Megan Ita O’Rourke - 384 Days

A conversation with Megan Ita O’Rourke - writer, performer and the powerhouse behind 384 Days (also, once a proud Hufflepuff extra in Harry Potter). In this fearless and funny one-woman show, Megan brings to life Molly O’Riordan: a Yum Yum Eater champion, YouTube super-fan and long-term resident of a mental health unit facing the toughest review of her life. 384 Days takes its audience on a journey diving deep into the strange, sometimes hilarious, sometimes heartbreaking ways we navigate grief and healing, all with a touch of magic.

1. Tell us a little about yourself, how long have you been a writer/performer?

Of course! Hi, I’m Megan Ita O’Rourke. I’m from London, I’ve lived here all my life. My parents are Irish, they moved over about 37 years ago. I’ve been acting since I was small in school plays, Saturday drama clubs and bits of professional work as a kid. I was actually an extra in Harry Potter. I was in Hufflepuff! I always knew I wanted to act, but I didn’t know how to get into the industry. A friend of mine had just done a foundation year at drama school and told me about it. I’d never heard of drama school before. I ended up doing the foundation year at Mountview, which gave me a real route into the industry. I then went on to do the BA in Acting there and graduated in 2021, but of course, that was during Covid. Things weren’t really happening. Even our third year shows got cancelled. It was a stagnant time. I’d begun writing poetry in drama school, mostly in my iPhone Notes, thinking I was the next Shakespeare! After graduating, I found myself drawn to poetry nights and spoken word events. That opened up a world for me. I also did a lot of teaching with Central School of Speech and Drama, and through their outreach group, I got the opportunity to write and devise a piece with them in 2022. That was a short play, and it helped me find my feet as a writer. For actors, I really believe writing your own work is powerful. If no one’s going to book you, make your own space. Writing has given me that.

2. How did 384 Days come about?

This is the first full-length play I’ve written. I’ve done smaller pieces for Central, but this is the first time I’ve created something with a full beginning, middle and end. 384 Days started life as a poem I performed at Theatre Peckham. Then it became a monologue I did at the Golden Goose Theatre. After months of working on it, it morphed into a full play. It’s been a slow, organic process, each step leading to the next. I always write from a guttural place, especially in my poetry. I tend to start from emotion or theme. With 384 Days, I had to craft a whole world. That was new for me and scary, but so rewarding.

3. Is it safe to say this is ‘your truth’? The name Molly O’Riordan sounds a lot like your own…

It starts from a place of truth, definitely. I don’t hold back from what I’ve experienced. But obviously to make a story you have to build on it. So, yes, it’s partly semi-autobiographical. The core of it is rooted in my own experience, then the play grows into something else, something bigger. Not everything that happens in the play happened to me, but it’s all grounded in truth.

4. The themes are raw, emotional and very personal. Are there any ways you prepare yourself before performing it?

There’s a lot that happens in the play but then again a lot happens in life. People go through the biggest things on the most normal of days. My prep is about grounding myself. I spend some quiet time with myself before I go on stage, like rooting down. To be honest, I play a lot of Irish music and ask my ancestors to take the wheel. This story feels like it’s about something bigger than me now. I just have to trust the work has been done and it’s time to share it.

5. The audience plays an active role in the show. What’s that dynamic like?

Yes! After the first 10–15 minutes of the show, the audience becomes Molly’s ‘review team’. That relationship is essential. It keeps people awake, literally and emotionally. It’s a late show and I know from experience if I’m seeing something late, I want my attention to be grabbed. This format really works in our favour because it keeps the audience switched on and engaged. They’re asked to think: How am I judging Molly? What’s my perspective here? It takes them from being passive watchers to active participants. At The Cockpit, audiences really responded to that. They said they couldn’t look away and that’s exactly what we want. If you’re giving up your evening, we want to make it count.

6. What’s been the most stand-out reaction you’ve had from an audience?

At The Cockpit, we collected reactions after the show. What stuck with me most was the sense of the journey people had gone on. Where you start is definitely not where you end. People laughed with Molly one moment, then suddenly were reflecting on their own lives. I don’t want to prescribe what people think or feel but I do want them to feel something. That’s really what we’ve seen,  people leaving with strong feelings.

7. Should audiences prepare for this show emotionally?

No, I don’t think so. If definitely doesn’t need a warning. There’s nothing in this show people haven’t seen or lived through in some form. It’s really a reflection of the human experience, the highs and lows. People really do laugh! That shocked me at The Cockpit, I didn’t realise just how funny the show was until then. You don’t need to prepare, just come willing to go on a journey. Where you start is a thousand miles from where you end and for me that’s the kind of theatre I want to see.

8. Has the play changed since it was first created?

Massively. The script has been edited down, made sharper and more focused. This time around, for The Pleasance, we’ve had a whole creative team - director, set designer, projectionist, magic consultants. Even though it’s a one woman show, it feels so full because of all the brilliant people involved. It’s a real step up. We’ve done it all with no budget. Just hard work and trusting in the process.

9. How do you think it’ll play at The Pleasance compared to The Cockpit?

It’ll definitely be different. At The Cockpit, we were in traverse, so the audience was on all sides. The Pleasance has cabaret seating, so the vibe changes. But honestly, I won’t really know until it’s happening. There are no previews so we’re going straight in. The Pleasance team has been amazing and I think the space will work really well. We’re doing a lot technically. It’s exciting.

10. You mention a 'magic consultant’, how does magic fit in?

Molly is an aspiring magician. She does a magic show every single day when she’s in the mental health unit. She’s been looking at YouTube, online platforms. She’s working on this big magic trick that’s gonna change her life. Throughout Molly uses magic to solve some of her issues.

11. Finally - what’s next for you and for 384 Days?

I’d love more opportunities, for the show and for myself as a writer/performer. 384 Days connects with people in such a powerful way. I’d love to see it in different venues and with different audiences. Who knows? Maybe 384 Days ends up at the Royal Court for a three month run! But right now we’re just thinking in the moment. Let’s get this run right, keep trusting in the process. So far, every performance has brought the show to a new level. As for me personally, I want to keep creating work that holds a mirror to the human experience, that comes from the gut.

384 Days is showing at The Pleasance Theatre in London - 15 & 16th October 2025.