As a founding member of The Core Dublin, I am absolutely delighted to announce the nomination for Best Costume in The Irish Times Theatre Awards for Director Rodrigo Rodrigues in our production of The Trojan Women. I played both the roles of Athena and Helen and over the course of our lengthy rehearsal period I was involved with Rodrigo in the construction of my costume. Rodrigo believes costume construction is a valid input into the creation of a character. Rodrigo worked with each actor to develop his costume ideas and defined his technique in every detail, right down to the sound a costume makes.. as he always says “the sound the costume makes is part of the script!”
Sarah Carroll as Helen of Troy, Gerard Byrne as Menelaus
A little more about how we got there:
Way back in October 2008 I responded to an add posted by Brazilian born actor/director Rodrigo Rodrigues. The add was calling for actors for an unspecified project, but it interested me so I applied. Approximately 10 actors were invited to the first meeting where Rodrigo discussed his ideas to produce something fantastic. It was vague to say the least, but I liked what I heard, I could visualise Rodrigos ideas and I felt I understood what he wanted to achieve. So here, in the basement room of Filmbase, The Core Dublin finely opened with a group of 10 actors under Rodrigo’s Direction.
“I attempted to create a group called THE CORE without success numerous times in Dublin. After meeting with Phyllis Carthy and Sarah Carroll it became possible when they believed in my form of art. Actors came and went and then Linda Teehan arrived. I’m so PROUD OFF THESE GIRLS “ (says Rodrigo Rodrigues
)
Over the next year we met every Sunday for workshops. Rodrigo wanted an idea to evolve over time, he felt sometimes in Ireland the process of getting an idea to stage was too rushed. We took our time, exploring new ideas and techniques. Rodrigo used elements of Japanese dance and theatre forms such as Butoh (from Kazuo Ohno and Yoshito Ohno), Kabuki and marching. Long discussions occurred about life, politics, art, religion and the current situation of the world. From these discussions Rodrigo gradually formed his ideas and after observing the actors workshops, exercises, reactions, he came to the decision to put on a production of an ancient Greek tragedy, The Trojan Women. Our group, over the weeks had whittled down to just 3 actor members and our Director Rodrigo so we then held auditions for additional actors to fill the chorus and male roles in the play. We were also delighted to welcome actor/director Alan King (Waiting for Ikea) to the project.
The visuals of our production were of the utmost importance to Rodrigo. We spent far longer working on these elements then running lines. Rodrigo insisted on actors being involved in the construction of their own costumes and rehearsing in them from the very early stages. The costumes were made from recycled clothing, household items, accessories, cardboard or anything we could lay our hands on as long as it was free. Rodrigo had a vision for the costumes from the beginning and each cast member researched ideas to add to the mix.
Of course it was a pleasure working on the production, although it wasn’t without it’s difficulties. Overall, I was involved for over a year before we took to the stage with The Trojan Women in October 2009. It was a lengthy process, one we’re not used to in Ireland and we hit many obstacles which had to be overcome. However, in the end it all came together and we were delighted with the response to our show and sold out most nights in our two week run in Smock Alley Theatre. Of course receiving recognition for all the hard work in the form of a nomination is just music to my ears but truly well deserved by Rodrigo.
The Core Dublin will continue to strive for the highest standards in future projects. We are looking towards projects not only in theatre, but also film and television. Watch this space!!
Thanks for reading,
Sarah 
(Photography Sean Meehan)
Gerard Byrne – Poseidon. Annette Kelly, Fiona O’Connor, Melissa Nolan, Mary Cate Smith, Karoline Rose, Maura Foley – Chorus
Phyllis Carthy – Hecuba
Annette Kelly, Fiona O’Connor, Melissa Nolan, Mary Cate Smith, Karoline Rose, Maura Foley – Chorus
Linda Teehan – Andromache. Dylan Donough – Talthybius
Sophie Campbell – Cassandra
Sarah Carroll – Athena
