My First Time with Claire Tully
In 1998 the website, MyFirstTime.com, was created that allowed people to anonymously share their own true stories about their “First Times”. The website became an instant phenomenon and now over 70,000 stories have poured in from around the globe. Some were silly, some sweet, some absurd, some funny, some sexy and some downright illegal!. Now, when you have a bunch of sexy (and sex) stories, you just know they are going to be performed. So My First Time:The Play roared into life on the off Broadway stage. And now the play is on tour in Ireland.
Adapted for Irish audiences, and with a few Irish stories used anonymously, for good reason, they tell of “typical” Irish situations such as a student a bedsit in Cork, or in a field with an audience of bleating sheep or on the way home from school or the back of the chipper. These true stories performed by, Leigh Arnold, Alan Devine, Claire Tully (Model and columnist for The Sun) and comedian Alan Shortt. I got a chance to talk to Claire before the tour began.
Culch.ie: Did you know about the website on which My First Time is based before you knew about the show? What was your take on “your first read” (of the script or the site)?
Claire Tully: No, I looked it up after I was approached. I thought it was a great script. It is everything you don’t think it will be.
Culch.ie How do you think its going to play to Irish audiences?
Claire Tully: I think people will walk out with a different opinion on how losing your virginity can effect people in different ways. I think they will be shocked by how open the play is about sex but they will be touched by the many many human stories it contains.
Culch.ie: How has the show changed since its American origins? Is there a lot of Irish “first times” in the show? And how were the pieces chosen?
Claire Tully: The play is adapted to an Irish audience. Some stories were written in by members of the public to the website and in rehearsals we all decided together which pieces we would like.
Culch.ie: Are there local stories for “one venue only” on the tour?
Claire Tully: Yes, of course things have been adapted locally.
Culch.ie: Did you have a favourite piece that someone else got, or didn’t make the final selection.
Claire Tully: No I was happy with all my monologues. I swapped one with Leigh that I preferred and she preferred one of mine that I wasn’t mad on. Leigh has some amazing monologues that have layers of emotion in them. I think the audience will be shocked by some of her pieces.
Culch.ie: Have you submitted your first time to the site?
Claire Tully: What first time? ?
Culch.ie: Is the mammy going to see it?
Claire Tully: Yeah everyone who knows me wants to come and see it.
Culch.ie: Its a bit of a change from Immunology. Given your modelling background, why did you choose to do this and were you worried about perceived typecasting, or is there enough variations in the pieces to prevent it?
Claire Tully: There is no ‘typecasting’ within the piece – there are simply too many monologues to be pigeon-holed into one category. I chose to go ahead with this play because I really liked the script. I have been approached in the past about films and things and I have always turned them down. I also like it because it is monologues.
Culch.ie: How much time do you spend on twitter? Please explain your tweeted stories of your dad and brother messing up your washing?
Claire Tully: I spend a lot of time on Twitter when I am working from home. My Dad and brother always take my clothes out of the machine when they want to put on a wash. And in doing so always seem to lose half my socks which drives me insane. I currently have 7 unpaired socks as of this morning!
Culch.ie: Do you go to tweet-ups?
Claire Tully: I have not yet gone to a tweet-up.
Culch.ie: How easy is it to combine shoots with the preparations (and performances) of the play?
Claire Tully: I won’t be doing any shoots while the play is on unless it is commissioned by a magazine and I just have to show up for a few hours! That wouldn’t be too taxing but I am not planning any myself until the end of March.
Culch.ie: How closely do you follow science and technology and what areas?
Claire Tully: I am still interested in Science. Obviously from the point of view of human disease. I follow medical research in the news.
The all Ireland tour of My First Time will play at:
Mullingar Arts Centre, Friday 5 March, 044 934 777
The Venue, Rataoth, Saturday 6 March, 01 6895600
St John’s Theatre, Listowel, Sunday 7 March, 068 22566
Cork Opera House, Monday 8 March, 021 427 0022
The Glen Theatre, Banteer, Tuesday 9 March, 029 56239
Garage Theatre, Monaghan, Thursday 11 March, 047 81597
Moat Theatre, Naas, Tuesday 16 March, 045 883030
Town Hall Theatre, Galway, Thu 18-Sat 20 March, 0091 569777
Royal Theatre, Castlebar, Sunday 21 March, 0818 300 000
About the Author
Will Will likes to dance around the interfaces of technology, people and culture. Unfortunately that dance floor is freshly waxed. He usually remembers to write (and photograph) at WillKnott.ie
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wished i was fortunate to be able to see the show…..
claires showing she definitly has a varied array of tools she can use………and all to thier maximum efficiency……
as far as the socks there must be a one legged sock goblin trolling everyones washer…cos i got 12 new pairs at xmas……and now 7 of them are now expieriencing..the single life…….:O)
anyway
hope the show continues to be amassive
success miss tully……..
well done to you and the rest of the cast…….
Well Chef, the show is still on tour so you could catch them later, and in I’ve heard rumours of a Canadian tour (different cast and seeing you are connecting via Rogers telecom (Too much CBC Spark here) you might want to check).
traveling doesnt sit well with me unfortunatley….
but if i get achance to take it in over here,i,ll definitly take apeek…….
humour wise i still think id be better suited to the over the pond version tho……
and i think the two lovely irish lasses will be a hard cast to duplicate…
but i,ll definitly go and see it if it comes here
seems like ahell of a show
Every time I read the title of this post I want to comment “I didn’t know you’d slept with Claire Tully”. I’m so crass these days ?
I can assure you that no honour was sullied. (And No Sully was honoured either)