The theatre world is one where reputations are made to be broken but actor Pat Kinnevane is the exception - not only is his reputation unchipped but he is also - gasp - very well-liked by his peers. So when his first venture into play-writing, The Nun's Wood, opened at the Project @ the Mint on Tuesday night, there was a groundswell of goodwill and support for him. Members of his family, including brothers John and Denis Kinevane, made the trip from Pat's native Cork for the occasion. John laughed that he was on the look-out for characters that were a bit too like himself - the location of the play is a thinly-disguised version of the family home in Great Island, Cobh. Playwright Frank McGuinness was also a firm supporter in the Kinevane camp - he's a great pal of Pat's, who appeared in his play Carthaginians, and he wrote the programme notes commenting "Cork's done it again. It must be something in the air."
A number of people travelled considerable distances for the opening night including Patricia Quinn who had been in Wexford earlier in the day on Arts Council business; Mary Coll of the Belltable Arts Centre in Limerick, where the show will play at the end of June, and actor Conor McDermottroe, who flew over from London. Conor, who is currently doing some theatre workshops with model Kate Moss, the lucky man, was accompanied on Tuesday night by actor Rebecca Hobbs, who is soon to be seen in the lead role of the New Zealand film, The Ugly. Alan Gray, an economist with Indecon Ireland, was at the helm of another big posse there to support his wife, actor Caroline Gray, who was in the play. His guests included the US ambassador Jean Kennedy Smith; historian Tim Pat Coogan, who is researching a book about the Irish diaspora; playwright Bernard Farrell and his wife Gloria, and John McCloskey, chief executive of ACC, who enjoyed the agricultural setting of the play.
Other folks at the first night included writers Maeve Binchy and Gordon Snell who are great supporters of Fishamble theatre company; Dermot Gallagher, the recently returned Irish ambassador to Washington; author Jennifer Johnston, and a clutch of actors including Niall Toibin who did a voiceover in the production; BallyK's Peter Han- ley; Donal O'Kelly, and Jennifer O'Dea who is working on a film about Wolfe Tone for RTE.
Afterwards, the party moved to the Sackville pub where actors from just about every production in town arrived to wish Pat well. And do you know, I think they all meant it, too.