There can be few theatre companies in Ireland with such a loyal following as Rough Magic, so when their production of Sheridan's The School For Scandal opened at the Gaiety on Tuesday night it was bound to be a popular show. Gerry Stembridge came along to wish director Lynne Parker and chairwoman of the board Catherine Donnelly well - although the mood was understandably sombre after the news of Dermot Morgan's death.
A crew arrived from the other end of town for the post-show drinks - writer Declan Hughes, director Conall Morrison and actor Michael McElhatton fresh from a performance of Declan's play Twenty Grand at the Peacock. Indeed, Declan had two pieces on the stage that night as he also wrote the contemporary prologue that Lynne Parker added to the play. Others who came along to enjoy the performance on Tuesday night were director Ben Barnes, who is currently rehearsing two plays in the Abbey, Tony O Dalaigh of the Dublin Theatre Festival, Fiach MacConghail of the Project, playwright Hugh Leonard, poet Micheal OSiadhail whose new collection will be launched at this year's Cuirt festival, Phelim Donlon and Patricia Quinn of the Arts Council, actors Eleanor Methven, Gina Moxley, Anne Byrne and Pom Boyd, and architects Sheila O'Donnell and John Tuomey.
The previous week the show opened to great applause in the Galway Town Hall and raised a fine amount of money for the charity Croi into the bargain. Harold Fish of the British Council travelled from Dublin and Mary Coll came from Limerick. Declan Hughes came fresh from his own opening at the Peacock and other culture vultures included playwright Tom Kilroy; Anne McCabe of TnaG; Paddy Hayes of the Film Board; James Harrold, the Galway arts officer, and Jane Daly, who was formerly with the Druid theatre company but now has her own company, impressively titled Artbeat Management Services.