Leitrim-born David Rawle first came to prominence in a rather memorable fashion, aged 12, as the star of Chris O'Dowd's much-loved sitcom Moone Boy - he also voiced the leading character in Cartoon Saloon's Oscar nominated animated classic Star Of The Sea.
A recent graduate of Dublin's Lir Academy, David next appears in Livin Dred's welcome theatrical revival of Gina Moxley's acclaimed play Danti-Dan, a shamelessly funny tale of the sexual-awakening of five innocent youngsters in a small dead-end town. The production tours Ireland throughout February 2023.
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We asked David for his choice cultural picks...
FILM
Marcel the Shell With Shoes On - The hilarious and heartbreaking story of a tiny talking shell with shoes on called Marcel, who is trying to find his family. Marcel is voiced by and co-written by Jenny Slate. It's shot in a mockumentary style based on the viral YouTube Videos from 10 years ago, and finally this amazing character is being brought to the big screen. Released in cinemas February 17th, you'll not laugh more or be more emotionally impacted by any film in 2023.
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MUSIC
A guilty pleasure of mine has always been musicals and the haunting vocals of acoustic covers. So when I discovered a perfect combination of these two things in Eleri Ward, my mind was blown. She sings acoustic covers of Sondheim songs, and completely reinvents some of the greatest songs in musical theatre. Her most popular song is probably Johanna (Reprise), but my favourite might be either her version of Another Hundred People or Sunday.
BOOK
Great Expectations - since finishing college I've been determined to read more classics, so I said I'd give this Dickens masterpiece a try. It is by far one of the most vivid and striking books I've ever read. The story is fairly simple; a young boy discovers he has a mystery benefactor who will pluck him from poverty and make him a gentleman. But it's also a great unrequited love story, that is filled with wit and humour, as well as language that absolutely chills. "'What have I done? What have I done?' she wrung her hands, and crushed her white hair, and returned to this cry over and over again. 'What have I done?'" It's been an incredible read and I'll be sad to finish it.
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THEATRE
Recently saw The Weir in the Abbey and it floored me (not just because it's set in my home county of Leitrim). A play that showcases the power of performance, where an entire audience is captivated by the simple act of people sitting in the pub telling stories, it was a magical night at the theatre. Anytime you get to see Marty Rea is always a pure joy for any young actor, and he was particularly fantastic as Jim in The Weir - I'm very excited to see him be brilliant again in The New Electric Ballroom by Enda Walsh, running in the Gate Theatre from the 23rd of February.
TELEVISION
I'm notoriously bad at watching TV shows, (I took a whole year to get through 3 seasons of Succession) but I've been looking forward to putting the feet up and binging the latest series of His Dark Materials, based on the brilliant books by Philip Pullman. I adored these books as a teenager, and to relive the nostalgia of this amazing epic story in such a well made adaptation has been a real joy.
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GIG
I'm a big fan of Oasis, so I'm very excited to hear that Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds have announced they are headlining a show at Royal Hospital Kilmainham in August with Primal Scream and Happy Mondays.
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ART
I am a total cretin when it comes to art, but I sometimes find paintings can be a really interesting way of exploring character. I fell in love with the paintings Rene Magritte doing a play last year, particularly The Lovers.
RADIO
I love listening to Movies and Musicals on Saturdays on RTÉ lyric fm, so I'm very excited to hear that Aedín Gormley is performing the radio show live on the 9th of March to mark the 75th anniversary of RTÉ National Orchestra.
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TECH
Kettles. I stand by it that kettles never get the praise they deserve.
THE NEXT BIG THING...
I'm going to gush about how amazing my Danti-Dan cast is. To get to work with so many outrageously talented young actors in Chloe O' Reilly, Meadhbh Maxwell and Eoghan Collins, has been a pure joy, and I feel so lucky to get to tour with them the next few weeks.
But Venetia Bowe as Cactus has been an extraordinary performance to watch come to life. She has been an incredible scene partner, the rare talent who makes you a better actor just to act opposite them, and it's only a matter of time before she takes the world of theatre by storm. If this is only the beginning of her career, then I can only imagine how far she'll go...
Danti-Dan is touring nationwide until February 18th - find a date near you here.
