Tullamore actor who featured in top British TV dramas to bring show to Esker Arts

A TULLAMORE born actor who has featured in a host of acclaimed television series over recent years is bringing a show to Esker Arts in his home town on March 5 next.

John Nayagam appeared on our TV screens in hit shows such as "Emmerdale", "Holby", "Blue Lights" and "The Teacher".

He has also created the production company, "Watering Hole Productions", which brings "Word Against The Word", a show featuring Keith Dunphy, to Esker Arts following a successful run in London and Waterford.

John Nayagam grew up on Rahan Road in Tullamore and attended Ballinamere NS and the CBS during the 80s and 90s.

"My mother was a Prendergast from Church St. I now live in London but regularly come back to Tullamore to vist friends and family," he told the Tribune.

John continued: "While away I have been lucky enough to have had a few careers, one in acting, being on 'Emmerdale' for a couple of years and 'Holby' for a time alongside theatre work but more recently I have been fortunate to be in a number of dramas including 'Blue Lights' and 'The Teacher' as well as continuing with stage work."

"On one of my visits to Tullamore for a friend's 50th I was told about Esker Arts. I couldn't believe it. I was so pleased to hear that Tullamore finally had a theatre/arts space that I reached out to Sean Walsh, the artistic director, and when I was next over arranged a meet up and was immediately determined to bring shows to my town and share them with theatre goers, non-theatre goers, young people, whoever!"

READ NEXT: Offaly peat documentary to premiere at Esker Arts in Tullamore

John said he found himself empassioned about this because despite forging a career out of acting "I was never once presented with any option, pathway on these lines when I was in Tullamore as a child/teenager and it is so fantastic that it now exists."

"So I am exploring ways to make that pathway clearer and accessible, and we have worked with Esker to get a workshop session in with one of the schools on Shakespeare before the show which Keith will run."

His company, "Watering Hole Productions", was created with the mission of making art, particularly live theatre, happen; enabling plays and work to be shared.

"Plays have their impact when they are performed live but you cannot underestimate the time, effort, cost, and how many people need to be involved to get a play from the page to the stage. I recognised that a lot of my work outside of acting involves building teams to make things happen in a sustainable way so I applied it to staging plays.

"The name Watering Hole obviously has the literal association with the pub where so many great things happen but it also conjures the notion of thirsty animals on the savannah sipping from the pool and artists/actors/writers are those animals who can hopefully sip two key things things - facilitation and funds from Watering Hole. And that latter part is a key mid-term mission - to fill the Watering Hole with funds which can be used to realise work.

The show, the company is bring to Esker Arts, "Word Against The Word" represents its first full production having debuted in London in early 2025 but Watering Hole has two other new plays in the pipe - both are written, with creative teams attached, and funding is being sought to support their staging.

READ NEXT: President of powerful EU body selected as 2025 Offaly Person of the Year

Asked if he is hoping to bring shows on a regular basis to Esker, John replied: "I most certainly am. As I mentioned I was so excited to hear Esker Arts was up and running. It was great to speak with Sean about what has been there (some great shows!), his passion for the arts as a whole and his reports of local enthusiasm for theatre in the town. I know some other theatre companies who want to bring their shows to Ireland and part of this is building a relationship both for Watering Hole and those other companies. As long there is an appetite or an interest I'll be keen to share plays."

As regards the workshop he intends to run with students in Tullamore, John outlined: "The workshops we have run previously were with cohorts of about 30/40 and therefore it was quite interactive. This workshop will be for 150 students so it will be a case of tailoring it to scale. Keith, the actor, will work through some of the physical warm-ups and exercises that enable the actor to explore Shakespearian texts and to reveal the characters through the unique language and behaviours.

"The floor will be entirely open to questions about technique (stage or screen) and practical production/career development questions. The attendees will gain some insights on how acting practitioners prepare and perform in their roles, and with a bit of luck some will be inspired."

For more details about the show "Word Against The Word" log onto the trailer https://youtu.be/-ZlWqPN17BM or view vox pops with audience reaction from its runs in Waterford and London - https://youtu.be/GNxULLVWsAQ and https://youtu.be/FfJh-3iDYpM

See eskerarts.ie