For Phyllis Ryan, actress, producer, director and theatrical manager, Sunday was a red letter day - she received the special tribute award at the Irish Times/ESB Irish Theatre Awards for 2001, and her adaptation of The Matchmaker opened in New York.
Ms Ryan, in a gold and black ensemble, arrived at the awards ceremony in the Burlington Hotel, Dublin with members of her family, including her son, the Rev Gregg Ryan and his wife, Gillian Ryan, who came up from Millicent, Co Kildare with their daughters, Sarah Ryan (19) and Emma Ryan (20), who is studying acting at Inchicore College of Further Education. Ms Ryan's adaptation of John B. Keane's The Matchmaker opened in New York on Sunday, with Anna Manahan and Des Keogh. "I'm going to go out to it later," she said.
Francis O'Connor, who won the Best Designer (set) award for the Abbey's production of Big Maggie by John B. Keane and Iphigenia at Aulis by Euripides, was there with Orflaith Stafford, from Druid in Galway. His next project, he said, is Communion by the writer and RTÉ producer, Aiden Matthews, which is opening at the Abbey at the end of March.
Puffing on a fine cigar in the foyer and enjoying the atmosphere was Tadhg O'Donoghue, who is a native of Valentia Island and chairman of the ESB. He was chatting to ESB director Pádraig McManus and his wife, Marie McManus, from Naas.
In a lilac shawl and a silver dress, Eithne Woodcock, from Skerries in Co Dublin, who recently moved to London, was delighted to be nominated in the best supporting actress category for her role as Cecily Cardew in The Importance of Being Ernest. It did "the M50 Tour, as we called it" last year, she said, playing in Tallaght's Civic Theatre, Draíocht in Blanchardstown and the Pavilion in Dún Laoghaire.
Órlaith De Búrca and Sarah-Jane Drummey were also nominated in this category but it was Justine Mitchell, for performances in the Gate's productions of Bash, by Neil Labute and Blithe Spirit by Noel Coward, who was later announced as the winner of this award.
Patrick Malahide, who is currently playing in Sebastian Barry's controversial play, Hinterland, at the Abbey, said he knew nothing about the real-life political figure who bears such a striking resemblance to the role of Johnny Silvester he is playing. "It's a completely different play here," he said, in comparison to the experience of playing the same role in the UK for 10 days before opening in Dublin last week. "There, it was a play about fatherhood and power. Here, it's like a political event here." Ben Barnes, the Abbey's artistic director, does not mind the controversy: "When art goes off the art pages and onto the news pages, that can't be a bad thing," he said.
Many people were discussing upcoming projects. The actor, Ger Ryan, who was chatting with her friend Róisín Sheerin said Roddy Doyle and Joe O'Byrne are currently adapting The Woman Who Walked Into Doors for the stage.
Mark McCall, who was photographing the stars for the ESB, said he had opened a photographic studio with his brother Barry McCall, at Bond Street in Dublin 8. The new studio is where the pop group, Six, was shot before Christmas in top secrecy, he said.
Frank Kelly and his wife, Bairbre, breezed in next. Is he involved in anything exciting at the moment? "Oh, just the usual," he said, mischievously, "just drugs and prostitution." He played Pierce Brosnan's father in the upcoming film, Evelyn, which was shot here before Christmas.
Deirdre O'Kane, in a dayglo pink off-the-shoulder creation, was the night's witty compére. "For those of you who don't know me, I'm HUGE in Turkey," she told us. The comedienne and actor from Drogheda will be on RTÉ screens shortly in a new eight-part series called Fergus's Wedding, playing the ultimate in style - a wedding organiser .
As the night's proceedings were recorded for television by TV3, which will broadcast them at 8.00 p.m tonight, Gráinne O'Carroll, assistant producer, and Taragh Loughrey-Grant were busy orchestrating the interview segments and the filming. Jane Gogan, the station's commissioning editor, was on hand too but her partner, broadcaster Eamon Dunphy, was at home writing his column, she said.
For all there though the celebrations carried on late into the night.