My Weekend: 'We famously hold pizza nights on Sundays'

Tell us a little bit about yourself and your work:

My name is Valentina Gambardella. I am originally from Sicily, and 19 years ago I was sponsored to move to Ireland after my MA. What was supposed to be three months abroad became a life choice, and I have been living longer in Cork than in my hometown, Siracusa. When people ask what is home to me, I find it hard to answer, even though I never lost my thick Italian accent. I care deeply for this city, and I am part of its community.

I live with my partner, who works as an architectural photographer, and our – not so little anymore – son. We also have a cat called Doris and a rehomed Irish guide dog called Quilan.

I work nationally and internationally as a freelance costume designer for theatre and performance. For me, becoming a costume designer was not a straight road and only after an MA in Media Studies, I started studying textiles. When I look at my life retrospectively, it feels like I was always supposed to become a costume designer because it merges many of the things I love: human connections, stories and textiles.

Alongside my freelance career, I lecture at the MTU Cork School of Music, which I find very rewarding. I am also a board member of the Cork Theatre Collective and a committee member of the Irish Society for Performance Designers.

What is your ideal way to spend a Friday night?

I really like to attend live performances, so if there is something of interest in any of the venues in Cork, I would go for that. I sometimes drag my nine-year-old son with me; he is not too much into plays (yet!), but he enjoys coming to dance shows and operas. Other times the whole family has a cinema night, and we watch a classic movie together on the sofa.

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

Definitely lie-ins. We are a family of owls (dog included).

Does work creep into your weekend at all?

That happens quite often, to be honest. I think it is because of the nature of my work; when working in theatre, weekends or late nights do not mean much. I also believe most self-employed people would suffer the same curse, and it is hard to fully switch off.

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

I would love to see my family and friends abroad more often. I have family and friends in Poland and all over Italy: Florence, Turin, Rome, Palermo…just name it!

I really miss them, and if money and time were not a problem, I would bring my son and my partner and visit them all the time.

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

Myrtleville for a swim. Walk in the Rochestown woods. Coffee in the Marina.

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

Of course, we famously hold pizza nights on Sundays! I love feeding people, and people seem to enjoy my homemade pizza… Every time I take the flour out of the cupboard, my son asks: who is coming for dinner?

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

I like swimming, I regularly do yoga, and I enjoy a good book.

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

A bit of both. Signature dishes are homemade pizza and lasagne. A bit predictable for an Italian, I know.

We have so many places to eat out in Cork - where are your go to spots for coffee/lunch/special meal?

For lunch, I enjoy Bayou in MacCurtain Street, it’s affordable and also different from anything else, For something special, my partner and I like to go to The Glass Curtain. Coffee is a tricky one, I only drink espresso, and I am quite fussy – probably Delitaly on Marlboro Street.

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

We like to have people over and feed them pizza.

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

7.15 am and it’s a challenge each time.

Anything else you are up to right now…

I am working on a super cool show called Judy - End of the Rainbow, which will be at the Everyman at from the end of August. It’s a play by Peter Quilter and won a lot of prizes. It tells the story of the last months of Judy Garland, and it’s sung by Anne Jane Casey, who is a West End performer. I think it is going to be really special.

Breda Cashe and Pat Moylan will present the Irish premiere of Judy – End of the Rainbow by Peter Quilter, at The Everyman from Thursday, August 27, to Saturday, September 5. This Irish premiere will be directed by Conor Hanratty, with set and lighting design by Ciarán Bagnall, costume design by Valentina Gambardella, and musical direction by Niall Kinsella.
See: www.everymancork.com