life West Cork women and their roles in the War of Independence and The Civil War. It combines a talk with songs and poetry given by Karen and then I perform a short play entitled Home Rules also written by Karen which tells the story of one of the women, Rose O’Connell from Skibbereen, who had two sons on either side of the Civil War.

If money was no object where would you head to on a weekend city break? And who would you bring with you?

If money, time and child care were no object, and recent volcanic eruptions aside then definitely I’d go to Iceland with my husband Sean, just the two of us, no kids. He has been wanting to go there ever since we first met. That’s the dream.

Closer to home, is there some place you like to head to recharge the batteries?

Dunworley Beach is my favourite place in the whole world (after my bed). My mum is from Timoleague so she’s been going there since she was a girl and has instilled her love of it in all of us.

I love to swim there in the summer and to sit is solitude looking at the waves in the winter. I find great peace there.

Do you like to catch up with family/friends at the weekend?

I spend most weekends with my immediate family and my parents but when I do go out it’s to the theatre or cinema.

Do you get to indulge any hobbies? Even as a spectator?

We have something going on every weekend. When it comes to the basketball, hockey and camogie I’m transporting, watching and supporting but when it comes to the equestrian events I’m more involved. I’m looking after three ponies at the moment so that’s full on because they need feeding and checking on every morning and night and then we exercise them every day also.

Entertain or be entertained? If it’s the latter do you have a signature dish?

These days, I find trying to think what to cook for on a daily basis bad enough without the stress of cooking a snazzy dinner for guests. 

When I had time, my signature dish was a gorgeous chicken, spinach and sun- dried tomato lasagne.

Where are your Cork places for coffee/ lunch/ special meal?

I love the burgers from Bun Bros in Wilton. Delicious!! If I am going out in Bandon I love The Perfect Cup for lunch and The Bayleaf Bistro for dinner.

Sunday night comes around too fast. How do you spend it?

Usually we are just at home watching telly. But if we’ve had enough of the kids and can’t agree on what to watch we leave them at it and watch something from The National Theatre at Home on the laptop instead. It’s so amazing to be able to watch such extraordinary theatre like Angels in America, Fleabag, Prima Facie, Hansard, Yerma, All About Eve, Death of England, Mosquitoes, without having to go to London.

What time does your alarm clock go off on Monday morning?

Our alarm goes off at 7am on the weekdays and 8am at weekends. My hubbie always brings me a tankard of tea in bed every morning.

I’m rubbish until I’ve had that first cup of tea.