O’REILLYS The Betty Ann Norton Collection 6th - 8th April 2022

8 strawberries and cream at her garden parties, being treated to afternoon tea in the Merrion and theatre trips all around Dublin. Claudia Carroll (author, actor and former student of Betty Ann’s) “No one who ever met Betty Ann could ever really forget her.That voice, so crisp and annunciated, her calling card. The old-school glamour; the way she was always so impeccably dressed, literally dripping with expensive jewelry.You never saw her without a full face of make-up - never.Then there was her drive, her focus, her absolute passion for theater and drama and acting and the spoken word. The word ‘legend’ gets bantered around so much, but I can think of no better way to de- scribe the life force Betty Ann really was. You lived for Drama class on a Friday night. Me, Deirdre Kinahan, Karen Ardiff, Jim Culleton, Aidan McArdle and so many other classmates. It wasn’t all fun and messing and improvs; Betty Ann could be tough on you and God help you if you turned up to class without knowing your poem for the Feis or your theory for your Guildhall exams. She demanded the same standard of perfectionism from a nine year old as she would from a grown adult working at the Abbey or Gate. We were half terrified of her as kids - it was only as an adult you came to appreciate the passion that she brought to everything. If she was hard on you, it was only because she really, really cared. It’s an honour to write the forward for O’Reilly’s and for the upcoming auction. Betty Ann’s theatre school was a life’s work for her and for her equally wonderful, gifted husband, Michael. I’m rock solid cer tain that auctioning so many of her exquisite things as a fundraiser would be exactly what they'd both have wished for. And so I’m wishing O’Reilly’s the greatest success imaginable with the sale. Betty Ann would expect no less. Warmest wishes, Claudia Carrol” Grace (current tutor, former student) I distinctly remember my first class in the theatre school. I was a shy child and my mother sent me to drama classes with Betty Ann to build my confidence and most im- por tantly to help me speak clearly. Being the new child, I was told to stand up and introduce myself to the class. Betty Ann asked me my name, my age, and what kind of person I was. I was terrified! All the other children knew each other and seemed to burst with confidence! Aged 8, and not knowing what kind of person I was, I said 'a normal one' hoping that would be an ac- ceptable answer. Betty Ann was quick to correct me and let me know "there's no such thing as a 'normal' person" and encour- aged me to be specific. I cobbled together something about being spor ty that seemed to satisfy her and allowed me to shrink back into my seat. Throughout my years as a student Betty Ann