Trying to write an article about Milwaukee's Celia Farran is like trying to focus on a single speck in a Pointillist painting. Farran is a swirl of creativity with so many projects simultaneously flourishing that it is nearly impossible to focus on just one.
So let's not.
The just-turned-30-year-old performer is a singer, songwriter, musician, dancer, acting coach, storyteller and teacher who has performed in plays and one-woman shows off-Broadway, in Milwaukee and on many stages in between. She regularly facilitates workshops for children, recently released her first CD, "Fire In the Head" -- a collection of mostly classic Irish songs -- and is already working on a CD of all-original material with Willy Porter in the producer's seat.
Her new release, "Fire In The Head," which is a line from W.B. Yeats' poem, is a beautiful alchemy of classic Celtic and modern adult contemporary with Farran's voice airy yet deeply emotional.
Recently, Celia Farran chatted with OnMilwaukee.com despite her many projects and busy performance schedule about music, fairies, Milwaukee and what it's like being a redhead.
OMC: Why did you choose a line from the Yeat's poem for the title of your album? ("I went down to the hazel wood/Because a fire was in my head...")
CF: Here in the hazel wood, Aengus envisions a spirit woman with whom he falls in love with such a passion that he lives out his days wandering the earth in search of her mortal manifestation.
It is this same passion-the source of our enlightenment-that takes us above daily confusion and plants us directly in the center of the flame. It is what brings us to the river's edge, leaps under our feet in a moment of timeless flight and sends us on our path in quest of our ultimate purpose. This great power within us is our "Fire in the Head". It is our inner invitation. Locate it. Acknowledge it. Fan the Flame. Dance on.
OMC: What brings you to Milwaukee? Did you grow up here?
CF: I grew up on a farm in Big Bend. I then went to the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor) and earned my BFA in Theatre Performance. Then in '99 I moved to New York City to pursue my acting/musical theatre career. Later that year, First Stage Milwaukee hired me to do a show called "The Irish Chord." I had been in their first production of "Sleeping Beauty" as a child actor. Milwaukee became my new home base and I have been here now for four years.
OMC: Is Milwaukee a good place for an Irish musician?
CF: Milwaukee has a large concentration of people from an Irish background. It is also the home of "Irish Fest" which is known as the largest Irish music festival in the world. I am grateful that Milwaukee has been so responsive to what I offer, but I have also noticed an eagerness for Irish/Celtic material everywhere that I travel.
OMC: What other Milwaukee Irish bands do you like?
CF: I particularly like Frogwater for their eclectic style and stage energy. I also enjoy Leahy's Luck. I truly appreciate their dedication to family and music and bringing light into the world through both.
OMC: Are you Irish?
CF: My heritage is Irish and German.
OMC: How did you get into Irish music?
Well, my family was involved in Irish Fest from the start. I was involved in the plays and Irish dancing and song. In '97 I took a trip to Ireland with my mother. It was a workshop trip with Tom Cowan (author "Fire in the Head") We went to the ancient sites and learned much of the mythology and mysticism. I returned to New York and shortly afterwards produced my one-woman show of "Stories in the Stone." Celtic material has been a part of my career ever since.
OMC: When did you start singing? Storytelling? Dancing?
CF: I started performing when I was very young. I took the kindergarten play very seriously! I was Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and quite proud of my role. When I was seven I started taking Irish Dance. I played the violin as soon as I could (in the fourth grade) and I also took piano lessons at a young age. Soon the stage became my first passion and I started taking acting classes. In high school I immersed myself in every choir and theatre opportunity that I could. In my freshman year I did a show with First Stage Milwaukee and it left a strong impression on me. When I was 16 years old I recorded my first solo album of all original songs titled "Character Sketch."
I started storytelling when I joined the high school forensics team. I was absent the day that we got to choose our topics. I surely would have chosen something like solo acting, but got stuck with the one thing that no one else wanted: storytelling. I soon became a champion storyteller for the team, so now I am grateful. It was excellent training for all of my performance work.
OMC: You do workshops for children. Why? What draws you to kids?
CF: Ooooooh, kids are awful fun. They keep you honest and on your toes. I never thought that working with children would be a part of my career. When I lived in New York I was hired to do a few tours for Theatreworks USA, a top notch children's theater company. I would perform for hundreds of kids at a time all over the U.S. It made me recall the performances that I saw as a child and how it effected my choice to be a performing artist. Part of our mission as performers is to inspire. We must foster this in our youth so that the flame will be kept alive.
The other formative experience that I had with children was connected to "Stories in the Stone." Every audience member received a stone wrapped up with a wish written by a child (like an Irish fortune cookie.) This involved workshops in New York schools. Ever since then children have been a large part of my career.
The past three summers I have been the storyteller for First Stage on the Rainbow Summer's Kidzstage. I also can be seen in libraries all over the state as "Coach C.C." in my interactive storytelling show, "Storysports."
OMC: Tell us about your recent show in New York.
CF: I was hired to do live music for the Off-Broadway premiere of Conor McPherson's "Rum and Vodka." My musical performance set the tone for the story of one man's three-day drinking binge (hence the title). It was wonderful to go back to the old stomping grounds and to be working with such a bright and talented group. New York will always have a place in my heart and I look forward to producing more of my one-woman shows there in the near future.
OMC: What percentage of your music is original and what percentage is covers?
CF: Most of the Celtic music and stories are "covers" yet I arrange them all. So, I may re-write a story to fit my style, etc. "Fire in the Head" is all Celtic Covers aside from the two songs that I wrote,"Gnomes" and "Erika." I am currently working on my next CD of all original material and Milwaukee's own Willy Porter will be playing the role of producer. I am delighted to be working with such a talented and spirited artist.
OMC: What inspires you to be creative?
CF: Everything! There is a story/song inspiration for me in every moment. Sometimes it is difficult keeping track of all of the ideas that flow in. But I feel particularly fluid when I am walking in nature or when I am moving. Driving in the car is an incredibly creative time for learning material and writing songs. I also love to sit with another artistic soul and bounce ideas back and forth. The muse comes to visit and the creativity starts flying.
OMC: Your one-woman show is about being a redheaded woman. What are some of the points you make in your piece? As a brunette, I am grossly curious.
CF: You are fun! Thanks for asking. Well, first of all the one woman show on being a redhead is in the process of being written so, my answers may change as the project unfolds.
Growing up as a redhead was not always easy. I was always a little different from the other kids. In fact I was the only redhead in my grade school class for most of my school career. Ricki (the other redhead) moved away in fourth grade. And due to persistent Saturday morning commercials I was convinced that I was not valuable unless I looked like Barbie. Red hair made me different and I hated it. Now it makes me different and I cherish it.
What I have been discovering about being a redhead and working with redheads is that we are deeply passionate people. I think that this has often been translated into "fiery" and "hot tempered,"however most redheads that I know have an extremely kind disposition with a very long fuse.
I want to explore the genetic mutation and science behind what "causes" redheads. I also want to explore the nature/nurture aspect of it. Are we different because we look different and the world mirrors back to us in this way? Or is there an argument for some genetic/scientific reasons why we should have notably different personality traits?
The other truly intriguing thing about redheads is that we are approximately two percent of the world's population. We are such a minority and yet we are not highlighted as such. I find redheads enigmatic. Why not explore it more?
OMC: How long did it take you to make the album? Are you happy with it?
CF: We did "Fire in the Head" in about three months from start to finish. I am very pleased with "Fire in the Head" as my first CD release. I get compliments on it from all over the world. "Irish Tales" (my second storytelling CD) was the most fun I have ever had in the recording studio. I worked with the group "One Drum" on the sound effects and we were literally on the floor laughing for much of the recording process. I think the joy comes across in the finished product. And I am thoroughly enjoying working with Willy Porter on my current CD. I am excited to bring it forth for fans in the upcoming months.
OMC: Are fairies real?
CF: What a great question. I will answer with a little joke.
"Mrs. Murphy, do you believe in fairies?"
Mrs. Murphy: "Ach, no ... But they're there!"
There is one fairy in particular that has made herself known to me and my audience. Her name is "The Trestle Foot Fairy" and she frequently appears in my shows as a guest artist. She has a singer/songwriter career of her own and writes and sings about her fairy perspective on the world. Her most recent song is called "How Could I Live Without My Cell Phone" and she is working up her song titled "Shoe" (the story behind finding one shoe on the side of the road) for the next "Celtic Stories and Songs" show on February 14. I realize this may sound a bit esoteric, but come to the show and it will all be made clear.
{INSERT_RELATED}Also, my show "Stories in the Stone" has morphed into a children's show where we explore the lost fairies and what we can do to bring goodness and joy in the world even though the fairy's have been long forgotten.
OMC: Anything else you'd like to say to Milwaukee?
CF: Yes, I would like to share with people that I do "Celtic Stories and Songs" and love it, but it is not all that I do. Soon I will have a CD of all original songs and more one-woman shows that have nothing to do with being Irish. I am also an actress and storyteller and can tell any kind of tale-it doesn't have to be from the Emerald Isle.
I would also like people to know that I really do live in Milwaukee. People ask me all the time when I will be returning to Milwaukee to do a show. I may tour and fly off to NYC to do a show but for now Milwaukee is my home. Perhaps I have been one of Milwaukee's best kept secrets and it is time to let the cat out of the bag.
Celia Farran will be the featured artist at Thai Joe's, Mon. Jan. 27. She will also perform her one-woman show, "Celtic Stories and Songs," at Derry Hegarty's the second Friday of every month starting Fri., Feb. 14.
For more information, and a complete list of Ferran's performance dates, visit www.celiafarran.com.
Molly Snyder started writing and publishing her work at the age 10, when her community newspaper printed her poem, "The Unicorn.” Since then, she's expanded beyond the subject of mythical creatures and written in many different mediums but, nearest and dearest to her heart, thousands of articles for OnMilwaukee.
Molly is a regular contributor to FOX6 News and numerous radio stations as well as the co-host of "Dandelions: A Podcast For Women.” She's received five Milwaukee Press Club Awards, served as the Pfister Narrator and is the Wisconsin State Fair’s Celebrity Cream Puff Eating Champion of 2019.
