She said: “It’s a show about impossible dreams – what do you do with your childhood dreams when you get to a certain age? I’m in my 40s - do you let them go? And why do you let them go?
“It also gives a good background to space itself, so the audiences leave with a nice appreciation of space and interesting facts about it.”
Shaw has had a diverse career so far. A professional scientist, she is also a well-known actress on Irish TV, a comedy improviser, and Artist in Residence at Blackrock Castle Observatory. But though she has a master’s degree in engineering and a PhD in science, neither of these were enough her to get into space.
Despite that, she’s making positive advances towards her dream. Prior to her Fringe run, she's going to Ohio for two months to take part in an intense NASA Space Studies programme.
“My relations with the European Space Agency are continuing to get stronger all the time as well, so I’m very confident that I’m going to do it in the next 10 years,” she said.
To Space, which is directed by Ronan Phelan and Sarah Baxter, had a highly successful run at Tiger Dublin Fringe last year and Shaw says that she was approached after the performances by the public, desperate to know if she was really going to become an astronaut.
“Audience members really want to help me get to space,” she said. “I share a lot about my dream to go to space with them and because of that I think they really understand how much I want to go.
“Even people who don’t want to go to space understand the cost of a dream, so they encourage me to continue."
· Summerhall Anatomy Lecture Theatre, Aug 10 – 30. 5pm
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