Ryan Donaldson: ‘It takes a village to raise a play’
Currently playing the role of Man in Frank McGuinness’ Do You Come From Gomorrah? at the Abbey Theatre, Ryan Donaldson speaks with IMAGE on the role of a lifetime, the collaborative art of theatremaking, and the cultural touchstones in his life.
Frank McGuinness is one of Irish theatre’s most important and visceral playwrights. Do You Come From Gomorrah? is a one-man show/monologue performed by Ryan Donaldson (Tartuffe, Dear England, Much Ado About Nothing, Killing Eve), wherein a young man relives his time enclosed in captivity in 1970s Ulster following the breakdown of his family. Over the course of an hour, he dives into his memories and explores the forces of faith, power and money that dominate the stark and unsettling confinement which he has found himself in.
Gomorrah looks unflinchingly at several dark themes, including institutional abuse, violence, sexuality and how societal ideas of masculinity perpetuate destructive patterns in the lives of young men – increasingly relevant in this ‘manosphere’ moment we find ourselves in! Despite its dark themes, this is ultimately a hopeful show about a person overcoming traumatic experiences and difficult circumstances, remaining resilient in the face of it.
Ryan has a longstanding relationship with Frank’s work, having first encountered him when performing in an Abbey Theatre production of Observe The Sons Of Ulster Marching Towards The Somme in 2016. Following this, he starred as the titular Tartuffe in the Abbey’s 2023 production directed by Artistic Director Caitríona McLaughlin. And now he’s back in the building to give life to Frank’s latest work. Frank wrote Gomorrah with Ryan specifically in mind and has been developing it for a number of years.
Was a career in the arts something you always aspired to?
As a younger person, I was more interested in sport. My grandfather played rugby for Ireland and was a big influence on me. I played and had a go at everything I could; swimming, rugby, judo, athletics. It wasn’t until I was about 15 that I started to get involved with acting at school. But as soon as I started, that was it for me. I felt not only that I had found something that in a strange way made sense to me, but also that I had found a like-minded group of people.
How did you venture into becoming an actor?
I had two amazing drama teachers who really encouraged me. They could see I think that I had a passion for it and was taking it very seriously, and they introduced me to the idea of going to a drama school to properly study acting. Previously, I didn’t even know that was an option. I auditioned in my last year of school and very luckily got in. It kind of all went from there.
What goes into bringing a character from the page to the stage?
In terms of the acting piece of theatre making, it’s all about empathy for me. It’s about doing the deep, imaginative work to be able to profoundly empathise with whoever you are playing – whatever helps you to do this, is the work of the actor. When you are working with great writing, you really have to allow that to take the lead. And that’s just the acting bit! Then there is the design, the direction, the sound design, the lighting design, the composer, the stage management – all of these elements need to pull together to bring the play fully off the page and onto the stage. Theatre is a truly collaborative art form. That is where the real joy is.
Tell us about Do You Come From Gomorrah?
Do You Come From Gomorrah? is an extraordinary new play by Frank McGuinness. It is a memory play, where a man talks to us about his childhood and about the impossible circumstances that he ultimately overcame. It is a play about suffering and about love. And ultimately, it’s about the extraordinary capacity of the human spirit to endure, but more than that, to thrive.
What has the experience been like working with Sarah Baxter and Frank McGuinness?
This is the third time I have worked with Frank McGuinness. The first being on his play Observe the Sons of Ulster Marching Towards the Somme. My continued working relationship with Frank is the greatest privilege I have been afforded in my career. He is one of our greatest writers. To be able to work with him on three of his works over the course of ten years is extremely special to me. And to be doing a brand-new play of Frank’s is just a tremendous privilege that is hard to put into words.
This is the first time I have worked with Sarah, and it has been a joy. I feel so lucky as with a one-actor show, it’s just the two of you on the floor in rehearsals. It’s very important that we worked well together, and we have from day one. She is an immense talent; searchingly intelligent and profoundly empathetic. It’s been a true collaboration and hopefully, if I’m lucky, the first of many with Sarah.
What is the best part of your job?
The best part of my job is being part of a team. The heart of theatre is collaboration. It’s a vital, difficult and messy endeavour, but the feeling of being part of a team all striving towards the goal of sharing a story that they all love is special to me. And although I am currently working on a one-actor play, the feeling of being part of a team is particularly strong on this. The whole creative team is insanely talented but also the most incredibly lovely people.
Who is someone you look up to in the world of Irish theatre?
Tara Furlong. Tara is our stage manager on Do You Come From Gomorrah?. She is incredible at her job! Anyone who works in theatre knows how important a good stage manager is. They are the keystone that holds the building together and stops it collapsing in on us all. It also could potentially feel lonely doing a one-actor show, but I profoundly feel that Tara and I perform the show together each night. She is calling the lights and sound live as we make our way through the play. Sometimes Tara takes her cues from me and sometimes I take them from her. It is a dance. There is a creative side to the job of stage management that I feel is sometimes overlooked in the industry. They are the unsung heroes of what we do in this business – the stories aren’t getting told without them!
What has been the highlight of your career so far?
That is easy; this play, Do You Come From Gomorrah? by Frank McGuinness. To be bringing a new Frank McGuinness play to the Abbey stage in a world premiere production is a sentence that just seems mad to me! But it’s not only that – it’s that I love this play. It’s that I believe in this play. I really do think this is a profoundly important play, and I’m immensely proud of the work that has gone in from our whole team to bring it to this point. I think it is extremely prescient and has a lot to say about where we are today. To be working on something like that, that I have that much belief in – honestly, that is the best you can hope for as an actor. For me, it doesn’t get any better.
What is one thing you wish everyone knew about working in the arts?
Just how many people and how much work goes into making it happen. The bit the audience sees is really only the very tip of the iceberg. There are so many people working extremely hard on a show like this to make it happen. Stage management, the crew, the whole creative team, the producers, the press and comms teams, the front of house staff, the box office staff, the ushers, the costume department , the costume makers, the set makers – I’m sure I’ll miss somebody! But the point is clear; it takes a village to raise a play. It’s very much a labour of love for all these people. They all care about the story. That’s pretty cool to me.
What is one piece of advice you would give to someone hoping to have a career in the arts?
I think it’s really useful to properly investigate why you want to do whatever it is you’re thinking of pursuing. What is it that you value about it? And how do you expect you will be able to pursue that value in the work? If you can answer those questions very specifically for yourself, those answers will help you through the difficult times and importantly, those answers will help you cultivate persistence. Then, you have to engage fully in developing that persistence. I don’t mean like, banging on every door and writing to every person which I think sometimes is encouraged too much. I mean, simply – keep going! Keep auditioning, keep turning up. But only if you have truly done the first bit of investigation and answered those questions. Because it can be really difficult. It’s also totally fine if maybe you find you don’t actually have really strong answers to those questions that you feel can sustain you through the trepidations of a career in the arts. Or if those answers change over time as well. Some of my closest friends have come to that decision and have changed paths and are living just as fulfilling lives in different areas. There is this myth perpetuated in the industry that ‘you don’t give up acting, acting gives up you’ – I think it’s nonsense and dangerous. But if you find some answers, then just keep showing up. Persistence.
Ryan Donaldson’s life in culture
The last thing I saw and loved… The Plough and the Stars at the Abbey Theatre.
The book I keep coming back to… The Trip to Echo Spring by Olivia Laing. Laing investigates the relationship between alcoholism and some of the greatest writers of the 21st century. It is a combination of memoir, research and biography. It is something of a pilgrimage through the work of these writers, Laing’s personal relationship to their work and an investigation of the creative process. I first read it as an extension of my reading about Tennessee Williams because I am obsessed with his writing. This happily led me to the work of Olivia Laing with whom I am now equally obsessed. It’s an extraordinary book.
I find inspiration in… Courage. Courage is the thing I find most moving and ultimately inspiring. Whether that be courage in life or in work. The decision to continue on in the face of difficulty and struggle. It’s inspiring and motivating to me that courage is something that we don’t have to feel at our best to display and engage with. In fact, the opposite is true – it relies on the presence of difficulty and suffering. It’s comforting to me that we can engage with that part of ourselves in work and in life, perhaps when feeling our worst. I suppose it also has a link with what I was talking about earlier with persistence – they are two sides of the same coin.
My favourite film is… Take Shelter directed by Jeff Nichols and starring Michael Shannon and Jessica Chastain. The film follows a husband and father who is having a series of apocalyptic visions. The film starts in a place and slowly reveals itself as being about something much deeper and more profound, as the character of Curtis continues to grapple with and come to a deeper understanding of his own mental health, and what it might mean for himself and for his family. It’s an immense investigation of courage, one that moves me in a way I find hard to describe. It is a beautiful film with extraordinary performances from both Michael Shannon and Jessica Chastain.
The song I listen to to get in the zone is… ‘Greatest Love of All’ by Whitney Houston.
The last piece of art I recommended is… The JMW Turner exhibition at the Tate Britain in London. I had never seen Turner’s work in real life before going to this incredible exhibition. It is also completely free! I know he was obviously well-known for his expression of light in his paintings, but it cannot be put into words until you see it for yourself. Honestly, it feels like some of the work is breathing. I have no comprehension as to how somebody can do that. I spent hours in the gallery the first time I went. I have since been back a second time and I’m planning on a third visit this summer. My favourite painting is Fisherman at Sea. I’ve recommended the exhibition to so many people since then and will continue to do so. The fact that you can walk in and see this work for free is just amazing.
I never leave the house without… A bottle of water. Stay hydrated. Once you’re thirsty, it’s too late.
The piece of work I still think about is… A Want In Her, a film by Myrid Carten. This was one of the most intimate and moving experiences I have had in the cinema. I was lucky enough to work with Myrid years ago when she was studying at Goldsmiths and her film completely blew me away. It is a fearless investigation of the cost of love, what love gives and takes. Searingly intimate, while always holding her subjects with immense love and care. I was captivated by every moment of this beautiful film.
My dream role would be… I always find this difficult, but I would love to do ‘The Scottish Play’ (I’m being very superstitious here, I know). Hamlet, of course – why not? Also, I have to say that what I am currently doing is a dream role for me. I said it earlier, but I believe so much in Frank’s play Do You Come From Gomorrah? In our industry, it can be so much about ‘yeah, but what’s next?’ or ‘what other roles do you want?’, etc. But right now, I consider myself just immensely lucky. To be premiering Frank’s mighty play is not something I’m going to take for granted. I don’t want to fall into the trap of thinking of imagined roles or wanting other things while I’m in the middle of something I care about and love this much. So, let’s say playing ‘Man’ in Do You Come From Gomorrah? – that’s a dream role.
The best advice I’ve ever gotten… Take the work seriously. Not yourself.
The art that means the most to me is… The Actor and the Space by Declan Donnellan. I was very lucky to spend almost two years working with Declan at the very beginning of my career with his incredible company Cheek by Jowl. It was a formative time, and the things I learnt working with that company still massively inform the way I work and continue to think about acting. The book is a follow-up to his previous book about acting, The Actor and the Target and it’s just a continuing development of his relationship to acting and to theatre making. It’s an investigation of the strange mystery that is acting. But it is not dogmatic and it’s not a ‘how to act’ manual. It’s far more sophisticated and mysterious than that. The mantra that underpins the book’s philosophy is ‘nothing here is true. We just hope you find it useful.’ I find that incredibly freeing.
The most challenging thing about being on stage is… Dealing with fear. The biggest obstacle is always yourself. But sure, what’s the worst that can happen? You forget all your lines and people think you’re not very good? So be it. You just have to keep choosing to step out into the unknown, let it all go, and see what’s there. Again, it comes back to courage.
After a show, I… It depends on the show. After this show, I take a slow walk home to decompress. Then, I usually watch a series and have a cup of tea. Not very rock and roll. Currently, it’s Fargo season 2.
If I wasn’t working in the arts, I would be… I think I would have liked to have been a chef. I love cooking, it’s my favourite thing to do to relax. I like the process of it. From choosing something to cook, to shopping for the ingredients and then the time devoted to the process of making. I also think in the right kitchen, you might get that similar feeling that I love in theatre – of being part of a team that’s all pulling together towards the same goal. I’m sure I’m romanticising it a lot, as is my nature! But in many ways, theatre is a service industry – you serve the play and the audience. There are similarities, for sure.
The magic of theatre/acting to me is… I think what an audience and theatre makers are in pursuit of is a moment or a spark of ‘truth’. Not reality, but truth. And the fact that this is an agreed upon pretence allows us to access the ‘truths’ within it, in a way that is safe and not possible in daily life. And pursuing that has always made sense to me, from a very young age, as something worthwhile. I’m not quite sure how else to put it. Declan Donnellan writes in both of his books about acting that ‘they are both attempts to describe the indescribable from slightly different positions.’ I guess the indescribable is the magic. Both the thing itself – that allusive eruption of aliveness, of vitality in the theatre – but also the pursuit of it. Because it doesn’t always happen. And that’s ok – but the pursuit? That’s worthwhile. That’s magic to me.
Photography by Róisín Murphy O’Sullivan.
Do You Come From Gomorrah? runs until 16 May on the Peacock stage at the Abbey Theatre.
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