Dec 24, 2024
Nov 27,2024
Thommas Kane Byrne (TKB) is an award-winning actor and playwright from Dublin's North Inner City.
Onscreen he's been a memorable presence in everything from to Darklands and Kin to Derry Girls and The Dry.
He's also artistic director of Breadline theatre company - his latest play, It's Always Your Bleedin' Own, comes to Dublin's Project Arts Centre this December.
We asked TKB for his choice cultural picks...
FILM
Panto by Deadly Films. Written, directed and starring Kate Stanley Brennan as part of Bow St and Screen Ireland's Actor and Creator initiative, this striking short film may look as camp as Liza Minnelli in a tutu from the outside but it punches you in the gut and takes the wind out of you when you least expect it. It’s been doing the rounds at all the film festivals and snatching trophies left and right. In Irish theatre, it really does not get any better than Kate Stanley Brennan and we need to see more of her on our screens.
MUSIC
Frowning Hours, aka Ger Kelly. His debut single Someone Who Won't is part of my everyday audio landscape and every time without fail I feel my eyes water before the song reaches the second verse. It’s beautifully written. He is also the tallest man in Ireland with the heartbreaking falsetto of a choirboy, and I can’t wait for the album.
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BOOK
I'm currently reading On James Baldwin which is a meditation by Colm Toibin on the work of James Baldwin. So insightful and specific. I’m devouring it. Started it this morning and am almost finished. Although it’s not very long in fairness.
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THEATRE
I’m gonna be shameless and plug my own play It's Always Your Bleedin' Own which will run in Project Arts Centre (upstairs) from December 2-14. It’s basically a love letter to Dublin but also a battle cry for the generation who were promised everything and got nothing and a comment about the state of the place all wrapped up in one big gas bop. It also features an incredible cast made up of Lloyd Cooney (Kin, Deadly Cuts) Ericka Roe (A Long Day's Journey Into Night, Dublin Murders) and Cameron Hogan (Vikings). It’s also directed by one of my favourite directors, Ronan Phelan.
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I also saw Jez Butterworth's The Hills of California on Broadway recently. A good pal of mine, Liam Bixby is in it. It was stunning! And I’m very proud of my pal making his Broadway debut.
TV
Bad Sisters! I’m hooked! One of the best comedies of the last ten years. I haven’t been this excited or invested in a comedy since Derry Girls. The cast are electric, especially Sarah Greene who elevates everything she’s in. Sharon Horgan is a bit of a genius!
GIG
I saw the Sugababes in torrential rain this Summer in the Iveagh Gardens. My teeth chattered along to the beat but I’ve quite frankly never felt more alive. I’ll also be making it my business to see Lana Del Rey in June 2025.
Lana Del Rey announces 2025 Ireland stadium tour date, https://t.co/gXhLSzXjxh, via @RTE_Ents.
— RTÉ (@rte) November 25, 2024
ART
I saw the Andy Warhol exhibit last year in the Hugh Lane last year which was very special.
I spent a long time in New York recently and anytime I go to New York I visit the Guggenheim. There’s a Degas there (he’s my absolute favourite) called Dancers in Green and Yellow and it never fails to move me in some way.
PODCAST
I’m hooked on Table Manners with Jessie and Lennie Ware. It’s like my aural comfort food. I also adore Jessie’s music and Lennie is hilarious. They basically just cook for famous people and have a bitta craic. Saoirse Ronan (who I adore) was their latest guest.
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TECH
I’m gonna be very basic here and say Spotify. Whether it’s my anxiety regulating opera music, my weekly cry to Girls Aloud’s Whole Lotta History, my treadmilling to 90’s dance or my comfort podcasts, I cannot live without it.
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THE NEXT BIG THING...
Cameron Hogan is a young actor straight out of the prestigious Mountview Academy in London. He plays the lead role of Kian Harris in my play It's Always Your Bleedin' Own. Two lines and a neck roll into this very first audition, we knew Cameron was the one we were looking for. He is an electric performer, a serious grafter and just a sound person. I’ve no doubt he has a huge career ahead of him. I’m a big fan!
It's Always Your Bleedin' Own is at Project Arts Centre, Dublin from the 2nd - 14th December - find out more here.
