Jim Nolan, who was a pupil at Scoil Lorcáin for eight years starting in the early 1960’s and who comes from St. John’s Park is now one of the most prominent figures in Irish Theatre.
Jim has fond memories of growing up in John’s Park and often credits the friendships formed at Scoil Lorcáin as being central to his development. After going to Mount Sion CBS Secondary School, Jim had a number of jobs in London and Dublin before moving back to Waterford where he followed his late father and grandfather in working in what is now Eircom.
It was at this stage that Jim began to further his interest in theatre and among his first plays was The Black Pool, set on the Waterford Docks during the 1960’s.
After taking a year’s leave of absence from Eircom, Jim worked as Writer in Residence with TEAM, a Dublin based touring company which does most of it’s work in schools.
In 1985, Jim combined with fellow Scoil Lorcáin veteran, Ben Hennessy and a number of other Waterford people, to found Red Kettle – the city’s first professional theatre company.
His play, The Gods Are Angry, Miss Kerr, launched the company and met with huge critical acclaim during it’s run at the Theatre Royal. Jim’s other plays for Red kettle include The Boathouse, Moonshine, The Guernica Hotel and The Salvage Shop, which was nominated for the Irish Times Best New Play award and won The Sunday Independent Theatre Award for Play of the Year. Moonshine, The Salvage Shop and Blackwater Angel, which was presented at the Abbey Theatre in 2001are published by Gallery Press. Jim left Red Kettle, for whom he also directed more than twenty plays, in 2001 and now pursues a career as a freelance director and playwright. His play for children, The Road to Carne premiered at the Peacock Theatre in 2003 and his next play, The Last Resort will be produced at the Abbey Theatre in 2005. Amongst his recent directing work, a favourite is an adaptation for radio by Noel Kelly of In My Father’s House, by the late Seán Dunne, a distinguished and much loved former pupil of Scoil Lorcáin.
Jim was the Anglo Irish Bank Writer in Association at the Abbey Theatre for 2001/2002 and is a member of Aosdana. He is delighted to maintain his assoicaition with Scoil Lorcáin as a member of the School’s Management Board and is proud to have been a pupil at the school, along with his brothers, John, Michael and David and Brian. Jim’s sister Caroline is employed at Scoil Lorcáin as a Special Needs Assistant.