foilarmsandhog
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Photo Diary - Video 16th Sept
🕑 Added 2021-09-14 16:10:13 +0000 UTCWe have a bit of history with the Abbey theatre, our national theatre. I say a bit of history, but I really mean just that, not in a 'wow shit went down' sense, but more in the historical sense. Hog started out there, on the main stage in 1996 in a play called 'She stoops to folly'.
A staggering 21 years later, in 2017, we chanced our arm, and asked the organisers of the Dublin fringe festival to see if we could perform our show there. Why you ask? WHY!!! let me try and explain...
So, comedy is an outsider artform, its pokes fun at the establishment, the norms, the accepted and especially that which takes itself too seriously. And the theatre world takes itself far too seriously. The abbey is the home of theatre in Ireland, and performing comedy sketches there, amidst its splendor and esteem, felt like anti establishment. This is something the audience are aware of, maybe not consciously but they know, sitting in fine seats with cups of red wine, that there is something bold going on. The bold boys are in the good room.
At first, the Dublin fringe were skeptical, but in fairness, the Abbey thought it was a great idea. However they had no free slots. So we came up with an idea... that we could perform on the set that was already in place for the play preceding our show. The play, Katie Roche, (we never got to see it unfortunately) had an austere set, grey, towering, with an alter in the middle - a post apocalyptic concrete interior of some sort. It also had a moat of muck. Yes, around the stage, there was a moat of muck, about 2 foot wide and 2 foot deep and very very mucky. None of this bothered us, we thought "what the hell, there'll be loads to mess around with here." The abbey obviously thought the same because with a week to go to the show, we get an email from the stage manager via Duck. It confirms the layout of the stage, and a few other things, but amidst all of this there is an odd request: 'Can you please ask the lads not to throw the muck at the audience.' They actually asked this. I mean, WHO would throw muck at an audience? WHAT do they think of comedians? REALLY? I mean, we like to get in amongst the crowd, mess with their bags, wear their coats and all that, we like to INVOLVE them, but not in some sort of dirty protest.
So on the first night of the run, we told this story in the crowd before we went on stage, which went down great, (the stage manager took it well) they laughed at how ludicrous the email had been. Then we announced ourselves and ran onstage and immediately, myself and Hog, as only performers who've spent over 10 years together had the same idea, we both instantly grabbed fist fulls of muck and made to throw it at the front row. I still laugh thinking about their faces as they cowered, and the watery eyes we had for about 10 minutes afterwards. I remember catching Hogs eye midway through a sketch when he was off stage, still laughing. We did it every night after that.
So, fast forward four years and here we are in 2021, looking to rent costumes from them, and they...they gave them to us... no questions asked (we paid them). Costumes, meant for proper theatre productions, worth hundreds and we're using them to take the piss. It feels really good, like we're doing something right.
Arms
https://www.abbeytheatre.ie/archives/person_detail/11592/
Comments
Rose Main
You will be getting used in schools to neatly illustrate different world political regimes. Very succinct and on point as always. xxx
Ps. What a testament to ask and you shall receive! Never know unless you ask.
Aaaawww 1. Youβre gonna make me cry Arms! 2. You guys are masters, they should be honored to have you! 3. Hog is really enjoying dress up π€£ 4. You like to muck around in the audience, not throw muck at the audience 5. I understood what you meant immediately! Iβm familiar with βa bit of A historyβ meaning something went down lol
Thank you for sharing more FAH history with us, Arms π Love the pictures and the sneak peek behind this weekβs sketchβ¦ very intriguing π€
Nicola
those pictures are a hoot, thank you for sharing
An abiding memory from first reading this 12 hours ago at 4:30am is my god, you three. Are. Such. Messers. If I ever pen an old-fashioned letter to you and put it in the post, you can bet it will be addressed to Messers Foil Arms & Hog.
It can't be anything else, can it? Soon as I saw it I could hear him saying "I'm just posh!"
Amazing - what a stellar career Hog has had!! Treading the boards at a young age :) Love the photos and the diary blog. Many thanks :)
Ardys K Otterbacher
I love it when Arms does snooty English face.
How cool is this. What a great backstory and how generous of the theatre...yay!! New (although old) things. Who doesnt love playing dress up! great pictures :)
Ahhh what a lovely diary entry! We love a bit of FAH history. And I don't think I've ever seen such a neat theatre costume department π
Thank you for sharing the photos and backstory Arms! Those costumes look amazing! Although I still love your own collection! Maybe the saying should be "Happy as a Hog in muck"....
Rose Main
This looks very intriguing!!! Very interested to know also of Hog's real thespian credentials. Loving the uniforms as well as the delightful curls which are now to my joy happily re-emerging. Are there any tarpaulins involved?
Tamara
Are you sure the play wasn't called She stoops to conquer?
