7 November 2015
By Bryan T. Smyth
bryan@TheCork.ie
The Everyman Theatre started off life as a cinema. That was back in the heyday of the cinema, before most Cork households had televisions. Indeed, so popular was the cinema in Cork the Everyman was one of two on Mac Curtain Street! The other was ‘The Colosseum’.
The Everyman Theatre is now home to live performances of plays and acts, but Padraig Trehy’s début feature film, Shem The Penman Sings Again, will have a special screening on November 13th there as part of this year’s Cork Film Festival.
Shem is also the first feature film to be projected in the opulent surroundings of The Everyman since it ceased to be a cinema in the late 1980s, allowing guests enjoy a wonderful piece of Cork’s cinematic heritage. This screening will be particularly special as much of Shem was actually shot in The Everyman, so guests on the night will enjoy the opportunity of viewing the film on the big screen whilst sitting on the actual film set!
Director Pádraig Trehy stated:
“It was a dream come true for me to shoot a feature film in Cork – our main locations of Fota House and The Everyman Palace were made affordable and accessible by enthusiastic staff and management. The talent in the region is clearly evident on screen throughout the cast, and we had the unswerving support of a highly professional and talented local crew which ultimately enabled us to complete this ambitious project in Cork.”
Tickets for this special screening can be purchased at corkfilmfest.org and you can find out more about Shem at shemthepenman.com. Shem the Penman Sings Again was funded by Bord Scannán na hÉireann/ the Irish Film Board.
