Sean Upton 'a pure star': Up Down Boy appears on RTÉ Nationwide
Brenda Giles and Sean Upton, in David Hennessy's production of Up Down Boy. Photo: Joe Evans
Up Down Boy, a play starring one of Waterford's up-and-coming actors, Sean Upton, was featured on RTÉ Nationwide last night.
The show was filmed during the rehearsals and included behind-the-scenes videos and insights. The piece features interviews with the people behind the performance, David Hennessy, Brenda Giles and the star of the show, Sean Upton.
'Up Down Boy' is a play by David Hennessy and the Quay Players Musical and Drama Society and tells the story of a mother launching her 18-year-old son Jack, who has Down Syndrome, into the world.
“The playwright was a lady called Sue Shields. She wrote this play for her own son, Nathan, who had Down syndrome. She wanted him to have something that he could go onto the stage and perform, so she wrote this play with a lot of help behind her, including from one of the writers of Mamma Mia, The Musical," explained the director David Hennessy on Nationwide.
He said that directing the play was an “honour” for him, “this is so, so important. To get it over the line and to start rehearsals was brilliant,” he said.
“Sadly Sue passed away the last week in July, which was a big hit to me, Brendan and Sean, but one of the great things was that her family and friends told me she had great comfort knowing that the play was going on again.”
“When it came to casting, I had someone in mind straight away,” the director said, “I was after meeting Sean a good few times because he goes to all our shows – he’s a great supporter of the arts - and I’ve seen him in his Traces Dance Ensemble group. Every time I pass him, when there’s a band playing in town, he’s out dancing.
“He’s just such a lovely, lovely young man,” said David Hennessy of the star of the show.
“I knew Brenda [from] bringing Sean to all the plays and musicals, and I said, ‘Well, there’s no one else I’m asking! Sean and Brenda have such a friendship that I wanted people to see their connection, and it’s just worked out absolutely brilliantly.
“I couldn’t be more honoured and happy to work with Brenda and Sean, I have so much respect for the two of them.”
Brenda spoke to Nationwide about her connection to her friend, Sean Upton, “I started my career as an SNA [Special Needs Assistant] and Sean was the first child I worked with,” said Brenda Giles, co-star of the show, “I remember going to see him as a little boy, he was only 5 at the time.”
“I went to see him at his house before he started primary school in Ballygunner in Waterford. I saw this little guy bouncing on the trampoline, and from the moment I saw him – and he probably gave me a hug – he captured my heart from that day!”
“We’ve been friends all throughout those 17 years, and even through secondary school, he would always come to [visit] me on a Wednesday. We would always have dinner together and he became part of my family, he is to this day still a huge part of my family.”
“We like to socialise,” Brenda said, “Sean loves going to the theatre, so two or three times a year we go off to see different shows.
“It’s absolutely a privilege and an honour for me to be playing opposite Sean Upton because he’s a pure star.” “I think Brenda is quite funny!” said Sean, “she makes me smile, laugh and having the jokes, having the craic – one of my top friends, definitely!”
Sean said that the first pantomime play he attended featured Brenda as an actor, “She’s an amazing actor!”
“We always had great confidence in him,” said Sean’s father, John Upton, “we always believed he could do it. We would always be a little bit nervous for him but when we watched some of the rehearsals we were blown away by how confident he is on the stage.
“We are absolutely delighted for him, that he got the opportunity. We are really grateful to David and Brenda for giving him that opportunity.”
“Inclusivity is so important for people like Sean. There are so many out there who just want to follow their dreams, so to be involved in something like this that they enjoy or are passionate about – sporting clubs, drama clubs, stuff like that – they just want to achieve their full potential.”
“This is why this particular play brings an important message. It is wonderful to have Sean involved in it, for that to show people that they can follow their dreams.”
