Oh yes I do! Writing the Helix panto from Tinseltown over Skype

I left Ireland three years ago for the bright lights of Tinseltown. I wasn’t driven out by the recession, but by a desire to further my career in the entertainment industry.

I’ve been the director and co-writer of the Helix pantomime in Dublin for the past seven years, and thanks to my writing partner Claire Tighe and Skype, we continue to manage to make this happen.

The origins of our alliance stem from much further back and in the town of Leixlip where, in 2001, I approached the local musical society about the possibility of penning a script for their forthcoming panto season. Claire, the producer of the Helix panto, was the choreographer for that show.

My first foray into writing panto was an “epic” two hour and 35 minute Moulin Rogue-influenced version of The Sleeping Beauty. Over the next six years, I continued to write scripts for the group, but thankfully with shorter running times!

In the summer of 2008, Claire asked me would I be interested in a new venture, a professional panto at the Helix. She barely got to finish the question. I was on board. Since then we have successfully put the Helix on the extremely competitive panto map in Dublin.

And despite my emigration in 2012, I’ve managed to keep the gig. The world is so small these days, with social media allowing us to keep in touch with home and stay in the loop of what’s topical, which is crucial for a good panto.

Coming home for visits is akin to arriving in the door having already spoken to every neighbour with the latest gossip, and Brian Dobson from the RTE News as I walk up the driveway. I arrive into the kitchen knowing every single bit of news, so all that’s left for my Mam to ask me is, “How was your day?”

Skype, Facetime, Whattsapp and iMessage all play a part in the development of the scripts I still write for the Helix panto, and now the University Concert Hall panto in Limerick, which I also write and direct.

Ideas begin knocking around in July, casting gets done in August, and the storyboard is put together in September. Panic sets in in October, when we have to have the scripts complete for rehearsals to begin in November.

All this happens while I’m melting in the LA sunshine, attempting to get into the festive Christmas spirit, and relentlessly trying to live the dream that everyone back home thinks I’m living .

I moved to LA knowing it was going to be difficult. I arrived and it was infinitely more so. Moving abroad to a place like this is kind of like dating. The first year is amazing. Everything is new. You’re both so engrossed with the yearning for it to work, you don’t notice any of the negatives.

The second year is a little bit more real but still honeymoonish. You think you’re ready to tell her you love her, so before the year is out, you do. And she feels the same! #Winning!

Year three, a reality begins to set in. Your visa is up for renewal and you have a decision to make. “Do I want to stay?” You know it’s tough. Relationships are. But they’re also beautiful. So you decide you’re in it for the long haul.

Things have started to take off for me here now, so the relationship has been worth the investment. This September, I finished the script to a new musical I was commissioned to write by a London-based producer. Back in LA, I was nominated in the Best Writer category at the annual Toscar Comedy Awards. I’ve co-written a web series called Noomie with writer and director Tahyna McManus (wife of Strictly Come Dancing star, Tristan), and I’ve just finished writing a pilot with Walkinstown native and my north Hollywood neighbour Marc Cleary called Dead Cheap, about two mates who set up a no-frills funeral home.

I’m constantly surrounded by proactive, creative people, which can be as challenging as it is inspirational. That’s why I really enjoy coaching soccer out here as it gets me away from LA LA Land for a few hours every week.

I came over with my wife Jennifer. Hhaving support is a crucial part of surviving Los Angeles. I’m extremely lucky. Some people hate LA and I get that. But I love it. I don’t think there’s an in between. So LA is home for the forseeable future. But coming back to work in Dublin and Limerick each year is always nice. @KarlosTweets

Jack and the Beanstalk runs until Sunday January 10th at The Helix Theatre, Dublin. Tickets: Adult €26, child €22 and family from €74. thehelix.ie