Norma “plucked up the courage to help at the Rep” in 1981. Her first job was cutting out fabric leaves for the set of The Long, the Short and the Tall. It gave her the confidence to continue working backstage, taking charge of props for several productions. On occasion she would be “dragged in to the prompt corner” for rehearsals and was amazed at the occasional loose interpretation of the scipt!

 

Her appearance on the Rep stage came at the age of thirty in Penny For A Song and then No More Sitting on the Old School Bench, playing the ‘nameless drudge’ each time. This was twenty years after her debut as a soldier in a school play (dressed as a man and stuck at the back, being taller than all the boys in her class).

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During School Bench the power failed and the stage was plunged into darkness. She recalls, “What could I do but clean the stage from top to bottom, my hands shaking so much that I could hardly hold the mop!”. She also tried appearing in a summer show where she discovered “that dancing was not my forte either”. Shortly afterwards she “decided to go underground, or at least behind the scenes, where I’d feel less exposed”.

 

Over the years, Norma has held several roles with the company, many have been of an administrative nature. She has been Secretary to the Players Executive Committee, Membership Secretary, Cast Committee Member and Chair of the Production Committee, as well as doing regular Front of House and Coffee Bar duties.

 

Norma recognises that the Rep has given her the opportunity to met people from all walks of life and some have become good friends. She also met her partner, Dave Finn, at Beresford Street.