One woman, four characters, a heifer and over 170 shows. Charolais by Noni Stapleton is a play that is both poignant and pleasurable, hilarious and heartbreaking and, in its two years on stage, it has struck a real chord with farming families. “It’s the biggest compliment I can get, when farmers can laugh and relate to the play,” says Noni, who is a self-confessed townie.

The play introduces us to Siobhan, the hilariously cheeky character who has fallen for Jimmy, a farmer who is not only dedicated to his Mammy, but also to his Charolais cow. When Siobhan falls pregnant, this dedication brings about an intense rivalry, resulting in a dialogue that will have you laughing out loud. And of course, there is lots of drama, poignant moments and even a bit of violence thrown into the mix.

Mart Performance

Next weekend, Charolais takes to a very unusual stage during the West Waterford Festival of Food: the mart in Dungarvan. Not only does it tie in with the theme of the festival, “Celebrating our farmer, from the land and sea”, Eunice Power is also serving up a beef stew at the event, very apt.

This isn’t the first time the show has been adapted to the mart ring, though.

“Two years ago, we performed in Dingle mart,” laughing, Noni says: “Looking back now, there wasn’t supposed to be a mart that day but when we arrived, it was in full swing. No sooner was the place sprayed down and the set put in place, I was on stage. It added to the excitement, though, and with the audience in the stalls looking through the bars, straw on the ground, it really adds to the authenticity of the show.”

As the writer and sole actor, who takes on four personas throughout the 70-minute play, how did Noni – who isn’t from a farming background – come up with such a unique idea and bring it to life?

“My father was in the army, so during my childhood, we moved from Cork to Clonmel to Kildare – garrison towns really – and I have lived in Dublin for years.

“However, rural Ireland and farmers have always been a focus in my writing. My first play, One for Sorrow, focused on a young girl leaving her family in Tipperary to live in Dublin, and the adaptation from rural to urban. In my second play, Two for a Girl, I went back two generations, creating a story about a young traveller woman who gets pregnant with a farmer, and the farmer and his wife adopt the child.”

Making a Monologue

“I hadn’t planned to write another farming story, but the idea came to life a few years ago, in my mother’s kitchen. Acting and writing is always on my mind, so there I was making a cup of tea and I was literally talking to myself for no other reason than to entertain myself.

“I started talking in this real flat midlands accent, just narrating my actions: ‘There I am now, making a cup of tea, putting the tea in now.’

“All of a sudden, it felt like this monologue was coming out of me and it was making me laugh. So I started jotting down a few ideas. I certainly didn’t think I was writing a play but out of that, the themes of Charolais started to unfold; the character of Siobhan, the fact she was on a farm for some reason, her love for Jimmy, the fact she hates the cow and then Breda, the mother-in-law character.”

The story wasn’t ready, though, and Noni put it away for two years, but when she started to work with director and developer Bairbre Ní Chaoimh, it started to grow legs again and develop a structure.

A Day on the Farm

Although the initial monologue seemed to flow, Noni admits that she needed to firm up the facts. “A trip to a farm was badly needed.” However, she is tight-lipped on revealing her source and whether the tip-off came from the Irish Farmers Journal.

“I was put in contact with this farmer in the Dublin mountains. I went up thinking we would have a cup of tea and a chat. Nine hours later, after lunch and dinner and a cow calved, I walked away with a completely different perspective.

“That farmer, that day had such an impact on the play. We walked the fields and he told me about his life. I got a real understanding for the connection to the land, the importance of the farm, the importance of the animals. However, there is no sentimentality, and that is perfect for play writing, it’s life and death – but it’s not trying to pull on the heartstrings deliberately.”

Real Success

Since that day, Noni has performed over 170 shows of Charolais in 70 venues. Supported by Show in a Bag, an initiative run by the Irish Theatre Institute, she launched the show at the Tiger Dublin Fringe before heading to the Fringe in Edinburgh. As well as venues across Ireland she has also performed in Australia, New York, France and Finland. A farmer’s compliment still goes a long way, though. “In Terryglass, a guy came up to me in the pub afterwards, and, you know, I felt like I met Jimmy in person. It was the biggest compliment when he said I really captured the character well.”

“He said: ‘The way he loves the animals, the way he is trying to tell Siobhan he loves her, but just can’t.’ It was touching, because I think he was genuinely moved by the performance, and as a writer and an actor, there is no better compliment than that.”

Well, that and being asked, are you beef or dairy?” CL

For more information on Charolais and the full line-up at the West Waterford Festival of Food, check out www.westwaterfordfestivaloffood.com.