Coleraine playwright's latest work comes to Riverside Theatre

DIRECTING a stage play that you have written can be a delicate balancing act but it's a challenge that one Coleraine playwright is currently relishing.

20-year-old Chris McQuillan is busy directing his third play "Waking Dreams" which will take to the stage of the Riverside Theatre in Coleraine on Saturday, August 28th at 8pm.

Juggling a full time job in Bishop's Shoes in Coleraine, Chris is also coping with the task of directing a cast of five young actors through his script.

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"Part of being a director is being open to suggestions and letting the actors develop," Chris told the Times.

"It can be hard to let go of the conceptions you have had in your head when you were writing the piece .

"Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't but it is a balancing act and takes a bit of juggling."

Chris has written two other plays both of which have been staged at the Riverside.

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"Skyline was a murder mystery comedy based on the genre of prgrammes I used to love on TV. It had a little of the Rat Pack style mixed into some Mafia themes too," explained Chris whose other play looked at the issues surrounding a dangerous love life and its implications.

The new creation "Waking Dreams" is the first time that Chris has made a female the central character of his plot line.

"It's set around an Upper Sixth pupil at college and looks at the people that she sees - they might be reality or they might just be manifestations of her inner doubts.

"Some of the characters she sees though can be good influences such as her best friend who has passed away.

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"The play aims to highlight issues that are not talked about. It's not designed to preach or lecture. It's not telling anyone how to fix things. It's an eye opener."

The whole schedule of auditioning, casting and rehearsing has been condensed into just five weeks.

"This is the shortest amount of time that I have ever had to work on a play," said Chris.

"It is pretty intense but it means that we don't have the time to get lethargic about anything."

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After "Waking Dreams", Chris is turning his attention to lighter themes.

"In the future i would like to write a comedy. I work in Bishop's so perhaps I may base it on the world of retail.

"I have really enjoyed writing the other plays but there's only so much dark stuff you can do without being typecast and wallowing and dark," he joked.

Waking Dreams appears for one night only at the Riverside Theatre, Coleraine on Saturday 28 August at 8pm. Tickets 10 from the Box Office on 028 7032 3232 or online at www.riversidetheatre.org.uk