Tom Hickey talks about learning and developing his craft as an actor.
Tom Hickey first appeared on Irish television screens in 1965 as Benjy Riordan in 'The Riordans', a rural drama series which was broadcast on RTÉ from 1965 to 1979. He credits writer Wesley Burrowes with his development as a television actor,
As time went on he was able in a way to make the character richer.
During this time he continued working with The Focus Theatre and trained in the Stanislavski method. Tom Hickey thinks this method of training for actors is misunderstood. He thinks of it as,
A set of exercises to develop the actor’s potential.
Known for his portrayal of comic eccentric characters, he believes that playwrights use idiosyncrasy with a specific purpose in mind, and his training allows him to,
Find a way of getting in, and getting a sense of that life force in someone.
This episode of ‘The Live Arts Show’ was broadcast on 13 February 1984. The interviewer is Siobhán Cleary.
'The Live Arts Show' was a monthly arts programme presented by Moya Doherty and John Hutchinson. First broadcast on 17 October 1983 this monthly series featured live coverage of arts events, together with filmed inserts. The series was produced by Anne McCabe and ran for one year.
