A Co Down actor reprising his role as the exonerated prisoner Gerry Conlon says taking on the Grand Opera House will be a "mad challenge" for just one person.
Shaun Blaney wowed audiences last year with his role in 'In the Name of the Father: The Gerry Conlon Story' at its two-week run at the Lyric Theatre in Belfast. Shaun has gone on to be nominated for The Irish Times Theatre Award for Best Actor ahead of his return to the character.
The Downpatrick man fell into acting while studying at university and has not looked back since.
Read more: Stones in His Pockets at the Lyric is the life remedy we all need right now
Speaking to Belfast Live, Shaun said: "I got into acting at Queen's University - I originally went up to do scriptwriting, English and Film Studies and I took Drama as a side module to see what it was like for actors and then got bitten by the acting bug. I have been at it for about 14 years professionally working in Northern Ireland and a little bit in the rest of the UK."
'In the Name of the Son' chronicles the extraordinary life of The Guildford 4’s Gerry Conlon following his release from prison in 1989. After its sell-out success in 2021, the team are taking Gerry's story to one of the most famous stages in Northern Ireland.
"We did it in the Lyric Theatre last year for two weeks which was amazing and it was my first time on the Lyric stage. Big big moment for me as I was trying to get into the lyric for about 13 years so it was a nice show to do it with and we sold it out which was amazing.
"The Grand Opera House is bucket list kind of stuff. Whenever you do plays, you are always excited to see if they can come back but the Opera House is going to be a mad challenge just for one person.
"I am getting in contact with some friends of mine who have performed in it before and I am going to have a coffee with them and picked their brains to see how much different it is on the biggest stage that we have," he explained.
The play is a one-man show, something Shaun has taken in his stride has he prepares to bring Gerry's character to life once again.
He continued: "Stamina is a big thing - we used to say in rehearsals 'kick it up the backside' so every time I felt like I was slowing down or the play felt that it was getting a bit boring, it's about picking yourself up over and over again to get through. You can't think five minutes in advance.
"You can only serve the moment that you are in all the time because if you think about the rest and what is coming, it can swamp you. It's about staying where you are and doing justice to the scene you are in."
Shaun is currently performing in 'Stones in his Pockets' at the Lyric Theatre which has been receiving positive reviews since its opening night. You can read more about it here.
"There's an awful lot of love that comes down your phone from friends and family and that picks you up just before you are about to go on stage and those goodwill messages are massive," he added.
Despite the pressures of taking on a well-known figure such as Gerry Conlon, Shaun described how the play does not aim to create a carbon copy of him but rather celebrate his life in a creative way.
"I had watched the movie years ago and then whenever I got the part, I didn't want to go near it," he's said. "I read his book and tried to talk to people that knew him but at the same time, you can't really become anyone else so what you can do is enter the play with an awful lot of love and bring your own experience to it.
"Anything in this play is me and the director and the writers trying to give an impression of just how amazing life was - it will never be like him or as big or as good as him but it will be the best we can do for him in his memory."
Shaun continued: "An awful lot of the people who stayed behind at the Lyric to say well done knew him or knew the family so there were so many people who came up to me after the show and had a story about him. It was just amazing to see how much his memory lives on anyway and it was so encouraging to have so many people who knew him enjoy it.
"The stories of Gerry were larger than life so what I had to do was get rid of anything that would hold me back on stage or make me seem too polite or self-conscious and that was very freeing. You just go bigger and bigger to try and fill the stage and as the stages get bigger, your performances have to get bigger to hit the back of the theatre.
"Last time, I took it one day at a time in rehearsals and just tried to be better than the day before and I know how big the job is this time but I know what I have to do."
For those planning on seeing his perform at the Grand Opera House, Shaun said that audiences should prepare for "one of the maddest stories that they will ever hear".
"I can't get over just how many things Gerry did and how many different phases there seemed to be in his life - from prison to making movies to fighting for justice in the end.
"I think they are going to get a mad story that they don't know the half of at the minute. If they think they know Gerry's story at the minute, I don't think they know anything just yet."
'In the Name of the Son' runs in the Grand Opera House from July 25 to July 30.
READ NEXT:
-
Netflix release first look at new thriller starring Liam Neeson
-
From Bloodlands to Belfast: How 2021 became a success story for Northern Ireland on film and TV
- Eastside Arts Festival celebrates 10th anniversary with over 80 events
- Top NI comedians to headline Stand Up for Integrated Education show
For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here. To sign up to our FREE newsletters, see here.
