Drama students in ‘My Therapist Needs Therapy’.

Institute students collaborate for a ‘not to be missed’ show

A not to be missed show kicks off next week at Townhall Theatre written and performed by music and theatre performance students at Cavan Institute.

Get ready for a laugh-out-loud comedy experience like no other with ‘My Therapist Needs Therapy’ when it takes to the Cavan venue stage on Wednesday, April 17.

Dr Zen is a therapist whose calm demeanour and tranquil nature make him the perfect candidate to help others navigate life's chaos. But there's just one problem – his clients are more like forces of nature themselves!

From a schedule of wacky clients to a gossip obsessed cleaner, Dr Zen finds his personal life exposed at work. Luckily, amidst the absurdity of his clientele, he relies on his trusty plant 'Emerald' to keep him grounded. But is it enough?

Well, audiences will just have to wait and see, laughs Vanessa Galligan, Theatre Performance tutor at Cavan Institute who is showcasing this production alongside Music Performance tutor Sue Donohoe.

“We are bringing a brand new script to the stage where students have improvised the scenes, continued Vanessa, before adding that the aim is to take away the stigma that surrounds mental health and bring a bit of lightheartedness to the subject matter.

“It’s a bit of fun and it has given the students involved an opportunity to experience the real-world when it comes to acting. They will have to audition for parts just like they did for this performance and may also have to write their own script, which they have also learned to do and then they get to perform in front of a live audience which is a great experience for them.”

Meanwhile, the Theatre Performance course at Cavan Institute continues to go from strength to strength. Vanessa believes that the introduction of Drama, Film & Theatre studies to the Leaving Cert Curriculum in 2025 will make the college course even “more relevant”.

“The wonderful thing about this course is that students are working with people, not alone,” continued Vanessa. “This is their second show; they performed in December for a child audience and now, here they are performing for an adult audience. It really is a great achievement for them.”