Anne Gildea, a performer and writer has faced a multitude of trials in her life. “There were two particular points where I was forced to put all my affairs in order,” she comments, showcasing her resilience of constantly reinventing herself.
Although she entertains the idea of leaving the hustle and bustle of Dublin for the tranquillity of the countryside or the sea, her experience with cancer has tethered her to the city, specifically to the vicinity of James’s hospital. “I was extremely fortunate to be in proximity to such a top-notch facility for breast cancer treatment,” she admits. The allure of the city for her is not the vibrant social gatherings or trendy coffee shops, instead it’s the easy access to quality healthcare. Annie exudes an infectious laughter as she lets this sink in. “It’s not a pleasant thought but as I get older, I’m constantly reminded of my mortality. There’s a wise saying by Confucius that we all have two lives, and the second begins when we comprehend that there’s only one.”
Now at 58, she’s content with where she stands both in personal and professional front despite the diverse and often challenging events of her past. “I used to think I was cursed with misfortune. But ever since overcoming breast cancer, I’ve had one lucky break after another. It feels as though I’m a lucky person after all,” she expresses with a sense of wonderment.
Annie’s journey, which I have been familiar with for years now, has been nothing short of a roller coaster ride. From a difficult childhood transition from the cityscape of Manchester to the struggles of rural poverty in Sligo, to honing her performance skills during her days in a London squat; from a high-flying stint with The Nualas musical comedy trio to the lows of its fissure; from the life-altering diagnosis of breast cancer at 45, going through depression and an abrupt menopause, and channeling her experiences into creating a successful show; and from her solo journeys to finally finding love at 48. Throughout the ups and downs, Annie remains astute, vivacious, hardworking, with a hearty laugh and a compassionate heart.
She says that the first signal to put her life in order came with cancer. This was a turbulent period where it seemed chemotherapy wasn’t making a difference and it was assumed she had an advanced stage cancer. The initial diagnosis of metastatic ovarian or uterine cancer later turned out to be false, leaving her with a challenging period of 10 days where she believed her end was near. That was the year 2019. “Ever since then, it feels as though I’ve been given a second chance at life. I see Covid as an unexpected blessing,” she concludes.
On the topic of relationships, she admits that she didn’t expect meeting a partner would come easily for her. “No doubt the timing played a key role. It happened when I was older, well past the thought of children. It was no mere coincidence.”
Having disbanded The Nualas for the second time and running out of funds, she found employment as a tour guide. Despite not initially wanting the job, she learned to appreciate it and found a regained connection with performing, largely due to the positivity of the American tourists. She identified with the reality of her mismanaged career and regretted not taking better care of her professional life. The Nualas, known for their beautiful harmonies and audacious lyrics, accounted for 15 years of her best comedic endeavours, filled with passion and heart. The potential for a career breakthrough in her twenties could have potentially altered her life’s path had they seized it. However, the journey was marred by highs and lows, and the challenge of keeping a trio together eventually led to heartache.
During her period of reflection and self-doubt, she grappled with how to make amends. She was at her lowest point, in the darkest hour before the dawn, when the Covid pandemic struck. Being a tour guide at that time allowed her to be eligible for the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP), lessening her financial worries considerably.
She had also just begun a course on cultural and creative entrepreneurship at Trinity College, which significantly helped to refine her thought process. She learned to view failure as a stepping stone to success.
Though she acknowledged the detrimental impacts of Covid on many people, she considered it a blessing in her life. The lockdown presented to her out of a particularly difficult point in her life gave her the opportunity to fully concentrate on creating something new. Additionally, the financial assistance received helped ease her mortgage troubles, reducing the pressure like never before.
The choice to develop a performance centred on the theme of midlife was driven by the strange enlightenment that arrives at a time when society is casually dismissing you to the sidelines. There is an observation that women in previous generations experienced a lesser role at this stage in their life compared to their counterparts today, who are fully exercising their power in their 50s.
The title of the show was suggested by her partner, Paul Farren, who had an unusual intuition that encouraged her to craft a narrative about menopause. Despite having no prior knowledge about the intricacies of menopause, her experience post cancer treatment unknowingly thrust her into its onset. Regardless of being a cancer survivor and having the support and love of Paul, she grappled with extreme low mood.
It was only after being under the shadow of depression, which pinned her down with its severe bleakness, and spending years on antidepressants, that she identified her plight as being hormonal. Transitioning from antidepressants to Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) has made a significant positive impact on her wellbeing, enabling her to reclaim her cheerfulness. While she acknowledges her predisposition to a certain melancholy from her West of Ireland roots, she has also noted an absence of its recurrence since initiating her HRT journey.
She decided to delve into the subject of menopause as it was becoming a popular topic during that time. The result was a successful show – How to Get The Menopause and Enjoy It – an amusing yet provocative performance bolstered with informative insights that took everyone by surprise. The event was so successful that the initial projection of its duration was vastly overshadowed by it being performed for three years, purely driven by word of mouth. After the conclusion of its 150th performance in Letterkenny on the 14th of December, the show is set to take a break.
Following its success, she has been solicited to make appearances at 35 major UK theatres during the autumn season, by incorporating segments of her humour into Dr Louise Newson’s educational show on menopause.
Presently, she is advancing past the stage of menopause, yet maintaining a focus on women’s experiences. She and her partner Farren have embarked on creating a new performance, titled ‘Further Adventures in Womaning’, which is set to make its debut in Clontarf’s Viking Theatre in Dublin next week, with plans for a 2025 tour in Ireland.
The focal point of the show encompasses various aspects of femininity as perceived through the lens of television and popular culture including: a nurturing matriarch, a provocative dancer, a ‘Housewife of The Year’, with references ranging from ‘Angel Delight’ to ‘Ozempic’ and culminating in the ‘Chiffon Scarf Test’. Advertisements from her youth that promoted products like the 18-hour girdle and the Cross-Your-Heart bra left a lasting impact on her, leading her to live her life in complete opposition to their messages. The show is a reflection of this rejection and indicative of the progression in societal norms.
The inspiration behind the show is her mother, a woman who excelled in the role life instructed her to fulfil. Her mother’s ardent faith and her innate kindness personified her as a devoted wife, an adoring mother, and an exceptional cook. Despite fulfilling societal expectations, she found herself alone and impoverished in her 50s, struggling to recreate her life. She embodies a generation of women taught to perpetually give of themselves, disregarding their own needs. They were essentially second-class citizens, their legal status reduced to mere property, with their family homes owned by their husbands.
Contrary to this, Gildea remained determined and individualistic, adamant about achieving her life goals. She believed in carving her own path, stating, “someone may join me on my journey or perhaps not, yet it is essential for me to make my way in the world on my own terms”. Having experienced the fallout of a fragmented family, she was cautious about aligning herself with conventional familial expectations.
At the age of 48, Gildea discovered joy with Farren, a film producer and screenwriter. Their first meeting was at a summer solstice barbecue. This relationship served as a testament that it’s never too late as long as there’s life. Farren has completely changed Gildea’s life. His appearance in her life seemed almost like her own manifestation as she had been longing for a partner. Farren, not only being tidy in contrast to her own self-confessed chaos but also handling the writing, direction, and production of their show on top of all other responsibilities, was the answer to all her prayers. They journey together on tours, with Farren handling the crowd through conversation in order to allow Gildea her needed quiet time prior to a show.
Introducing a fresh perspective to their comedic writing, Farren focuses on the heart, the viewpoint and setting the scene, contrary to Gildea’s approach of locating the punchline. Farren’s presence in Gildea’s life happened at a time when she was older and beyond the question of having children, which is noteworthy rather than mere happenstance. Farren, having tied the knot at an early age, already has three grown-up children.
Born in Manchester, Gildea and her creative siblings, Kevin, a comedian-writer, and Una, an artist, moved to Co Sligo during their childhood. She painted a picture of her youth growing up on a little farm, saving hay and working on the bog during the summers. Although she described the experience as horribly miserable, she identifies some positive aspects, noting the work ethic it instilled in her, something she values. Growing up, the arts fascinated her, and she even had a childhood obsession with ballet despite the lack of a ballet company in Tubbercurry!
In their youth, they managed to break free from the confines of their hometown, Sligo, to attend university. The dissolution of their parents’ marriage left them to fend for themselves, making any place they resided their home. After their education, they sought refuge in London at the age of 21. Undertaking a variety of roles like participating in theatre workshops, creating theatre for children and street performances, they even bagged an acting scholarship at the now defunct ALRA (Academy of Live and Recorded Arts).
Living conditions weren’t appaling, in a squat just off Old Kent Road. In order to scrape by, they took up what could be described as menial cash-in-hand labour that London had to offer, like cleaning construction areas, selling cigarettes in corner shops, and working in a medieval-themed restaurant near Tower Bridge. They became acquainted with the underbelly of London and had to learn to survive with the bare minimum, being underweight due to lack of funds for food. It was a period during which they honed their performance skills, driven by an innate desire to be in the limelight.
In 1995, after securing a position as TV co-presenter alongside Gerry Ryan, they returned to Ireland. Soon after, they connected with Sue Collins and Tara Flynn to form The Nualas. The group achieved great success, staging performances in London, at the Edinburgh Fringe, and in other international locations such as New York, Australia, and Asia. Their return to Ireland coincided with a period of thriving cultural and economic surge following the dire poverty of the 1980s.
They fondly remembered their childhood envy of child singer Lena Zavaroni while watching Opportunity Knocks, dreaming of fame beyond the humdrum life in Sligo. They identified with Lena’s troubled life, though considering their own circumstances, they felt more content. A viewing of Sandra Bernhard’s Giving Til It Hurts in London in the early 1990s sparked a desire in them to make a similar impact.
Over three decades later, they feel they’ve finally reached that point. They now understand the importance of persistence, celebrating life and work at every opportunity. It’s a mindset shift of contentment with their current position rather an constant yearning for advancement. The underlying principle remained – to wake up each morning with gratitude for being alive.
“My passion lies in the world of entertainment; it’s not comedy per se, but showbiz as a whole that captivates me. The fact that I’ve managed to build a career in this seemed improbable considering my background and era – it never ceases to amaze me. Even now, my enthusiasm mirrors that of my 22-year-old self, in awe of the industry.”