Medford Resident in AFD's Upcoming Irish Drama, "The Mai"

The Arlington Friends of the Drama is looking ahead to its upcoming production of "The Mai", opening February 28th.  "The Mai" is an Irish drama by Marina Carr and AFD's production will mark its American community theatre debut.  AFD is making a strong push to reach out to Greater Boston's Irish-American community.  

I had a chance to ask Medford resident Nellie Farrington a few questions about her experience as a member of the cast in Arlington Friends of the Drama's upcoming production of "The Mai".  Farrington, who plays the role of Beck, told me that she was inspired to audition for "The Mai" due to her eagerness to learn how to "do an Irish accent."  She has a lot of experience affecting a British accent in previous shows. To learn the Irish accent, Farrington took the time to listen to shows where people used the correct accent. From there, it was just a matter of "trying things out vocally."  She added, "it's easier for me to do a thick accent than working on pulling it back."

Farrington is not of Irish heritage herself, though as she put it, "being of English/Scottish extraction everyone always guesses that I am of Irish descent", hence this was a chance for her to use that to her advantage.  Farrington said "The Mai" represents the heaviest drama she has done.  The closest she came previously was in a production of "The Rimers of Eldritch", where the small town setting created the same sort of closeness as the family in "The Mai".  The main difference, Farrington noted, was that in "Rimers", people are less likely to say what they actually mean during confrontations.  She loves how the Irish folklore "resonates" throughout "The Mai".

"The Mai" is Farrington's first show with AFD.  She has been very impressed by the fact that AFD has its own dedicated space.  AFD is self-sufficient with its own stage, workshop, green room, make-up and dressing rooms, properties closet, costume collection, box office, as well as a modern sound and lighting booth.  There are many local groups that do not have such an advantage.

Farrington is excited to play Beck, which is a bit of a departure for her as she typically plays younger characters.  She has also been thrilled to work with director Nancy Curran Willis, whom she says can be demanding, but as a consequence, she gets tremendous results from people.  One of Farrington's biggest challenges thus far has been in working to weave her accent into her portrayal of a character who is high and intoxicated.  Without revealing any spoilers, Beck "has gone out and done things that put her dear old aunties in a tizzy and make her sisters jealous".  At the same time though, Beck also envies the fact that her sisters are so stable and successful.

Farrington says that the play has taught her that families can be tricky things.  "You know them your whole life, so the issues pile up, but they're still always there for you."

Don't miss your chance to see Nellie Farrington in Arlington Friends of the Drama's production of "The Mai".  

"The Mai" runs two weekends between February 28th and March 2nd as well as March 7th through the 9th.  Tickets are available online at www.afdtheatre.org or by calling 781-646-5922.