There are evenings you don’t think much about beforehand. You just go. Sit down. See what happens. And then somehow without really noticing when it happened something sticks. That’s what the latest show of Pop-Up Theatre Sligo felt like at the Hawkswell Theatre this week. as so often.
Since moving to Sligo I’ve slowly started to realise how much is actually happening here, no matter what season or time of the year. Not loudly, not in a way that pushes itself forward, but it’s there. And if you pay attention it pulls you in.
That night it was Pop-Up Theatre Sligo.
It doesn’t feel like “traditional theatre”
The first thing I noticed was how unpolished it felt. Not in a negative way. Just… real. And if you know me, you know how much I seek „realness“. Let me explain it as I fear this might come across ‚very German‘ as my friends would say.
These aren’t professional actors in the traditional sense and yet, what’s happening on stage doesn’t feel small at all. If anything, it feels closer.
Because you can see the effort. You can feel how much people care. You feel true passion.
And over the past few weeks, through getting to know some of the cast, I’ve started to understand what that really means.
This isn’t just a performance. Not just a show running for 5 nights in that beautiful cutsy town on the west coast of Ireland.
It’s more than 40 people giving their time. Evenings, weekends and more than that energy they don’t necessarily have left after full-time jobs and family life. To bring a shared vision to life.
There’s something incredibly grounding about that.
It doesn’t replace professional theatre and also: it doesn’t try to. But it creates something different. Something you feel in a very immediate, human way. There’s no distance between stage and audience. And I think that’s exactly why it works.
You can feel what happens before the curtain goes up
I brought my camera with me that evening, mostly out of curiosity.
About a year ago I had the chance to capture a few moments during Sweeney Todd. The biggest musical production Sligo has seen to date. I still remember the energy in the room that night.
And I think that’s what I’m always drawn to: those few moments before everything begins. People getting ready, small adjustments, quiet focus. My kinda niche. The very much human side to it.
These moments stay with me just as much as the show itself.
Because that’s where you really see it (and why I wanna show it) : This isn’t something people just show up for. This is something they’ve been building for weeks.
The person holding it all together
There’s always someone behind the scenes making sure things don’t fall apart. Here that’s Karen Gordon.
Karen has been shaping the local theatre scene in Sligo for years, building productions that consistently draw people in and bring a whole community onto the stage. Her work has been recognised nationally, with multiple AIMS (Association of Irish Musical Societies) awards, something you don’t get without an incredible amount of dedication, detail, and trust in the people you work with.
But what stood out to me wasn’t any of that on paper.
So what is Pop Up Theatre Sligos Rock of Ages about?
It’s loud. It’s a bit chaotic. Very 80s. It follows Sherrie, who leaves her small town to chase a dream in L.A., and Drew, who’s already there, working at a rock club and hoping to make it as a musician.
The two meet, fall for each other, and for a while, everything feels like it might just work out. But it doesn’t stay that easy.
The club they both revolve around is about to be shut down, bigger forces are coming in, and suddenly it’s not just about dreams anymore, but about holding on to something that’s already slipping.
People drift apart, things don’t go to plan, and not everyone ends up where they thought they would. There’s music you recognise. Moments that make you laugh. In fairness some really good laughs – you have to see it to get why me as a German highlighting it (;
What stayed with me ( and probably around 1500 others )
It wasn’t one specific scene. It was the feeling in the room.
The small imperfections that made it feel alive.
The sense that everyone there wanted this to work.
And it did. Get your ticket here.
A small note
This article is not sponsored (I wish 🥲). I wasn’t invited to write about this, and the photos weren’t taken for a campaign.
I just went, brought my camera ( im as usual trusted to ‚do the Sarah thing‘, very much appreciated!) and ended up wanting to share it.
Living in Sligo has made me appreciate how much cultural life exists here, very
often in ways you don’t immediately see from the outside.
If you ever find yourself in Sligo
Go to the beach, yes. But also: go inside somewhere. Sit down. Watch what people have created. Give it your time.
Because sometimes it’s not the big, polished things that stay with you.
It’s the ones that feel real. Cheers!
All photographs remain my property; any further use or distribution without prior consent is not permitted.
