Most people would believe that the only things attained by schoolboys fooling at the back of the classroom are extra homework and time in detention. Peadar de Burca's calling to the world of theatre and drama however is proof that some good comes of 'messing down the back'.

Peadar de Burca's love of the stage first blossomed during his time in the Jes'. "It was one of my teachers who got me involved. I was messing one day in school and he asked me to be in the show because he thought I had energy." From playing the crocodile in the school play, to writing and directing his own works, Peadar de Burca's energy has taken him a long way.

The Galway Arts Festival gave Peadar a break in the early 1990s and since then, productions such as 'What Men Want' and 'Why Men Cheat', have impressed audiences both in his home county and further afield. His favourite play of his own though, is the upcoming comedy 'Like a Virgin'. "Things get a bit sensitive in the new one and that's not something I'm usually good at," he says.

Despite receiving some hugely positive reviews recently, de Burca is realistic about critics and admirers alike. "You're always going to get criticisms and the audience are always the best critics."

There is a genuine closeness between the Galway man and his audiences and he wishes to do more than simply entertain when people come to see his shows. "Obviously I hope to make them laugh, but I also hope they're taken away and forget about their troubles for a while."

This relationship with audiences has become increasingly tight for de Burca, with a huge amount of crowd participation during 'Why Men Cheat'. "I found women were starting to talk to me, it was really bizarre. There was all this banter going back and forth. Then one night this guy started talking about vegetables and I had to stop him."

A reaction to one performance wasn't quite so friendly though. "There was one night when a particular woman got quite drunk and I think got a bit confused and thought the actors were real. I do a bit in the show where I stand in the audience and this woman got up out of her seat and punched me in the face."

Like a lot of comedy writers, Peadar de Burca says a lot of his influence for characters and storylines comes from people he knows and that Galway is the perfect place to get the artistic juices flowing. "A lot of real life is most bizarre, I mean there's some stuff you really couldn't make up. No matter where I am I'm always taking notes around Galway."

According to Peadar, when writing a play, it's a lot of your ego dictating the direction of the story. Between himself and those around him though, de Burca has his feet firmly on the ground. "I wrote this stage version of Batman and, of course, I loved it but it didn't go down too well at all. People will soon tell you if something's crap."

Peadar de Burca's latest offering, 'Like a Virgin' will be running in the Town Hall Theatre from 23 to 28 June.

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