Darren (30) studied Television and Media at Colaiste Dhulaigh, and he founded Calipo in 1994. He has been artistic director since then, directing and co-writing 12 of its 16 productions including Love is the Drug, which was made into a six-part drama series for RTE, and won an IFTA award for Best Drama Series in 2005. Darren is single and still lives in Drogheda, and his short film script, Frankie, was awarded an RTE/IFB short cuts award and will be going into production in February 2007.

Colin (27) attended the Gaiety School of Acting, and he and Darren trained with Anne Bogart's SITI company in New York in 2001. Colin realised he preferred directing and writing to acting, and worked as a trainee assistant director on Love Is The Drug for RTE, as well as working as a director-in-residence with youth theatres in Cavan. He has just finished writing The Last Days of the Roman Empire, which Calipo will produce in May 2007. He teaches at the Little Duke drama school in Drogheda, and now lives in Belfast with his partner Tony.

Colin's latest production, Moonlight Mickey's, directed by Darren, will be performed at Bewley's Cafe Theatre, Dublin, at 1.10pm daily until 9 December.

Tickets: 15 including light lunch can be booked on 086 878 4001.

Colin on Darren Darren and I have always been very close, and were very good friends from a young age. The one thing that always brought us together was our love of movies, because we were really into watching videos, collecting posters, and going to the cinema. The cinema in Drogheda was called the Oscar, and they always showed kids films in Oscar 1, and adult films in Oscar 2. Darren was 3 years older than me, and he told me that monsters came out of the screen in Oscar 2 and dragged children back in with them, which made me terrified of ever going in there. When Star Wars, Return of the Jedi opened, they showed it in both screens, and when I realised our tickets were for Oscar 2, I became hysterical and wouldn't go in. I went home crying to my dad, who calmed me down and reassured me. He brought me back in to the cinema by the hand, and Darren was sitting there with his big bucket of popcorn, enjoying the film with not a bother on him, so my dad gave him a clip across the head and sat me down beside him.

We always went to the cinema together after that without a problem, until Darren started dating girls. There was a period around the time I was about 11 and Darren was 14, and it was very uncool for him to have his kid brother hanging around. He was off making a social life for himself, and I suppose I felt a bit left out, but everything was grand once I got older and caught up with him. We used to go off to the Youth Theatre and were both really into it, and as we got older, his friends became mine and mine became his, and it's really been that way ever since. I like being able to hang out with him, and when I came out to my friends and family in my late teens, Darren was the first person I told I was gay. He was so open and accepting of it, and has always completely supported me.

I really admire Darren as a director, and think that he creates a very safe space for actors to work in. He has been a big influence on my career because I'm usually either working for him, or with him, in pretty much everything I do. I started off acting, but discovered I was more passionate about directing and writing. When I started to do a bit of writing, I showed it to Darren, because I knew that I could trust him to be honest with me. He was very supportive and encouraging, which gave me the confidence to keep going with it, and try it out, and things took off from there really.

Darren on Colin Colin and I have always been really close, and he has been my best friend since we were kids really. We spend a lot more time together than any siblings I know, and even apart from work, we would generally go out together at least once or twice every week. We have the same circle of friends, and are very easy with each other, and always have been. We used to go to the cinema every week as kids, but there was one incident when I was 14 and wouldn't let Colin come with me, because I was bringing a girl on a date instead. He got my dad to bring him and never told me, and they ended up sitting a couple of rows behind me. Colin completely landed me in it, because I was kissing the face off this girl all through the film, which got me in trouble with my dad when I got home!

I was worried for Colin when he came out and revealed that he was gay, because he was only about 18, and it was a bigger deal in Drogheda at that time than it would be now. I thought he was very brave, and I admired that he was so secure in himself at that age to be able to come out.

It was a shock for our parents, as they had a strict Catholic upbringing, but they came around really quickly and were really good about it. When we go out now, Colin comes to straight clubs with me and I go to gay clubs with him, and it's brilliant.

The thing is that most of my straight friends are settled by now, and it's great having the gay lads to go out with because it's always great craic. Plus they go to nice places and go on exotic holidays much more frequently than my straight friends do.

Colin has always been very supportive of me too, and he's brilliant to work with because we have a very similar mindset and seem to think the same way. We work together a lot of the time, and even if I'm doing a separate project, I would often get Colin in to have a look over it and give me his opinion.