Dromore actor Tiarnán McCarron performs on Lyric Theatre stage

LOCAL actor, Tiarnán McCarron, has put Dromore on the map, after he played an impressive part within the Lyric Theatre’s production of ‘Romeo and Juliet’.

Tiarnán, known locally for his distinctive voice, has always been drawn to the stage – performing in pubs and venues throughout the years.

But, in his first professional acting debut, his guitar was set aside, and as the curtain lifted in the Lyric, he assumed the role of Abraham and the Prince’s Guard.

Speaking to the ‘Herald, Tiarnán recounted how he got into acting in the beginning.

“I got into acting in university, with the Queen’s Players,” began Tiarnán.

“I was studying Computer Science at Queen’s University, Belfast, and my mate, Ronan McManus, invited me along to a ‘Queen’s Players’ rehearsal.

“Initially, I was helping out by doing tech roles, but, when I was cast as Killian in play, ‘By the Handle’, I never looked back.”

Tiarnán explained that, although drama began as a hobby, it quickly grew into something he couldn’t imagine his life without.

“When I graduated in Computer Science, I realised that drama wasn’t just a hobby and it was something to be taken seriously,” he said. “It hit me that it was definitely what I wanted to do.”

And so, Tiarnán applied for Drama Studio, and, once accepted, he embarked on 14 weeks of intensive acting training, under the expert direction of Phil Crawford.

Undertaking three rounds of auditions before securing the part of Abraham, Tiarnán worked tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure that he was prepared for his role, and took on board vocal guidance from Michael Corbidge, senior voice and text associate with the Royal Shakespeare Company.

“The fighting scenes were very challenging,” confessed Tiarnán, as he recounted the lessons taught by stage combat coach, Ian McCracken.

The key takeaways were that the combat is both safe as well as realistic.

“It has been a challenge, but has been absolutely brilliant to be a part of.

“It’s great to be on the main stage of the Lyric with 15 other brilliant actors who are equally committed and have an equal desire to succeed.”

Tiarnán summed up the highlight of his time on stage – which was sharing this first professional acting achievement with his family.

“It was lovely to have my family down to watch – my birthday fell during one of the performances, so they came down to watch and we went out afterwards,” he said.

“It was nice to put in so much effort, and show the result of my hard work to my loved ones.”

When asked what his next steps were, now that the production has come to completion, Tiarnán’s answer was resounding.

“Seek some more acting work – I love it.”