Interviews

Name: Michael Stone
Title: Chair - DU Players 2015/16
Trinity Degree: Senior Sophister, Economics & Psychology

Image: DU Players committee receiving the Best Large Society Award at the CSC Ball 2016

Tell us about how you got involved in DU Players?
I was a member of Players in first year but I was only loosely involved - first year can be a challenge like that! I got involved in Players in my second year when I performed in a show as part of Freshers’ Fest. This festival takes place in the first half of Michaelmas Term and all shows have casts of Freshers’ - students who haven't been involved in the society before - as in my case - as well as first year students.  I was in a play called Chatroom by Enda Walsh, which was about the dangers of online chatrooms. It was all the more fun for how outdated it was in a world of social networking.

As society Chair what did you achieve in 2015-16?
I've just finished my term as society Chair. One of my key plans for the year was to welcome people into the society and the theatre building, to enable them to gain new skills and make new friends. We worked on our Introductory Programme (PIPs) to invite people other than actors to learn about the theatre world in aspects of technical theatre and design, as well as playwriting, direction and production. It was a great success and those who've completed the programme have gone on to present full length shows with the society.  

What has been your biggest achievement so far (in your role as Chair of the society)?
At the beginning of my term we hosted the Irish Student Drama Awards Festival in four theatres around the city with ten colleges presenting twenty shows in a week. It was a phenomenal occasion and it was wonderful to see so many like-minded people descending upon the city consuming theatre and enjoying the festival.

Which actor dead or alive inspires you most?
I love the work of many actors on an international level. However, I think what I find most inspiring is the work of people closer to home. The most exciting theatre in my opinion comes less from a traditional approach of having an existing script brought to stage by a director, actors and designers, and more from a collaboration of multi-disciplinary theatre makers. What inspires me most is when I see emerging artists on the local scene in Dublin with no funding and little support, coming together to make exciting pieces of theatre.

What are you plans after graduation?
Immediately after finishing college I am producing a show called MADE UP in the Edinburgh Fringe festival with a Trinity based arts group called The Fast Food Collective. 

Tell us something we didn’t know about the Samuel Beckett Theatre?
There is a myth that the window in Players Front of House houses the largest single pane of glass in Europe.  I love to see people hearing this for the first time and gazing in awe at the window when I know full well that it is no way near the biggest window pane in Dublin, let alone in Europe.

What ways can alumni get involved with the society?
Alumni are always welcome to attend our shows throughout term. Details can be found through the society's weekly email publicity@duplayers.com.