Top theatre groups to vie for drama festival title
Tonight (Friday, March 20) sees the start of ten nights of quality theatre as the eagerly awaited 69th Cavan Drama Festival gets underway. Both the Open (O) and Confined (C) sections have five groups hoping to impress Bailieborough’s Padraic McIntyre, who sits in the adjudicator’s chair.
Trained as an actor at The Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff. Padraic is artistic director of Livin’ Dred Theatre Company, based in the Ramor Theatre, Virginia. Padraic is currently directing The Field by John B. Keane at The Gaeity Theatre in Dublin.
This year’s positively thrilling line-up will see some of the finest amateur dramatic troupes from across Ireland descend on the Town Hall Theatre, Cavan Town. Jenny McGovern gives a preview of what to expect. (All shows start at 8pm.)
Friday, March 20
‘The Real McCoy’ (Confined)
Clanabogan Drama Circle, Omagh open the festival with this play set in Madge Malloy’s kitchen. Madge is in her 60s and has spent the past 40 years wondering why her husband Tom mysteriously disappeared one day without without trace or reason. When she discovers that Tom is back in the parish she has some difficult decisions to make. Will she make the right one?
‘The Real McCoy’ is billed as a hilarious Irish comedy, with tender moments.
Saturday, March 21
‘The 39 Steps’ (Open)
Mix a Hitchcock masterpiece with a juicy spy novel, add a dash of Monty Python and you’ve an intriguing, thrilling, riotous and unmissable comedy. Corofin Dramatic Society bring Patrick Barlow’s take on the classic,‘The 39 Steps’. The show plunges a notorious fugitive and a spellbound blonde from a London music hall north to Scotland’s most remote highlands. A four-strong cast take on over fifty characters in this break-neck paced tale of an ordinary man on an extraordinary adventure. This was very well received at Enniskillen’s Drama Festival last week, where it came third.
Sunday, March 22
“The Memory of Water” (C)
Compantis Lir from Galway bring us this play which centers on the nature of memory. That which emerges starkly at the time of a person’s death because we want to remember them as they were when they were alive. All that remains of a person after their death is our memories, and even these can be fabricated or false. As such it is poignant play, punctured by moments of hilarity.
Monday, March 23
“Play On” (C)
This comedic play brought to stage by The Phoenix Players, Tubbercurry follows a theatre group trying desperately to put on a play amid all kinds of maddening interference from its author who keeps revising the script. On opening night anything that can go wrong does, with some hilarious results.
Tuesday, March 24
‘The Salvage Shop’ (C)
Sliabh Aughey players from Clare perform The Salvage Shop, which centers around Sylvester (Sylvie) Tansey, who owns the shop of the title. A strict taskmaster, he demands loyalty from family, friends and the small brass band he conducts in a small seaside town. In failing health the maestro is left with his unfulfilled dreams and the bitter memories of failure and betrayal while his son Eddie craves forgivness and reconciliation from the stubborn intransigent old bandmaster. Expect to laugh, cry and cheer in equal measure.
Wednesday, March 25
‘The Dead School’ (O)
Reigning All Ireland Drama Festival champions, Corn Mill Theatre bring us this adaptation of Pat Mccabe’s novel of the same name. The tale follows Raphael Bell, an old-style national school teacher whose life is haunted by images and memories from his past. He has devoted his life to upholding his school’s rigorous core curriculum. So far this production has claimed second place in three drama festivals, including in Enniskillen last week.
Thursday, March 26
‘Hedda Gabler’ (O)
Neurotic newlywed Hedda Gabler appears to have all she needs to be content, yet feels trapped in a world without exhilaration and meaningful choice. Feeling no control over her life she entertains herself by trying to control others. How will Hedda fare when envy, rivalry and fear fill the rooms of her new home. Henrik Ibsen’s classic play is brought to stage by Moat Club, Kildare.
Friday, March 27
‘MOMologues’ (C)
Take 5 Cork theatre brings this original comedy about motherhood. Stef, Maria, Char and Ellen take the audience through all the wonderful (and not so wonderful) experiences that go hand in hand with motherhood. From fertility treatments to hemorrhoids, from baby weight to diet restrictions, from juggling work with play dates to reading the same story over and over again while still trying to grab some ‘Me time’.
Saturday, March 28
‘The Absence of Women’ (O)
Gerry and Iggy are in their early sixties and living in London. They talk and reminisce about their lives, about the lure of Belfast and about what might have been. This touching play by Owen McCafferty is brought to you by the Lifford Player Donegal. They won a brace of awards in Enniskillen, including ‘Most Promising Young Actor’ and ‘Best Moment of Theatre’.
Sunday, March 29
‘God of Carnage’ (O)
The 69th Cavan Drama festival comes to a close with this Ballyshannon Drama Society’s production of Yasmina Reza’s play. This comedy of manners poses the question: if we’re polite to one another, shouldn’t we all just get along? Emotional buttons are pressed, boundaries are assaulted and a tense argument reveals the multiple layers of these characters, with surprising and hilarious results. The audience will undoubtedly take dark voyeuristic pleasure in watching the unfolding verbal battle. However, if we watch closely, we might see a bit of ourselves!